Stoke Park Estate celebrated in storytelling project

Often described as the heart and lungs of the less-than-leafy neighbourhood of Lockleaze, the Stoke Park Estate has been a celebrated haven for residents here since it was built in the 1950s.

Now, a series of storytelling workshops, live events and digital media have helped local residents recall their memories and share their experiences of the parkland.

“The Stoke Park Stories Project aims to unleash untold stories about Stoke Park, document imagery and create a legacy to what the park is, in this particular point in time,” says Iulia Manolescu, Lockleaze resident and artistic producer for the project.

The project included a three-part spoken word series with international poet and cultural producer, Muneera Pilgrim, alongside an analogue photography workshop with BAFTA award-winning photographer, director and filmmaker, Esther May Campbell.

The storytelling project also featured audio tours and art exhibitions, and an afternoon of participatory music, art and letterpress printing with the Letterpress Collective printing bike. A number of intimate storytelling and poetry events amongst the ancient woodlands have also been featured throughout the project.

‘An Afternoon in the Woods’ event included an exhibition of BAFTA award-winning Esther Campbell’s photography workshop in collaboration with Lockleaze school children. Photo by @la_sparror, Instagram

“Storytelling brings people together and gives people a sense of belonging,” states Iulia.

She says that sharing stories is a way to ensure that wonderful things that happen in the area are remembered. “This is really important in an area like Lockleaze that is sometimes seen as a forgotten cul-de-sac of Bristol. It’s important that we have collective memories of a space.”

For the project, postcards with poetry and local stories of Stoke Park were printed using the Letterpress Printing Bike. Photo by Fiona McKail

One moving element of the project saw listeners transported to years-gone-by through a wireless headset: a guided walk led partcipants on a route whilst personal stories of the park were shared.

“The audio tour shared wonderful stories from local people – recalling their memories, finding out how it used to look, resurrecting places, ideas and things that may no longer be there,” Iulia adds.

Following one audio tour, attendees settled around a glowing campfire in the woodlands for one of the more intimate storytelling events in the project. Steve England, local resident and Stoke Park historian told tales from his younger years within the park, whilst it was still a working hospital.

“I still see it so clearly in my mindseye; the little old ladies of the institution, shuffling past me in the woods in their gowns and slippers, the boys from the institution who we used to run with, build dens with, play together,” he reminisced.

Iulia says that through live recollection like this, we get much more direct human connection. “It shows the raw emotion that comes with the story,” she says. “It helps us picture the space as it may have been, through someone else’s eyes. It helps us connect with each other through common ground.“

The Letterpress Collective have designed and printed postcards of the woodlands for the event. Photo by the Letterpress Collective

Iulia began the project with the aim of uniting people through their love of a common space. “There is so much going on around here that gets both positive and negative reactions, but having Stoke Park on our doorstep, no one ever complains about that,” she says.

She explains that the Stoke Park Stories Project was born following the success of the recently wrapped-up Lockleaze Stories Project. Funded by the Arts Council in 2019, this project told personal stories about life in the Lockleaze neighbourhood. “We wanted to have a new similar project about something that everyone who lives here celebrates – and that’s Stoke Park.”

The Purdown BT tower, known by some locally as the “cups and saucers”, stands as a prominent feature and landmark in the Stoke Park Estate. Photo by Emily Shimell

The Grade II listed parkland of the Stoke Park Estate, owned by Bristol City Council since 2011, is perhaps most well-known to Bristolians not living in Lockleaze for the stand-out Dower House and horizon-piercing BT tower. For born-and-bred Lockleaze residents however, this is their extended back garden, often known as Purdown and Duchesses, with the “cups and saucers” a much-loved landmark and feature.

“Stoke Park gives us a piece of countryside close to home and a sense of space, and is something central to our area with lots of amazing history and important wildlife,” says Iulia.

The Grade II listed parkland of the Stoke Park Estate is well-known for the now privately-owned yellow Dower House, which stands adjacent to the M32. Photo by Simon Ferguson

She adds: “With this project, we wanted to create a spirit of celebration and coming together in this place that we all live. We wanted to create something that will ripple into the community and make it stronger.”

“Stoke Park is a greenspace that doesn’t come with politics. It’s just a wonderful place that our community can celebrate – something that’s fantastic, beautiful and unique about our little Lockleaze.”

You can find out more about the Stoke Park Stories Project by visiting www.instagram.com/stokeparkstories/.

Main photo by Steve England

Emily Shimell is reporting on Lockleaze as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

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