Oakenshaw Park

Oakenshaw Park was a Weatherfield enclosure open to the public in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Situated near the dye works, the park was big enough to sport a set of toilets, a green iron shelter, and a keeper's workshed.

George Greenwood was the park's keeper, and took huge pride in his work, giving it his full attention even in the coldest months of the year. George boasted that he knew the park like the back of his hand and could get from the gates to the toilets blindfolded. In doing his job, he developed a good understanding of and patience for the people who used it, allowing the odd veteran to bed down there for the night. He frequently struck up platonic relationships with the women who came into the park, Hilda Ogden among them. Hilda met George when she wandered in with the infant Peter and Susan Barlow while baby-sitting in December 1967. Due to the snow, most of the time George and Hilda were together was spent either in the shelter or in George's workshed.

In July 1971, Stan Ogden nicked an orchid from the park and pretended to have grown it himself when he presented it at the Community Centre flower show. Unfortunately for Stan, the flower and veg judge was none other than George Greenwood, and the perceptive park keeper recognised the orchid as one of his as soon as he laid eyes on it, causing Hilda much embarrassment.


 * Location filming took place for the park in Episode 735 (1st January 1968) and Episode 736 (3rd January 1968). The scenes inside the shelter in the same episodes were recorded in studio, as were those in George's workshed in later episodes.