Discover Wicksteed Park's History Through Talking Telescopes

Visitors can now learn more about Wicksteed Park’s rich past through a recent installation of telescopes around the park.

Seven ‘Talking Telescopes’ can now be found in key locations around the park and allow visitors to expand their knowledge of Wicksteed whilst venturing around the park. “We have chosen seven key areas of the park to highlight which each showcase a different element of the visit. The locations are the playground, the precinct, the fountain lawn, the rose garden, the railway, the lake and the water chute,” said Connor McIntyre, Community and Heritage coordinator.

When visitors look through the lenses, they see an image of the park as it appeared in the past. Visitors can also listen to the history of that location through the voices of Charles or Hilda Wicksteed by pressing a button on the telescope, providing a more interactive and accessible way to engage with the information. Each telescope has two lenses at different levels making it even more accessible for those interacting with them.

Talking Telescopes are part of Wicksteed Park’s @Play project which is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This project is an initiative to encourage more people to learn about the heritage of the park and the continued importance and value of play for the local community.