Perry Hall Park

Last updated

Perry Hall Park
Perry Hall Playing Fields - geograph.org.uk - 35662.jpg
Perry Hall Park
Location Birmingham, England
Coordinates 52°31′27″N1°54′52″W / 52.52405°N 1.91447°W / 52.52405; -1.91447 Coordinates: 52°31′27″N1°54′52″W / 52.52405°N 1.91447°W / 52.52405; -1.91447
Operated by Birmingham City Council
Public transit access Perry Barr railway station and Hamstead railway station

Perry Hall Park or Perry Hall Country Park, and previously Perry Hall Playing Fields, is a park in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England, at grid reference SP059918 . It was in Staffordshire until 1928. [1] The site is protected by Fields in Trust through a legal "Deed of Dedication" safeguarding the future of the space as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy. [2]

Contents

Perry Hall

View of Perry Hall, near Birmingham (between 1720 & 1730) by Thomas Bardwell Thomas Bardwell (1704-1767) - View of Perry Hall, near Birmingham - 1920P674 - Birmingham Museums Trust.jpg
View of Perry Hall, near Birmingham (between 1720 & 1730) by Thomas Bardwell
Part of the moat (also crossed by the bridge in the middle distance), seen in May 2005 Perry Hall Park, Birmingham - Moat - Andy Mabbett.JPG
Part of the moat (also crossed by the bridge in the middle distance), seen in May 2005

The park was formerly the site of Perry Hall, demolished 1927, home of the Gough family, though only the hall's moat remains after the Birmingham Corporation had to choose between saving Perry Hall and the nearby Aston Hall for financial purposes. When Harry Dorsey Gough set up home in Maryland, United States, in 1774, he named his estate there Perry Hall.

Hydrology

The park is bisected by the River Tame, flowing generally north-west to south-east.

In the 1980s, work was completed to lower the parkland south-west of the river, and to create flood alleviation measures. At times of flood, excess water from the river flows over a bund and onto the sports pitches, where it is held until it can be safely and slowly released. By Summer (northern hemisphere) 2014, this had occurred on four occasions. The area is designated as a reservoir, Perry Hall Playing Fields Flood Detention Reservoir [lower-alpha 1] , which has a capacity of 184,000 cubic metres (40,000,000 imp gal). [3] [4]

The river was remodelled in 2005 to slow the flow, alleviate flooding and create improved habitats for wildlife, as part of the SMURF (Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains) project.

Imperial Scout Rally

Scouts at the 1913 rally The Sphere Magazine - 1913-07-12 - page 33 (cropped).jpeg
Scouts at the 1913 rally

From 2-8 July 1913, the Imperial Scout Exhibition, Rally and Sea Scout Display, the first International Scout Rally in Birmingham, was held in and around the city. The park hosted the rally, attended by about 30,000 Scouts. [5]

Features

The park is skirted by the Birmingham-Walsall railway line (the "Chase Line"), formerly part of the Grand Junction Railway which opened on 4 July 1837. It is served by nearby Perry Barr railway station and, at the western end, Hamstead railway station. [6]

The park contains football pitches and 15 cricket pitches and is used by the Birmingham Parks Cricket League.

A 5 kilometre parkrun is held every Saturday morning at 9.00 am.

There is also a cycle speedway track in the park which is home to the Birmingham Monarchs team.

The park has a small heronry.

Notes

  1. Not to be confused with Perry Reservoir, on the Tame Valley Canal, in nearby Perry Park, nor with Perry Barr Reservoir.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Midlands (county)</span> County in England

West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands Region, England, with a 2021 population of 2,919,600, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The county is a NUTS 2 region within the wider NUTS 1 region of the same name. It embraces seven metropolitan boroughs: the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, and the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall. The county is overseen by the West Midlands Combined Authority, which covers all seven boroughs and other non-constituent councils, on economy, transport and housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Barr Hall</span> Mansion in Walsall, England

Great Barr Hall is an 18th-century mansion situated at Pheasey, Walsall, on the border with Great Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has associations with the Lunar Society and is a Grade II listed building. It is, however, in a very poor state of repair and is on the Buildings at Risk Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tame, West Midlands</span> River in the West Midlands of England

The River Tame is a river in the West Midlands of England, and one of the principal tributaries of the River Trent. The Tame is about 95 km (59 mi) long from the source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e. the Tame and its main tributaries, is about 285 km (177 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erdington</span> Suburb of Birmingham, England

Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Warwickshire and located 5 miles (8 km) northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutton Coldfield. It was also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The former council district consisted of the ward of Erdington, and Tyburn,, Stockland Green and Kingstanding, although all of Kingstanding and most of both Tyburn and Stockland Green wards lie outside the historical boundaries of Erdington. Stockland Green was formerly part of Aston, Kingstanding part of Perry Barr and Tyburn partially split between Aston and Hodge Hill. Erdington (ward) was part of the Sutton Coldfield constituency before 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry Barr</span> Human settlement in England

Perry Barr is a suburban area in north Birmingham, England. It is also the name of a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Birmingham Perry Barr is also a parliamentary constituency; its Member of Parliament is Khalid Mahmood.

Great Barr is now a large and loosely defined area to the north-west of Birmingham, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as Perry Barr, which is still the name of an adjacent Birmingham district. Other areas known as Great Barr are in the Metropolitan Boroughs of Walsall and Sandwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire ring</span>

The Warwickshire ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit around the West Midlands area of England. The ring is formed from the Coventry Canal, the Oxford Canal, the Grand Union Canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is a popular route with tourists due to its circular route and mixture of urban and rural landscapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handsworth Wood</span> Suburb of Birmingham in West Midlands, England

Handsworth Wood is a suburb of Birmingham in the West Midlands County, England.

Witton is an inner city area in Birmingham, England, in the metropolitan county of the West Midlands. It was within the ancient parish of Aston in the Hemlingford hundred of the historic county of Warwickshire. It is known as the home of Aston Villa Football Club at Villa Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry Park (Birmingham)</span>

Perry Park is a park in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England, at grid reference SP065925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamstead railway station</span> Railway station in Birmingham, England

Hamstead railway station serves the Hamstead, Great Barr and Handsworth Wood areas of Birmingham, England. It is located at the junction of Rocky Lane and Old Walsall Road, Hamstead, at Birmingham's border with the borough of Sandwell. It is situated on the Birmingham-Walsall Line, part of the former Grand Junction Railway, opened in 1837. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamstead, West Midlands</span> Human settlement in England

Hamstead is an area straddling the border of Birmingham and Sandwell, England, between Handsworth Wood and Great Barr, and adjacent to the Sandwell Valley area of West Bromwich. Hamstead Colliery was worked from the 19th century to the 1960s, with much housing built for the miners. Today the area is still referred to as Hamstead Village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tame Valley Canal</span>

The Tame Valley Canal is a relatively late (1844) canal in the West Midlands of England. It forms part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. It takes its name from the roughly-parallel River Tame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry Bridge</span> Bridge in Birmingham, England

Perry Bridge, also known as the Zig Zag Bridge, is a bridge over the River Tame in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England. Built in 1711, it is a Grade II listed building and a Scheduled monument.

This article is intended to show a timeline of events in the History of Birmingham, England, with a particular focus on the events, people or places that are covered in Wikipedia articles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birmingham Corporation Water Department</span>

The Birmingham Corporation Water Department was responsible for the supply of water to Birmingham, England, from 1876 to 1974. It was also known as Birmingham Corporation Waterworks Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamstead Colliery</span>

Hamstead Colliery in Hamstead, England, produced coal between 1878 and 1965, by mining the South Staffordshire 'Thick' coal seam. It suffered a major fire in 1908 in which 26 men died.

The Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium, also known as the old Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium or Alexander Sports Stadium was a former greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway stadium in Birchfield in the north of Birmingham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Scout Exhibition</span>

The Imperial Scout Exhibition was the first International scout rally in Birmingham, a gathering of Boy Scouts held in July 1913, with an exhibition at Bingley Hall, opened by Princess Alexander of Teck, and events in Perry Hall Park attended by about 30,000 Scouts, in the presence of Prince Arthur of Connaught. A review of Sea Scouts took place at Edgbaston Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forge Mill Lake</span>

Forge Mill Lake is a local nature reserve in Sandwell Valley, near West Bromwich in West Midlands, England. It is within Sandwell Valley Country Park.

References

  1. 'The City of Birmingham', in A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7, the City of Birmingham, ed. W B Stephens (London, 1964), pp. 1-3. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol7/pp1-3 [accessed 3 February 2017].
  2. "Perry Hall Playing Fields, Perry Avenue, Perry Barr, West Midlands, B20 2LD". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  3. Perry Hall Playing Fields Reservoir (Information board). Environment Agency. 2014. at 52°31′29″N1°54′45″W / 52.52475°N 1.9125894°W
  4. Environment Agency public register as at 2 November 2020
  5. "Through the years by 'The Trek-Cart'". the 4th Derby (Derwent) Scout Group. 1949. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  6. "The Imperial Scout Exhibition, Rally and Sea Scout Display. Birmingham. England. 2 - 8 July 1913". SIGMAH. Retrieved 18 December 2020.

Further reading