Local CLP members joined a guided walk on Sunday 27 June, to discover more about the history of Alexandra Park and, at the same time, raised funds for the local Party.
Oonagh Gay who led the tour, specialises in walks around North and East London, with a political theme. She explained the idea behind the early private development of the park as ” …Legoland rather than Victoria Park..” It boasted a Japanese Village, a circus, fairground attractions (including a lady parachutist), as well as a theatre and a racecourse.
The group visited the different sites that have played a role in the diverse history of the Park which in its time has hosted the training ground for the first ever English women’s football team (1895) and a Cold War Bunker (1960s), with a refugee centre and an internment camp in between (World War I).
Those who came along were very enthusiastic and the walk may well prove to be the first in a series. Watch this space for details.