The above photo shows part of Ferens Boating Lake, 1914, two years after the land was donated to extend the Park in 1912. On two occasions Thomas Robinson Ferens bought land across which the original East Park, as established in the 1880s, was extended.
Thomas Robinson Ferens, 1847-1930, was a remarkable benefactor to the City of Hull in the early decades of the 20th century. Very much a self-made man, he had been born to diligent parents in County Durham. On leaving a local private school at the age of 13 he gained local employment as a clerk which marked the beginning of his life in commerce.
At the age of 21 he moved to Hull having applied successfully for the post of confidential shorthand clerk to the Chairman of Reckitts, a blossoming business in East Hull manufacturing household wares such as washing ‘blue’ and disinfectant. Ferens had taught himself shorthand and was soon considered reliable by the family management. Over the following 60 years Ferens gained successive promotions in the company, some of which by the early 20th century, included some profit sharing. Throughout his working life the Reckitts company became increasingly successful, by 1920 employing around 6000 workers. Thus Ferens became wealthy but the extent of his charitable donations, and in being able to have built Holderness House and grounds, suggest that he had private sources of income. His biggest single benefaction was to buy land on which the original Hull University College was established in the late 1920s, it maybe telling that this was partly achieved by the transference of shares rather than in cash.
Ferens was a lifelong Methodist, and although Reckitt family were Quakers the two shared a great commitment to Nonconformist morality. Ferens and his wife were married in Sculcoates registry office, although there were plenty of Methodist chapels in Hull at the time I’m not sure if they had been granted the rite to celebrate marriage.
Ferens large scale charitable donations were not confined to Hull, and his benevolence was recognised by the royal family on a number of occasions, although he declined titles offered.
As an aside I would note that the secondary school built in north Hull beside Hall Road in 2012 was originally called the Thomas Ferens Academy, a name soon changed to Sirius Academy North. An example of how modern multi-school management trusts think themselves more important than traditional names.