THE HISTORY OF PICKERING PARK
Christopher Pickering
The park opened on the 13th July 1911.
The land for the park was donated to the city by Christopher Pickering.
He also provided the funds to build the Alms Houses which you can see near the gates; the money to build the original St. Nicholas Church, which was replaced by the current church in the 1960's; and also the children's home which was situated between the Vicarage and the almshouses. Initially intended for girls only, whose lessons included items for future domestic service, the children's home later admitted boys and eventually closed in 1984. The original buildings are now apartments.
Christopher Pickering also built a fishing museum on Hessle High Road. That building is now the home of the Kingston Boxing Club.
Having co-founded Pickering and Haldane's Steam Trawling Co., Christopher Pickering would go on to make numerous charitable donations to the people of Hull.
Whale Jaws and Disappearing Fences
The whalebone jaw arch entrance within the Rockery comes from the full skeleton of a whale which used to sit on the grass in front of the Fishing Museum. The bones were found under a hedge and the girls involved in a police Lifestyle competition were encouraged to use some of them in their improvements to the Rockery.
During the Second World War the railings around the park were donated to the war effort. The gates were retained however. After the war, the Council had the funds to replace the fence but a Councillor then living on Pickering Road objected as she would have to walk further to allow her dog access to the park.
Park Gates
The front main gate entrance to the park on Hessle High Road is over one hundred years old. This is a copy of a picture post card that was found in the Hull History Centre, and it dates from around the time the park first opened. You can clearly see that one of the gates is opened, a feat that has not been repeated in recent times.
Gate Restoration
The gates, unfortunately, have fallen into a state of disrepair.
When the Friends of Pickering Park began the process of applying for funding to have the gates restored, it was discovered that the original plans of the gates were lost.
Using whatever pictures that could be found and employing a recently retired draughtsman, new plans were drawn up. The cost to repair, however, is proving to be very prohibitive but we remain hopeful that we can find a way to fund a return to their original magnificence.
In the background of this picture is the magnificent Turkey Oak which was obviously very well established many years ago. The best we have managed to determine by measuring the trunk is that it is at least 110 years old. This picture provides conclusive proof that it's probably considerably older than that.