Tulip Sunday, Philips Park c 1920

Philips park was created with a specific aim in mind - to cope with the promenading of large numbers of persons. On holidays the park was flooded with many thousands of people, it being a convenient, close and cheap day out for working families. The Park was located in the densely populated Bradford district of Manchester and had winding pathways and extensive water features.

It also offered a variety of recreation activities and sporting opportunities, including skittles, quoits, archery, cricket, shuttlecocks (now called badminton), "giant strides" (a sort of enormous maypole which spun round quickly and was intended to exhaust children quickly - it was a great success!) and swings. Childrens' play areas, called "gymnasia" were provided, with seesaws, swings and skipping areas on offer.  The Park became famed locally for "Tulip Sunday", usually the first or second Sunday in April, when some 50,000 tulips could be seen in bloom.  In 1920, the ornamental ponds were concreted over and converted into boating and paddling pools.

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