West Smethwick Park
| West Smethwick Park | |
|---|---|
Public park | |
| Location | Smethwick, England |
| Coordinates | 52°29′46″N 1°59′28″W / 52.4960555°N 1.991063°W |
| Created | 7 September 1895 |
| Operated by | Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council |
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West Smethwick Park is a
It opened on 7 September 1895.Smethwick – and thus the park – was traditionally in Staffordshire, but has been administered by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, as part of the West Midlands county, since 1974.
In June 2015, it was announced that a £4.8 million
Heritage Lottery Fund grant had been reserved for the park, subject to final approval. It would allow for the restoration of the pavilion, bandstand and memorials.[2]
Memorials
The park features a memorial, in brick and terracotta, with a bronze bust, to Sir James Timmins Chance, a partner in the nearby glass-making firm, Chance Brothers. Chance purchased the land for the park. Beneath the bust is a plaque reading:
James T. Chance M.A J.P. D.L. For fifty years a partner in the firm of Chance Brothers & Co. at the Glass Works Smethwick and the Alkali Works, Oldbury He purchased the land for the park, laid it out and endowed it and on September 7th 1895 opened it A gift to the public for ever. He also made the roads on its East and West boundaries.
A stone drinking fountain commemorates John Chance, chairman of Chance Brothers, who died in November 1900.[3] There is also a memorial to Flight Sergeants Cox and Preston, who crashed nearby on 31 July 1944, during World War II.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Smethwick Park.
- ^ "Parks in Smethwick". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ "English parks set to benefit from £24m grants". BBC Online. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ "Handsome memorial in decline". Black Country Bugle. Retrieved 29 June 2015.