THEY dined on lobster cream and lamb in aspic at the opening of Okehampton's Simmons Park a century ago. An Okehampton woman discovered the luncheon menu for the 1907 event while browsing in a Tavistock junk shop eight years ago. Jill Alexander said: 'I'm born and bred in Okehampton, so I thought it was really interesting.' Now a copy of the menu has been passed to Okehampton town councillors. 'Maybe they could do something along the same lines,' said Jill. Other delicacies on offer at the 1907 feast included three types of beef — roast, boiled and spiced — a quarter of lamb, a galantine of veal, chickens, ox tongues, York hams, veal and ham pie, steak and kidney pie, braised turkey, and béchamel turkey. If Okehampton's councillors and their guests of honour could fit anything else in after all that, there were delicacies such as maraschino jelly, mosaic jelly, junkets, Swiss pastry and Bavaroise a la Ceylon for pudding. The event, which was held on July 8, 1907, was attended by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London, as well as the Mayor and Bishop of Exeter. This year's event, which will be held on Saturday July 7, will also have a delegation from London in attendance — or to be more specific, from 'Okehampton' in London. Friern Barnet is in North London near Finchley, and was the site of park founder Sydney Simmons' last house, which he called 'Okehampton'. When it was demolished in 1935, on the death of his widow, 'Okehampton Close' was built, as a development of flats. Close to this site is 'Friary Park', which was given to the town by Sidney Simmons in 1909 — just two years after he gave Simmons Park to the people of Okehampton. Now, the two communities are planning to come together to remember Mr Simmons. This July a party of London 'Okehamptoners' will come to the centenary of Simmons Park, and it is hoped that in return, in 2009, a party from Devon will attend the anniversary celebrations for Friary Park. Mary Peters, one of the Friends of Friary Park who will be coming to Okehampton this July, said:'We're really looking forward to seeing Simmons Park. 'It's exciting to connect the two parks together, and it really makes you realise how much of his money Sidney Simmons donated to these causes.'
