On the 19th March 2016, as part of the Invisible Boundaries Project a Historical walk and talk was held at the Arboretum Park in Derby.
We were joined by the Park’s manager Mick McNaught who guided us around the area where he shared his knowledge on the history of the park and where it stands to date.
Participants and residents from the area enjoyed interacting with Mick as they engaged in the historical walk and talk learning the history as well as sharing their own experiences and knowledge. We visited different buildings and main ornaments in the park, including the ‘famous’ copy of the Florentine Boar. What makes this park interesting and different from the rest is that every corner and building has a story to tell. People tend to simply walk by without realising how much history and memories the park has to offer.
It was interesting to note how the park changed over the years through participants’ memories. For example, one of the participants told us that long time ago the Central Fountain used to have loads of fish swimming in the water. Unfortunately, today the Fountain is empty.
This Historical walk and talk session was very useful as it enabled participants to share their memories while making new ones.
‘’ Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others’’ – Rosa Parks-