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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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Visit to the Archive Library
Location: St Helens
The Samuel Taylor papers are held at the Central Library in St Helens.
To attempt a search of the earliest days of Taylor Park it would be necessary to collect as much information as possible which originated from that period.
This activity aims to highlight the need for archive material and show how it can develop a better understanding of change and history.
Those who took part in this exercise were quite surprised how simple the search process can be.
We have tried to use the word 'archive' when asking families to find memories of the park through their old letters diaries and photograph albums.
Many people are happy to speak on their memories of Taylor Park but the evidence from local people would not be able to inform us of the earliest days of the Park's History.
These would be the years prior to and following the park entering the public domain during 1893.
Fortunately the park's conception, from Samuel Taylor senior's dream to the grand opening by his grandson, has been fairly well recorded through the Borough Engineering Department, the local newspapers and personal correspondence between the Town Clerk and Mr Taylor himself. All of these have been carefully collected in the Central Library's Archive.
On Wednesday, 19th May a group of adults and children from the Thatto Heath Community visited the Archive to study the earliest period in the public park's history. They were met by Peter Sargent who, aided by the archive staff, showed us how to use the reference system to access books, letters, newspaper reports, maps and documents.
During the visit we were able to find a number of documents including:
photographs of the Park in it's earlier days;
maps which illustrated how the quarry was linked with Eccleston Hall;
newspaper reports on the opening ceremony;
the original letter in which Samuel Taylor offered the land as a gift to the borough.
Copies of these documents and other items found, are to be used in a special Archive Resource Pack which will be offered to schools and community groups as a template for future research.
Further visits will be made to seek more information.
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