Photos: Thompson Park in years gone by

Its great attraction is the boating lake and, today, we publish a feature of old postcard images of the lake in use.

Thompson Park (not Thompson’s Park) dates from 1930 when funds provided by James Whitham Thompson were used by Burnley Corporation to buy part of the Bank Hall Estate and convert it into a public park.

Bank Hall itself had been in public ownership since 1919 when Burnley’s maternity hospital was established there.

The boating lake is about three acres in extent and, initially, was furnished with motor boats, rowing skiffs, canoes and children’s paddle boats.

Some of these types of boats can be seen in the pictures.

All of the images come from postcards from the Briercliffe Society Collection.

A number of different makers are represented and these are mentioned in the individual captions.