| Priory Park | |
|---|---|
 Stag sculpture at the entrance to Priory Park | |
 | |
| Location | Dudley, West Midlands |
| Nearest city | Wolverhampton |
| Coordinates | 52°31′01″N2°05′10″W / 52.517°N 2.086°W Coordinates: 52°31′01″N2°05′10″W / 52.517°N 2.086°W |
| Area | 7.7 hectares (19 acres) |
| Created | 1932 |
| Operated by | Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council |
| Status | Grade II listed |
Priory Park is a public park located in Dudley, West Midlands, England, just north of the town centre. It is in the historic grounds of Dudley Priory.
The park covers an area of 7.7 hectares (19 acres). [1] It has a wooded area, playing fields and a lily pond. It also has tennis and basketball courts, a bowling green, a cricket area a five-a-side football pitch and an orienteering course. [2]
It is listed Grade II in English Heritage's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, [3] and it is a Green Flag Award winner. [1]
The park is on the site of a Cluniac priory founded about 1180 by Gervase Paganell, baron and lord of Dudley Castle. [4] In the late medieval period it was customary for the Barons Dudley to be buried here. [3]
The priory and its estate were granted, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, to Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley in 1554. The site fell into decline and stone was taken for constructing local houses; manufacturing businesses occupied parts of the site. [3] [5]
John Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley, the later inheritor of the estate, built Priory Hall in 1825, on a site north-west of the remains of the priory. The ruins were cleared of industrial debris and made into a picturesque feature; a driveway to the hall was created through the ruins. [3]
The hall and surrounding land remained the property of the Earls of Dudley until 1926, when it was acquired by Dudley Borough Council. Edward Prentice Mawson was commissioned to develop the site, creating a housing estate – Priory Estate – and a public park. The park, retaining the ornamental ground south of the hall, included walks, flower beds, sports pitches, shelters, lawns and hedges; it was opened in 1932.. [3] [5]
A restoration project for the park, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, was completed in 2017. Restoration work included extending and refurbishing the pavilion; installing new benches; restoring paths, shrub areas and the rose garden; creation of a 5-a-side pitch and restoration of the bowling green; and installing a statue of the Dudley-born tennis player Dorothy Round. [1] [5]
Reigate is a town in Surrey, England, approximately 30 km (19 mi) south of central London. It is in the London commuter belt and one of four towns in the borough of Reigate and Banstead. It is sited at the foot of the North Downs and extends over part of the Greensand Ridge. Reigate has a medieval castle and has been a market town since the medieval period, when it also became a parliamentary borough.
Dudley is a large industrialised market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of Wolverhampton and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north-west of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and in 2011 had a population of 79,379. The Metropolitan Borough, which includes the towns of Stourbridge and Halesowen, had a population of 312,900. Dudley is sometimes called the capital of the Black Country.
Croxteth Hall in West Derby, Liverpool, is the former country estate and ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. After the death of the 7th and last Earl in 1972, the estate passed to Liverpool City Council, which now manages the remainder of the estate, following the sale of approximately half of the grounds. The remaining grounds, Croxteth Park, were at one time a hunting chase of the Molyneux family and are now open to the public. The hall is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a district of the same name, located roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park. Neighbouring districts include modern-day Toxteth, Aigburth, Mossley Hill, Wavertree and St Michael's Hamlet.
Dudley Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Originally a wooden motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman Conquest, it was rebuilt as a stone fortification during the twelfth century but subsequently demolished on the orders of King Henry II. Rebuilding of the castle took place from the second half of the thirteenth century and culminated in the construction of a range of buildings within the fortifications by John Dudley. The fortifications were slighted by order of Parliament during the English Civil War and the residential buildings destroyed by fire in 1750. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the site was used for fêtes and pageants. Today Dudley Zoo is located in its grounds.
Grovelands Park is a public park in Southgate and Winchmore Hill, London, that originated as a private estate. The park is Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Danson Park is a public park in the London Borough of Bexley, South East London, located between Welling and Bexleyheath. At 75 hectares, it is the second largest public park in the borough, and the most used by the community. Opened in 1925, it is often considered the finest green open space in the borough, and is Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The park also gives its name to the electoral ward that covers the park and the surrounding area. The park is located at grid reference TQ472752. The southern boundary of both the park and the ward is delineated by Rochester Way, the A2 road.
Birkenhead Priory is in Priory Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It is the oldest standing building on Merseyside. The remains of the priory are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Christchurch Park is a historical area of rolling lawns, wooded areas, and delicately created arboreta close to the town centre in Ipswich, Suffolk. The park hosts various facilities such as a children's play area, tennis courts, table tennis, bowling greens and outdoor gym equipment. The distinguished Tudor house, Christchurch Mansion, is located at the parks southern entrance and holds a public museum and art gallery. The park belonged to various noble families as private land throughout its history but was purchased by the Ipswich Borough Council in 1894 and opened as the town's first public park in 1895.
The Priory Estate is a housing estate in Dudley, West Midlands, England, which has largely been developed since 1929.
Halton Castle is a castle in the village of Halton which is part of the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The castle is situated on the top of Halton Hill, a sandstone prominence overlooking the village. A motte and bailey castle was built with construction starting in 1071, the original building was replaced with the current sandstone castle in the 13th Century. Building alterations continued until at least 1609 when the structure is recorded as in disrepair. The castle is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and a scheduled ancient monument.
Pymmes Park is located in Edmonton, London and is bordered by the North Circular Road.
Dudley Priory is a dissolved priory in Dudley, West Midlands, England. The ruins of the priory are located within Priory Park, alongside the Priory Estate, and is both a scheduled monument and Grade I listed. The ruins received this status on 14 September 1949.
Moor Pool is a 22.32 hectares garden suburb within the ward of Harborne, Birmingham, England. It was designated a Conservation Area in July 1970, which was raised by an Article 4(2) direction order in 2006. A Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan was adopted in March 2012.
Gervase Paganell inherited the feudal barony of Dudley around the year 1150. However, after rebelling against King Henry II, his castle was demolished. Gervase founded the Cluniac Priory of St James in Dudley and probably founded the Church of St Thomas in Dudley. He died in 1194.
Arrowe Country Park is a country park in Woodchurch, Wirral, England. The estate upon which the park lies was founded and shaped by John Shaw, a former Mayor of Liverpool who made his wealth from the slave trade. When he died the estate passed to his great nephew John "Ralph" Shaw, who built Arrowe Hall, an Elizabethan-style mansion, and laid out the grounds and gardens. Ralph Shaw was a magistrate who dissuaded people from trespassing on his land with traps including spring-loaded shotguns.
Scott Park is a public park in Burnley, Lancashire. It covers 7.9 hectares and was opened in 1895. Located south of the town centre, attractions include tennis courts, a children's play area, a bandstand, and bowling greens.
Priory Hall is a building in Dudley, West Midlands, England, formerly owned by the Earls of Dudley. It is in Priory Park, and is a Grade II listed building.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Priory Park - Dudley . |