Ilkeston - Memories of the Rec.
w/e 24 March 2024
All of this week's
pictures were taken with a Nikon D3300
Rutland Recreation Ground was
renamed Rutland Sports Park following the redevelopment about
twenty years ago. For those of us who grew up in the second half
of the last century it will always just be the Rec. As we walked
around the Rec all those old memories of its former glory came
flooding back.
It's not so long ago that there was a paddling pool in the children's
play area but that was removed following Health and Safety concerns.
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Nearby are a series of tennis courts. The sign says "Stanton
Tennis Club" but at one time of day you could pay by the
hour to play on them by purchasing a ticket from the kiosk adjacent
to the cricket scoreboard.
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Sadly both the scoreboard and the kiosk were demolished but they
stood at the bottom of the bank just beyond the path and trees
in the foreground of this view. The new pavilion was built on
the bank between the upper and lower parts of the Rec.
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Tickets could also be bought for the Putting Green (top) and
the six hole Pitch and Put course (bottom) but both of these
facilities have now been lost.
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The Pitch and Put course sloped down to the lower Rec where there
were some cricket nets and football pitches and anyone could
turn up to kick a ball about on the open green space. Now it
is all fenced off and access to the all weather pitches is through
the new pavilion and gym - all at a cost of course.
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A cricket pitch still exists on the upper Rec but it's a long
time since County Championship matches between Derbyshire and
visiting Counties were staged here in front of thousands of spectators.
Amateur teams still use the pitch but I doubt very much whether
it is of sufficient quality these days for professional players.
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The old pavilion of 1925 is still in use and provides a useful
storage facility for maintenance equipment too. Its appearance
though was not improved however, with the removal of the terracing
and steps at the front during the redevelopment work.
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There were more tennis courts at the top of the Rec where I spent
many happy hours with friends in the 1960s after we relaxed at
the end of term whilst awaiting exam results. Whatever it is
used for now is behind high fences and locked gates.
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The same is true of the Bowling Green but again, with school
friends, tickets were bought from the kiosk and bowls hired for
a friendly game after school.
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Before we left the Rec there was time for
a last look back along the concrete terracing towards the sports
hall. The terracing once ran all the way along this side of the
Rec and seating was provided by wooden benches. The seats would
be filled for those County Cricket matches and also by proud
parents every year when school sports days were held or when
uniformed groups like the Scouts and Guides held competitions.
The trees, flowers and also the plants in the boggy area at the
foot of the bank are fairly recent additions but I'm not sure
the redevelopment of the Rec was an unmitigated success. Or am
I just looking at things with nostalgic rose-tinted spectacles?
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