Motorboat, Skiff or Paddleboat?

[Mala591]

What was your boat of choice when navigating around Thompson Park lake? Did you jump off the boat under the bridge and did you ever get a ‘final warning’ off the Parkie?

image0.jpeg (1.04 MiB) Viewed 1179 times

Seriously though, Thompson Park is currently in beautiful condition and if you haven’t visited recently then you must have a walk round with your children/grandchildren. Don’t forget a few Bob for ice cream, the paddling pool (free I think), the boat hire and the miniature railway.

[Nonayforever]

Spent many a happy hour there as a kid. Paddle boats being my favourite.

Burnley is blessed with many beautiful parks for a town of it's size. A product of many well meaning benefactors. A lot of more wealthy towns ( back in day ) don't have the same quality of parks.

[ALHAMBRA 1925]

As a child this was my second favourite place to go after turf moor of course.
so many happy memories of Tommy park.
Aye I used to jump off the paddle boat under the bridge much to the anger of the parkie, he was always on my case.
I would save up my pocket money to treat myself to a do on a motor boat .

[Cirrus_Minor]

I was on a day release engineering course at Burnley college, early 70s (on Ormerod Road) and if it was hot weather we would go on the rowing boats st dinner time. This would end up a contest to see who could splash enough water into each others boats to sink it. We would then trudge back into class dripping wet from head to foot. God knows how I passed the course.

[dougcollins]

Seriously though, Thompson Park is currently in beautiful condition and if you haven’t visited recently then you must have a walk round with your children/grandchildren. Don’t forget a few Bob for ice cream, the paddling pool (free I think), the boat hire and the miniature railway.

Fully agree with your comments, it's a gem

[bfcjg]

Loved going in the motor boats, my dad always insisted on driving though. Lovely park happy memories.

[Mala591]

https://thompsonpark.co.uk/

Boats and paddle pool open today

[Bullabill]

image0.jpeg

Seriously though, Thompson Park is currently in beautiful condition and if you haven’t visited recently then you must have a walk round with your children/grandchildren. Don’t forget a few Bob for ice cream, the paddling pool (free I think), the boat hire and the miniature railway.

Thanks for the pic., it's now my desktop wallpaper.

[elwaclaret]

Thompson Park was built as part of the public works for relief during the Lancashire famine, as are a lot of local parks. We should make use of them and perhaps take a second in the peace and quiet to reflect in our busy lives.

[ArmchairDetective]

https://thompsonpark.co.uk/

Boats and paddle pool open today

For some reason I was convinced the paddling pool was no longer in use. Delighted to see that it's open. Many happy memories down there. I've always thought that park is a bit of a gem for the town that doesn't get the recognition it should.

[Clovius Boofus]

Thompson Park was built as part of the public works for relief during the Lancashire famine, as are a lot of local parks. We should make use of them and perhaps take a second in the peace and quiet to reflect in our busy lives.

It was opened in 1930 according to Wiki?

By the way, the motorboats were phased out in the early 1970s. I thought it was much later because I can just about remember them from when I was a kid.

[Nonayforever]

Interestingly, I was always led to believe as a child that the lake was formed from the crater of a bomb that was dropped on Burnley during the war.
However, that story isn't true, but a bomb was dropped in the park during the war and is believed to be the one and only bomb dropped in Burnley.
That story is also untrue, as I found an unexploded bomb on the Praire playing fields when it was being converted from farmland to a sports field back in the late 60's early 70's.
That caused quite a stir.

[Loyalclaret]

For some reason I was convinced the paddling pool was no longer in use. Delighted to see that it's open. Many happy memories down there. I've always thought that park is a bit of a gem for the town that doesn't get the recognition it should.

There are 100's of kids down there in the paddling pool on warms days. It's a great park, very well used especially when the sun is out. Went in May, there were two long but moving queues for ice creams, the lake, the trains, the park was full and all areas had picnicking families above the paddling pool and across the bridge near the train

[Tw@]

Interestingly, I was always led to believe as a child that the lake was formed from the crater of a bomb that was dropped on Burnley during the war.
However, that story isn't true, but a bomb was dropped in the park during the war and is believed to be the one and only bomb dropped in Burnley.
That story is also untrue, as I found an unexploded bomb on the Praire playing fields when it was being converted from farmland to a sports field back in the late 60's early 70's.
That caused quite a stir.

A bomb also landed behind the terraced houses on Rossendale road about 100m from the traffic lights at the junction of Manchester road.

[ArmchairDetective]

There are 100's of kids down there in the paddling pool on warms days. It's a great park, very well used especially when the sun is out. Went in May, there were two long but moving queues for ice creams, the lake, the trains, the park was full and all areas had picnicking families above the paddling pool and across the bridge near the train

Really great to hear.

[Tribesmen]

Used to walk to school and always used the park to get from one side to the other .

[elwaclaret]

It was opened in 1930 according to Wiki?

By the way, the motorboats were phased out in the early 1970s. I thought it was much later because I can just about remember them from when I was a kid.

Not according to the sources I’ve been reading, academic and contemporary.

[Clovius Boofus]

Not according to the sources I’ve been reading, academic and contemporary.

I'm going off this link - which say that construction started in 1928. Maybe the allotments that used to be there were part of the famine relief effort?


https://thompsonpark.co.uk/history/