We Are Orchard Park – new work exploring the real history of OPE
Help us uncover the real history of Orchard Park
What was Orchard Park like when you first moved there?
What do you remember about growing up on the estate, raising a family there, spending time with friends and neighbours? What’s changed over the years – and what has stayed the same?
Back to Ours is working with residents to explore the history of Orchard Park Estate, from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present day.
Orchard Park has a fascinating and complex story to tell, and we want to hear from the people who know it best.
Come and share your memories
We’re holding informal drop-in sessions on Tuesday afternoons – starting 11 August until 8 September, 11am – 3pm, where you can come along, have a chat with the team and share your memories of Orchard Park.
You might remember moving onto the estate, the shops and schools, the high-rise flats, playing out with friends, community events or everyday life on the estate. Maybe you remember something that has never been written down.
We’d love to hear about it, and would also love to see photos and other material that might help tell OPE’s story.
WHERE: the old café space at the Orchard Centre, Orchard Park Road, HU6 9BX
WHEN: Tuesdays, 11am-3pm
11, 18, 25 August
1 & 8 September
No booking required – just drop in.
From 1960s vision to today’s Orchard Park
When Orchard Park was planned in the 1960s, it was imagined as a modern new community.
The estate was designed around the Radburn concept, with ambitious ideas for the new estate, including a cinema and swimming pool.
The Radburn model included separating pedestrians and vehicles, creating shared green spaces and arranging homes around communal areas rather than traditional streets. The model was popular in post-war housing development and even influenced Walt Disney’s plans for the Epcot Centre.
But OPE residents’ experiences didn’t always match the vision. Newspaper reports from the estate’s early years document some of the challenges faced by people moving into their new homes.
What was it like to move onto Orchard Park? What did residents make of their new neighbourhood? What worked, and what didn’t?
Remember Laxthorpe?
One part of the project will explore the story of Laxthorpe, the high-rise that once stood on Orchard Park and was demolished in 2015.
Artist Joe Sheehan, whose family were from Orchard Park, is creating a model of the building as part of a wider installation.
We’re also collecting stories from people who remember Laxthorpe. Did you live there? Know someone who did? Have a photograph or memory to share? We’d love to hear from you.
Creating an archive for the future
The stories and memories collected through this project will help create an archive of Orchard Park’s history, which will eventually be housed at Hull History Centre.
We’ll also be creating a zine featuring archive material and memories contributed by local people, and working towards an installation and exhibition about Orchard Park in October 2026.
More details about the exhibition will be announced soon.
This is your history
If Orchard Park has been part of your life, we’d love to hear your story. Drop into one of our sessions or contact us at [email protected]