Kings Heath Park | |
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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]
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]