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Lightwoods Park, Bearwood

ellbrown

ellbrown

ell brown on Flickr
I went to Bearwood today, and went into Lightwoods Park. It is now run by Sandwell, after 100 plus years under Birmingham.

I found a drinking fountain, bandstand, and a derelict house under scaffolding.
 
 
The drinking fountain.


Drinking Fountain - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Drinking Fountain - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Drinking Fountain - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood - plaque by ell brown, on Flickr


Drinking Fountain - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Drinking Fountain - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr

If you can't read the plaque, it says something like "The fountain was presented to the City of Birmingham by Sydney Edwards of Moorfield Beech Lanes, on behalf of the Subscribers in December 1903"
 
The bandstand


Bandstand - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Bandstand - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr

Forward


Bandstand - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood - Forward by ell brown, on Flickr


Bandstand - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood - plaque by ell brown, on Flickr


Bandstand - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Bandstand - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr

The plaque says something like "This bandstand was presented to the City of Birmingham by Rowland Mason - West Mount, Edgbaston in April 1903."
 
Lightwood House

I found this under scaffolding. There is also demolition signs up. But sure that wouldn't happen as it is Grade II listed. In very poor condition.


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr

What has happened to this porch?


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood - Porch by ell brown, on Flickr

All the windows are covered up


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood by ell brown, on Flickr

Is this the servants entrance?


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood - staff entrance by ell brown, on Flickr


Lightwoods House - Lightwoods Park, Bearwood - staff entrance by ell brown, on Flickr
 
Information about Lightwoods House.

Grade II listing

House. Late C18, re-fronted mid-C19. Brick with stucco dressings and slate
roof. A symmetrical composition of two storeys and five bays, with chamfered
quoins. The three central bays project, also with chamfered quoins, and with
a pediment. The ground floor windows have rusticated surrounds and keystones.
The first floor windows, above a cornice, are sashed, have segmental heads, and
are flanked by pilasters with triglyphs over. Each has an apron with blind
balustrade and a segmental pediment with scallop shell motif. The porch has
rusticated engaged columns, triglyph frieze, and balustrade. The doorway has
a round head. Set back to the left is a one-bay pedimented pavilion, remain-
ing from the C18 building. At the rear is a Venetian stair window with Doric
columns as mullions. The VCH gives a sketch plan and elevation of the original
house, showing the extent of the C19 alterations. They state that a brick to
the east of the porch is inscribed: "Jonathan Grundy, June 19, 1780". (VCH,
pp 101, 102).
Click to expand...
Taken from Lightwoods House - Heritage Gateway



Lightwoods House in the south of Smethwick near the Harborne boundary took its name from the tract of woodland in the area. The house is said to have been built by Jonathan Grundy in 1791, but a brick in the wall immediately east of the entrance porch is inscribed 'Jonathan Grundy, June 19, 1780'. Grundy, the eldest son of Jonathan Grundy of Wigston Parva (Leics.), is the first known occupant of Lightwoods House and lived there until his death in 1803. His widow Hannah lived there until her death in 1815, and their daughter, also Hannah, lived in the house until she died unmarried in 1829. The house and its land then passed to Jonathan Grundy's niece Eliza, the wife of Henry Goodrich Willett. In 1842 Willett, whose wife had died in 1837, owned 38 a. of land in Smethwick; most of his estate lay immediately around the house, but part was between the present Bearwood, Waterloo, and Grange Roads. Willett lived at Lightwoods House until his death in 1857. His nephew, Captain H. J. Willett, occupied the house for a few months after his uncle's death, but in 1858 it was leased to George Caleb Adkins, a local soap manufacturer. Adkins bought the house with some land from Willett's trustees in 1865 and lived there until his death in 1887.
Click to expand...
Taken from British History - Smethwick - other estates

It continues

In 1902, on the death of Caleb Adkins, apparently his son, Lightwoods House with its 16-acre park was put up for sale, and it seemed likely that the house would be demolished and the land used for housing. Mainly through the efforts of A. M. Chance, however, the house and park were bought for the public. In October 1902 the committee which had raised the purchase money handed over the property to Birmingham corporation as a public park. About the same time other land was added bringing the boundary to Adkins Lane and Galton Road, and further subscriptions enabled the committee to buy more land in 1905. A feature of the park is the garden, opened in 1915, which contains specimens of the plants mentioned by Shakespeare. Since the opening of Lightwoods Park the house has at various times accommodated a public library, public refreshment rooms, and rooms for the Sons of Rest. In 1971 it was being converted into studios and offices by the lessees, John Hardman & Co. Ltd., stained-glass artists.
The original house was of brick with stone dressings and had a pedimented central block, with detached wings which housed the kitchen and stables. During the 19th century the symmetry of the original design was obscured by several extensions, the interior was remodelled, and the main front was enriched with stucco decoration in an early-18thcentury style.
Click to expand...
 
This is a sore point with me as Sandwell council have recently acquired this park off B,ham for a large sum of money and are are spending a sum of money on it,s refurbishment that is not my gripe. What upsets me is the fact that they say they have no money to refurbish the Red House (which is also grade II listed)in Red House Park and are in the process of selling it to developers no doubt the profit off this deal will go towards the Lightwoods Park project.In the meantime we lose part of our park to housing development. Dek
 
I went around the house (as much as allowed) during Heritage Weekend in 2008 or 2009. There was a company there making stained glass (wonderful). The house seemed in very poor repair then - plasterwork was flaking and some wooden banisters were in need of replacing. I saw the scaffolding up last week and assumed they were doing essential repair work before it falls down!
 
There's some Demolition signs on it. Hope they are not going to knock it down. It needs urgent restoring.
And the windows and doors are boarded up.
 
In the early 1950's we called it the "Sons of Rest". It was such a big treat to buy ice-cream there in the summer while Dad sailed his remote controlled boat which he made from plans. I paddled there too in the place where they are starting to build a new skatepark. The building was also used as a military hospital in WW1.

By the entrance there used to be all sorts of birds in an aviary.

Please go again when the blossom comes out, as you walk through the entrance it's so beautiful.
 
I knew Lightwoods Park very well - we used to get off the No. 9 bus there to go and catch the Outer Circle 11 to go to my grandparents at Bourneville - it also has other memories the least said the better!!!
Sheri
 
This potentially provides us with a very visible history of a house spanning over 200+ years and you'd hope that ways can be found to preserve all that. But when finances are stretched, we all know so many of these places suffer. Lets's hope it isn't demolished. On the plus side it's good to see that the grounds are being well maintained. Thanks for highlighting it Ell. Another one to watch. Viv.
 
Dek. Sorry to hear that about Red House (post 7). Has it been discussed on this forum? Grateful for a pointer as can't find it through search. Thanks.

Ell, good to see the grounds being nicely maintained at Lightwoods. Viv.
 
I went by this morning and it appears that the roof is being repaired as there's a sign which states that no lead is being used.
Stonger metal barriers are also being installed. There was no-one around to ask though, they must have finished early for the weekend!
 
sheri said:
I knew Lightwoods Park very well - we used to get off the No. 9 bus there to go and catch the Outer Circle 11 to go to my grandparents at Bourneville - it also has other memories the least said the better!!!
Sheri
Click to expand...

I've lost count of the wonderful memories stimulated when reading this forum. We used to go training in Lightwoods when I played for a football team called Kings Highway, which was a pub on the Hagley Road in Oldbury. I believe it has been demolished. I also remember going in a couple of pubs after training. One was on the corner of Galton and Hagley Road. Can't remember the name, but it may have had 'Duck' in it. Also, the Kings Head I think it was again on the junction with Hagley Road. Think it was Lordswood Road or Avenue
 
I saw a couple of pubs on the Hagley Road last week. One was The Kings Head. The other one was the New Talbot. Had an image of a dog on it.

Decided to not take photos of them this time.
 
I had the opportunity to make a photographic record of the building and its interior last autumn immediately prior to it's return to Sandwell from Birmingham. I spent a whole day systematically photographing each room, from top to bottom recording its condition and noting any significant points. At the time the building was vacant. It is in poor condition both internally and externally and is in need of restoration, however as previously posted, demolition is not an option as it is a Grade 2 Listed building. I am looking forward to the restoration scheme that I hope will restore it to its former glory and have a useful purpose for the people.
 
Just by way of an update, I have just picked this up from Smethwick Local History Society

"Lightwoods Park
Sandwell MBC has set aside £1.25M for the restoration project with a further £80k p.a. being allocated for annual maintenance. Much needed refurbishment work has now begun on Lightwoods House and an enthusiastic 'Friends' group has been set up to help decide the future of the park and house. A highly successful event was held on 2nd May attended by around 10,000 people and this Society had a stall there selling our publications. Several members of this Society usually attend meetings of the 'Friends of Lightwoods Park' at which we try to ensure that local history is kept prominently on the agenda."

More details can be found here; https://www.smethwicklocalhistory.co.uk/#/news/4538063427
 
Last I saw passing by on the Hagley Road, think the scaffolding had come down, and it has a new fence / barrier around it.

Could you post some of those photos here kdharrison?
 
To clarify the pub names in the area. As was pointed out to me some years ago you could pub craw on "The Quinton 9" as we always called the bus as there was a pub at every stop. Starting from the New Talbot, you had the Kings Head, the Dog, the Cock & Magpies (now a Harvester), the Beech Tree (later the Bass House now the Amber Tavern) and after that there was a gap to the Holly Bush. The Dog and Cock & Magpies stops have now been merged.
 
Thanks for this lovely picture LLoyd, I have happy memories of Dad putting his remote control boat on there in the Summers of the 1950's. Unfortunately it has been made into a skateboard park now....not so pretty!!

It is sad to see also the pictures of the interior of the house, it has become very rundown since the open day a couple of years ago.

rosie
 
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