Kings Heath Park
| Kings Heath Park | |
|---|---|
 A tree next to the house (left) | |
 | |
| Type | Park |
| Location | Birmingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°25′57″N 1°54′06″W / 52.4326°N 1.9018°W |
| Created | 1908 |
| Operated by | Birmingham City Council |
| Website | birmingham.gov.uk/kingsheathpark |
Kings Heath Park is a Green Flag status[1] park in the Kings Heath district of Birmingham, England, which is managed by Birmingham City Council.[1]
For a time, the park was used as the setting for the popular ATV programme Gardening Today.[2]
History
[edit]The park is centred on a house, built in 1832 for the newly elected MP William Congreve Russell.[3] In 1880 the house was bought by John Cartland, a wealthy industrialist[3] and ancestor of the author Barbara Cartland.[3] In 1902 the Cartland family formed the Priory Trust Co Ltd to own and manage the house and land with the intention of developing the area for housing.[3] These plans came to nothing, and on 9 November 1908 the Trust sold the house and half the surrounding land to the Kings Norton and Northfield Urban District Council.[3] The council immediately opened the grounds as a public park.[3]
From 1909-1911 the house was used as a school.[3] In 1911, Kings Heath — and the park — was incorporated into the city of Birmingham. The Trust sold the remaining land to Birmingham Corporation on 10 February 1914, and this was immediately incorporated into the park.[3]
In 1953, the city council created a School of Horticultural Training in the house, using part of the park as training gardens.[3] Since 1995, this has been run, under a partnership arrangement, by Pershore (later Warwickshire) College and Bournville College.[3]
In 2008/9, Kings Heath Park was granted a Green Flag Award for the 7th year running.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Kings Heath Park". Birmingham City Council. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ Roddy Buxton. "Studio One". Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2002.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Kings Heath Park". Birmingham City Council. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Kings Heath Park Wins Major Award in 2008/9". Birmingham City Council. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
External links
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