It's nice in the sandpit

“This is Blaker’s Park, my local park, and you can see the clocktower with the dolphin on top. I usually go in the summer, because it’s got nicer weather. There’s lot of people you can speak to, and go down the slides, and it’s really nice in the sandpit. If you haven’t been here, you should go – and if you know how to play tennis, I’ll give you a game!”

Comments about this page

  • This park is amazing! I used to come here when I was little. It’s got such a good playground, and the park its self is great for chilling and picnics

    By Katrina (15/07/2004)
  • I grew up in Brighton and my grandparents live around the corner from Blakers Park, we spent most school holidays playing there

    By Julie Hilton (22/04/2005)
  • I love this park, I still come here now when I can. It is a quiet place to enjoy the fields and great playground areas, with plenty of locals!

    By Hannah Crewe (03/10/2005)
  • I lived in Waldergrave Road in the period 1940/1954 and played in park during war. I remember the water reservoir. The park keeper was named Bert,one of my friends was Rita Gates.

    By Bernard Hill (17/02/2006)
  • I lived in Preston Drove opposite Blakers Park from 1942 to 1947. Cowboys and Indians were the games played. The water reservoir was a great place to play around, and  the Clock Tower. As we had double Summer time in England during the war it did not get dark until 9.30 or so in the Summer so the park was very popular with the children. I remember a boy called David Toft who played with us.

    By Jennifer Goddard (nee Norrell) (11/02/2007)
  • I grew up at 187 Preston Drove that overlooked the park. From the first floor, we had a view down the length of the park and down across Brighton right to the pier! I remember sledging at night in the park, by the light of surrounding roads street lights. That is until they put the railings in, halfway down! I seemed to have spent my entire childhood playing in that park; 20-a-side football, and cricket, there was always sports equipment in our hallway. My parents Jim and Barbara Fenton bought the house in 1949 when they were first married. My Dad died in 1990 and my Mum lived there until she died in 2000. I remember a centenary celebration in 1993 or 94 with the Mayor, when she was the second longest resident from surrounding roads. I lived there from when I was born in 19’61, till 1985. My Father told me once that he remembered the children’s playground at the bottom of the park being lawn tennis courts. Then they built the concrete ones and put in the playground I guess. Winter and summer, much fun was had in that park.

    By Simon Fenton (26/08/2008)
  • Simon, I think you must be David’s brother. I was at Downs School with him, and played in the park with him. Do you remember Tony Harris who lived a few doors down?

    By Dave White (14/09/2008)
  • Great park. I grew up at 40 Cleveland Road and went to Balfour School from 1976-1985. I remember playing in the park till late at night and terrorising the park keepers.

    By Jules (04/02/2010)
  • The community group that protects and enhances Blaker’s Park, the Friends of Blaker’s Park, now has it’s own website at http://www.blakerspark.org.uk. It includes a calendar of events and information about how to join the Friends.

    By Max Glaskin (09/11/2010)
  • Looking back I’ve rediscovered this site after some years without a computer. Gosh yes, I remember Bert the parkie from the late 50s/early 60s. You may find it hard to believe (as did I) but he had a book of cuttings “proving” his relationship to the royal families of England.

    By Dave White (07/08/2011)
  • I lived in Stanford Avenue as a child, so I played in Blakers Park. I loved it there. We used to put sand down the slide to make it faster (not sure now if that really worked though). I lost my grip on the rings one time and landed face down on the tarmac! the park keeper kept us all in order; there was no way anyone would stand up on the swings!

    By carol morrison (07/08/2011)
  • I love Blaker’s park, I always go there to chill-out and play

    By Scarlet (03/04/2013)
  • I grew up in the newsagents (101 Havelock Road) which my parents owned, my brother Richard and I were always playing in the park. It brings back fond memories of warm summers, sandpits and ice cream. I used to have to take him around there to play as he was forever up to mischief and parents wanted a break. One day he fell off of the high slide head first and I had to carry him all the way home, you couldn’t let your young kids play around there now on their own at age 4 & 8 I guess!

    By Julie (Allen) Slade (12/02/2020)
  • I am new to this website hence the rather long period of time since the last comment about this park in 2020.
    In the late 1950’s I moved with my parents to 59, Stanford Avenue which was just a few houses around the corner from the bottom of Cleveland Road. This made the park, particularly the bottom half, very close to where I lived. I remember the top part of the park was very open and spacious and there were plenty of seats all the way around the park. The bottom half of the park somehow seemed to have a more ‘closed in’ feeling. When I first started going to the park there were definitely lawn tennis courts at the bottom which later became a playground. For some strange reason I used to enjoy hanging by my legs from those rings in the playground mentioned by a previous contributor. Perhaps I had visions of being a trapeze artist or a future career with the Cirque du Soleil – who knows? It’s just something I liked to do at the time. I remember very well the Park Keeper and he had an office/hut right beside the playground. When first going to the park I was still at Balfour School, moving to Dorothy Stringer in 1961. I used to meet friends from both schools in the park and made other friends just from going and playing there. In 1964 we moved from Stanford Avenue to a new housing development in Mile Oak, Portslade and I’ve not been back to the park since this time. I now live in Chichester but quite often travel into Brighton to meet up with family, friends and ex-work colleagues. Perhaps on one of these visits I should make the time to go for a leisurely and very nostalgic walk around Blakers Park.

    By Carolyn Jones (30/08/2023)

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