Should changes be made to the open space at Smiddy Hill?

Last Updated on Monday, 1 February 2010 01:05 Written by admin Monday, 1 February 2010 01:05

The Town Council is responsible for the two open spaces in the town centre, Riverside Walk and Smiddy Hill. Some years ago, at Riverside Walk, the Town Council created an amenity area from what had become an eroded bankside. The amenity with retaining wall, trees, small scale planting, seats and picnic tables is enjoyed by local people and visitors alike. Smiddy Hill is also an area in the town centre where people can rest awhile. In the centre of the open space is a cross which commemorates the reign of Edward VII and the accession of George V. There is another memorial at the southern end to the late John Wilson. The deceased was a local councillor and a member of the Labour Party. This memorial was erected in 1950. The only other structure is a raised sensory garden in front of the Liberal Club. A small group of local people chaired by Councillor Margaret Lowe has been looking at the open space at Smiddy Hill which some members of the community will know as the Lumley Rest Gardens. The group has come up with a series of recommendations which the Town Council is considering. The main recommendation is that the lower shrub bed and attendant railings are removed. This would open up Smiddy Hill from the south and show the commemorative cross, backed by the buildings on the north side of Smiddy Hill, to better effect. The flower boxes at the base of the cross would be removed so that the structure could be seen as a whole. The shrubbed area would be turfed and the seats which run along its top side moved to the eastern side of the open space. In addition the Wilson Memorial would be re-erected in the cemetery where the remains of John Wilson are buried. It has proved very difficult to make the memorial vandal proof: the tap has had to be replaced regularly and no longer can water run freely into the lower basin where it used to be available for dogs and birds. The lead inscription has suffered much wear and tear and hardly any of the lettering remains. Grounds maintenance is undertaken by the Town Council with Pickering in Bloom and the Council is particularly grateful for the work that the In Bloom group has done with Pickering’s young people in creating floral displays in the open space. The Town Council hopes that this will continue and is also grateful to the In Bloom group for being willing to recreate the sensory garden. The Town Council would not only appreciate any information you might have about the history of Smiddy Hill once it ceased to be a cattle market in the late nineteenth century but also on the ideas for change.