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Drama in the Park
Taylor Park - A Chapter in Our Own History
May Day Event
Victorian Day
The Beginning
A Walk with Samuel Taylor
Research Through Drama
Legacy of Samuel Taylor Portrait Gallery
Taylor Park - The Legacy of Water
Regatta Day
Visit to the Archive Library
Image Library
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Drama in the Park
Location: St Helens
On Sunday 19th September, the community of Taylor Park was invited to a series of short plays enacted in different locations.
The audience saw a short play concerning the original handing over of the park and then were led to an area surrounded by rhododendron where they saw the re-enactment of a tale about Thomas Nuttall who lived in Nutgrove and was famed as an eminent botanist. After this scene they were directed to the Oak Wood pool where they witnessed the first case of poaching in the New Park. Finally, the audience accompanied the poacher and arresting officer to meet at the court of Mr. Drumgoole J.P.
During the study of Taylor Park's history, we discovered a number of tales linked with the park and the characters who lived within the community.
It was very easy to join newspaper reportage, archive history and personal memories to create three short plays which used various sites around the park as background for some truly Victorian melodrama.
The first of our scenes described the opening of the park to the public, based on archive material from the St Helens Advertiser.
The second scene concerning the famed botanist, Thomas Nuttall who lived in nearby Nutgrove and spent much of his life completing a tome on the flora of North America. 'Famous Failures' told a tale of Nuttall becoming lost in the mountains and being rescued by the indians. This story is partly verified by none less than James Fenimore Cooper, the North American writer.
Next we returned to newspaper archives to discover the first case of poaching in the new park and watch young James Barnes being apprehended by the 'parkie' (an actual park ranger) and a police officer.
In the ensuing, courtroom scene artistic licence prevails and more observant members of the audience are called on to act as witnesses to the incident.
The plays were well attended, in spite of changeable weather conditions and the audience agreed that this form of touring theatre had not been 'a good walk ruined.'
After each performance, the audience remained to ask questions and share their experiences of the park and knowledge of its history.
During the afternoon the public had another opportunity to view the the now extensive collection of old and new photographs of Taylor Park.
It was a joy to see and hear grandparents, parents and even young couples discussing their memories, prompted by those photographs and the playlets.
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