Park Life

I popped into Havant today to pick up a few items. Enroute to the hardware shop I walked through Havant Park. Although it’s a little jaded in places, I was struck by its Victorian charm and the expanse of greenery in what’s a busy suburban space. I discovered Havant Borough purchased the land to create the park in the late 1800s and the pavilion now used by the cricket club, was donated by the town’s trades people when the park was formed. There’s also a lodge house which was once the home of the park keeper and some ornate iron railings which still remain from the park’s early days. 

My main blip shows part of the cricket pitch and the pavilion in the distance. In Extras I’ve put a photo of the trunk of a London plane tree which was felled by Storm Eunice in 2022 and is now located in the park. It has been carved with designs suggested by children at a local primary school. It’s the primary school Andy attended as a young child and he recalls visiting the park with his mum to collect conkers, and in later years, to play tennis and hockey.