In researching the Spondon Archive book on war memorials, we confirmed that the land which is now South Avenue recreation ground, then called Horse Croft, was bought with donations from the village as a war memorial. It was handed over to the Parish Council in 1922 and is now maintained by the City Council, but there is no indication of its origins. Spondon Archive was successful in a bid for Coop Community Fund money and has already used some of it to plant five trees.
We have also commissioned an information board, to explain the origins of the park and act as a further memorial to the men of Spondon who were killed in the First World War. This will be officially unveiled at 3pm on Friday 28th June, exactly 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Versailles which brought the war to a formal end.
Everybody is welcome to attend this event.
The following Sunday (30th), also at 3pm, there will be a civic service at the Methodist Chapel to also mark this centenary.