"GRIMSBY was one of the first towns in 1950s Britain to have an adventure playground.

"It was located in Armstrong Street in the West Marsh, sandwiched between Bennett's large timber drying shed and the paper mills wood pulp storage sidings.

"It was known locally as 'Shanty Town' due to the proliferation of dens/houses built from waste materials by local children on the muddy site that was surrounded by a high-wire mesh fence.

"It was opened in 1955 and was led by Mr Joseph Benjamin, in the belief that children would respond to opportunities for constructive activity.

"There was a large wooden creosoted hut at the far end of the site where tools, screws, nails, etc, were kept and handed out by the site supervisor.

"During inclement weather this was also a refuge for local children and sometimes jumble sales were held inside.

"Shanty Town was popular with the pupils of the nearby Armstrong Street School and a large slide was made by them in one corner, using corrugated iron sheeting, railway sleepers and lengths of timber.

"Children, after climbing a ladder to a height of about 12ft, would sit inside a large galvanised metal bathtub and then slide quickly and noisily down the makeshift slide, flying off the end and coming to rest on the soft ground.

"Although most dens were built above ground, some were dug underground to represent a submarine, with a pile of old lorry tyres on top to replicate the conning tower, with a ladder sometimes reaching 6ft below ground level.

"Timber, screws, nails etc were donated by Bennetts' timber merchants, who had their sawmill next door.

"Scrap cars and lorries were left on the site for children to play on and provided hours of play for would-be racing drivers.

"I used to play for hours on the adventure playground and have a vivid memory of the day I stepped on a particularly sharp nail that was sticking through a piece of wood.

"As I released my foot my shoe felt warm as it filled with blood. I limped towards the shed, where the supervisor bathed it with TCP and, sticking a plaster on it, told me: 'You'll live! Look where you are going in future'.

"I then went back out to play, but this time looking carefully where I put my feet.

"Unfortunately, Shanty Town was not to everyone's liking. In 1956, people living nearby branded it 'a scandal and a disgrace', with 56 of them signing a petition for 'the abatement of this nuisance'. However, at the same time, another petition signed by 252 people in support of the playground was handed in and the council decided not to take action.

"In 1958, a group of Bradford teachers were given a guided tour of the adventure playground.

"Sadly, this successful experiment was short-lived and by 1960 the site was cleared.

"Today, due to vandalism, the sawmill and drying shed have had to be demolished. Maybe Joseph Benjamin was right when he said that 'Children really do respond to opportunities for constructive activity' but with today's health and safety legislation there will never be another Shanty Town."