A little bit of history..

The small stream running through the Botanical Gardens (see yesterday) in Bradford's Lister Park flows out into the Boating Lake - a well-used amenity since Edwardian times. I've found an old photo of the lake on the internet - see here. Nowadays there are only a few actual rowing boats left. Most people use the garish red pedaloes but they still seem to have fun.

There used to be a Lido (an open-air bathing pool) in the park too, in fact I remember using it when I was a student in the early 1970s. It has long since disappeared and little trace remains, except in people's memories and in a few old photos (see here).

I may have caught a little bit of history in this photo. I read in the local news that the night after I visited, the fire brigade was called to the café where a fire had broken out in a storeroom. The building was completely smoke-logged and the firefighters had to break through the security shutters to gain access. By all accounts they saved the main part of the structure, so perhaps it can be rebuilt and re-opened. Such a shame that it happened when we're in the middle of a heatwave. It's important that people can buy a drink and an ice-cream in the park in the hot-weather. But I am sure some enterprising mobile ice-cream van will be on the case very soon!