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Handsworth Park Victoria Park Handsworth

Oisin

Oisin

gone but not forgotten
I'm just back from inspecting the refurbishments of Handsworth Park, and the work seems to be moving along quite nicely (if slowly) now.

I took a couple of pictures that I'm afraid aren't up to much due to the lighting, the subjects being fenced off and the batteries draining in my camera, but I hope they show something of what's going on. The bandstand in particular looks beautiful and quite an effort has been made with the boathouse, with steps leading down to the water. The banks of the pool have been reinforced with large rocks all the way round, which makes it look rather impressive.

I just hope after all this trouble and expense, a more than a half-hearted effort will be made to protect it from slipping back to the terrible state it was in due to vandalism.
 
I've never been in Handsworth Park, that bandstand looks a marvellous thing. I dont know what happens in the park in the summer, if regular music is played in the bandstand, if it was I'm sure everyone would welcome that and in turn they would want to protect and look after it. I'll have a look next time I'm in Birmingham.
 
Oisin, Thanks for the pictures, yes lets hope the Vandals keep away!!I have wonderful memories of Handsworth Park, picnics with my Mom, Dad, sister and Brothers. The flower shows were beautiful!
Must confess haven't been in the park for years though.
We go to Sutton Park nearly every Sunday morning with our Children and Grandchildren. This morning a young girl, a park ranger, was cleaning out one of the many brooks there of about 20 beer cans! Trying to explain to a 3 yearold why the cans were in there is difficult! Why do slobs spoil our beautiful parks? Jackie
 
I've said before how much I loved going listen to Ted Heath's band in Handswoth Park in the 50's.

I'll take Hillie next time we are near, she like ducks. ::)
 
Lovely pictures Paul..............

I wonder if it will be safe to picnic there in the summer...............

I'll bring the Zinfandel.........you bring the S&V crisps ^-^
 
SuBee said:
Lovely pictures Paul..............

I wonder if it will be safe to picnic there in the summer...............

I'll bring the Zinfandel.........you bring the S&V crisps ^-^
Click to expand...
You're on! O0 I'll also bring an Uzi - just in case. :knuppel2:
 
Went to check progress on the park again yesterday and took these two pictures, amongst others...

LakePKHouse.jpg


The lighter parts of the water surface is the bubbling of the new oxygenating system. It should help to keep the water clean, but sadly will do little to prevent the locals dumping supermarket trolleys and driving stolen cars into it, should they decide to

NewBoatHouse.jpg


This is the path to the New Boat House. I'm not sure what other purposes it will be put to as there seems to be quite a lot of IT equipment being installed there. My only hope is that this one will not fall prey to the arsonists who burnt the last one down..
 
Looks as though yu are enjoying your Chrissy Pressy Paul.

Great pics. There's something about a Willow............. :)
 
I just found your photos of Handswoth Park they are very nice.

As we live in Canada we have only visited the park once since 1977 and that was in 1987. I wish we had popped by in April when we had a quick visit to Handsworth. It brings back many happy memories of the Flower Shows, summer concerts in the big top(tent) and being in the Scout Rallies.

Hopefully visitors will look after the park as we did.
 
I have just joined this forum and been very impressed with the pictures and interestd in the discussion of the work being carried out by Thomas Vale on Handsworth Park. I would appreciate views on the recent Wikipedia free source entry I am working on for the park at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handsworth_Park

Do you know or would you like to know that the official opening of the restored park is planned for Saturday 8 July 2006, the day after the "Classroom in the Park" event for local schools from 11.00am-3.00pm? Francesca Davies <Francesca Davies <Francesca_Davies@birmingham.gov.uk> at Soho House might be very interested in your high quality photos if you were prepared to pass them to her, though she may now have completed the brochure and publicity for the park that she has been compiling.

I am leading another history tour of Handsworth Park, in company with my dog Oscar, starting at the Park Lodge off Hamstead Road from 1.00pm to about 3.00pm on Sunday 25 June '06 (the announced date in the City Council's brochure on this is in error.) I have lived in Beaudesert Road for 30 years and was a founder member of "Save Handsworth Park" in 1992 when I started to learn more about a place that was becoming so neglected it was becoming too depressing to visit. I wrote a short history of the park which is available free to anyone coming on the history tour. It is a wonderful place, and I hope my feelings for the place are conveyed in the Wikipedia entry referred to above. There is a link to the recently formed "Friends of St. Mary's Churchyard" there. Regards, Simon Baddeley 07775 655842 s.j.baddeley@bham.ac.uk
 
Simon

Can you just turn up for the planned tour on 25th June, or do you have to book?

Fame at last Oisin? ^-^
 
Simon,
Thanks for the info and welcome to the site. I believe you and I are acquainted over issues regarding another park. I will contact Francesca to see if she is interested in the photos which, of course, she is quite welcome to use.
Congratulations on your success with "Save Handsworth Park". I do hope the other campaign turns out to be equally successful.
Oisin (AKA Paul Holmes).
 
Good to hear from you Paul, and I'm sure it's OK to mention in passing a link with that "other" park, if we are talking of the same thing, not least because it too is replete with Historical interest resonating with the Industrial Age that gave birth to the conditions that led to the invention of Handsworth's Park (and indeed in different form explain the impetus for Handsworth Park's current refurbishment:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Patch_Park

I note the concern in many of the postings on Handsworth Park's great make-over is that this capital expenditure (AKA initial political committment) on Handsworth Park will not be blighted by a corresponding revenue expenditure (AKA continuing political committment) for security, education and maintenance. For what it's worth the Heritage Lottery Fund made their grant to BCC conditional on the latter and the have a monitoring officer who tends to keep their eye on the ball when it comes to the city's stewardship of the place. That said the pressures on local government expenditure are intensely demanding, with equally intense pressures to access the cash that is available from a multiplicity of stake-holders. A familiar plea from other parks let along other interests like sport and (pou name it), is that Handsworth has done pretty well, so isn't it out turn now!
It would be great if you could make the tour on 25 June 06 from 1-3. If you can come just turn up and rendezvous outside the Park House at the Hamstead Road entrance to the Park (inside the new gate - not quite as ornate as the very first (see attached)). no-need to book.
By the way have you cast a glance over the fence to the south of the park. When Westbury Homes have finished their building the land to the east of the new housing is to be laid out as 80 allotments, two football fields, one cricket pitch and a sports pavalion and handed over to the city under a Planning Gain agreement. These should all complement the park - and as in the 1890s, local house prices. The top house on 'Victoriana' is set at £450K, the next at £250K and they were still humming and harring about the "affordable" ones last time I asked in October 05. Best Simon (Baddeley)
 
By the way, SuBee, I could not find the reply button for your query about turning up for the tour on 25th June at 1.00pm. Why can't it be right by your posting? Yes you can just turn up without prior booking, and indeed if you have any queries about the park's history or want to ask about what I know about "wnat's going on" with the park do e-mail here or direct to me at s.j.baddeley@bham.ac.uk. Vice versa please do continue to keep me and anyone else in the loop about things you nnote in the park. I have only an unnofficial link as "consultant" to the Handsworth Park Association now, having moved my lobbying attention to another park, though I am now on the committee of the new "Friends of St. Mary's Churchyard" - whioch apart from being a potentially fascinating place as a wildlife haven is an historical treasure chest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary's_Church,_Handsworth
Do get in touch if you are not already a member. Simon (sorry you will always risk a long reply to a simple straightforward question with me. I'm an anorak for these areas!)
 
Great to have you onboard sibbad.

Any interesting stories you can add to the Handsworth History site?

I have pencilled the Handsworth Park tour into my diary (havent mastered me IPAQ yet) ................cant wait


Regards the reply.............just use the reply button at the bottom of the topic thread..............I'm a Handsworth Gal, so more on Handsworth would be lovely
 
If you give me your e-mail I will attach my 26 page history of the funding of the park. I am hesitant to attach it to a forum letter as the digitised version lacks the illustrations of the hard copy and so isn't really satisfactory for wider circulation.
Simon
s.j.baddeley@bham.ac.uk
 
How about these? The last is of me watching and filming the new bandstand being put back after being brought back restored from Heritage Foundry in Carmyle Glasgow near where it was originally made at Lion Foundry. Funny the city of a 1000 trades was sending away  to Glasgow for its bandstand - but apparently the Glasgow foundries specialised in park "furniture" and this bandstand was chosen from a catalogue of the day (which i saw in a nearby library when we visited the Foundy to see the bandstand being restored in January 05.
With me in the picture is Jackie Ellis the new park community development officer with the job of liaising with schools and others to use the park.
Best
Simon
 
Sorry meant to attach a picture of the east side of the park before the pond was made.
Simon
 
Great pictures, Simon. Who are the dignitaries at the Scout Rally? If it was in the mid-fifties I was probably there but can't remember who took the march past.
 
It was Birmingham 35th Annual Scout Rally in Handsworth Park on July 3rd 1948. Field Marshal Sir William Slim took the salute. I was cheating and "stole" the picture from the wonderful Digital Handsworth collection.

Go to https://www.digitalhandsworth.org.uk/ and "search" for Handsworth Park and there's a treasury of photos from the founding of the park (and the area before it was laid out) up to the 1970s with the fine photos of Vanley Burke.

I do think that part of recovering the park is of course about recovering and maintaining its fabric, but it is also about recovering interest in its history - and continuing to write and record that! The blight of the 70s included consigning these memories to obscurity. It is why Vanley Burke did such a good job wioth his record of the presence of people from the Carribean as they made their homes here and became part of the community of those who love and respect Handsworth Park and grieved at its decline. I have made many new acquaintances through my research into the views of people's memories of the park at the time of its descent into blighted abandonment - and I have many photos of the "mess" that resulted and which we used to fuel our anger at this when lobbying to "Save Handsworth Park" - but I don't blame anyone for not wanting me to post those!
 
Despite rumours to the contrary, I would have been far to young to take part in the 1948 Rally. Thanks for the link to Digital Handsworth. I was aware of the site but it's good to be reminded of the treasures there - Vanley is one of my favourite contemporary photographers.
 
You're ahead of me and I was getting into my "Guide" mode. If you have references or more images dolet me know. Best S
 
Great photo of the Scout Rally. I was only 4 years old but I was there, my brother 13 years older than me was in St Andrew's Scout group. They used to march down from the church hall pulling their trek cart with all the gear for the day. Most groups would set up a side show, which would make money for the scout group and was fun for the visitors. As I got older I would go as a Brownie or Guide and then as a Ranger and Cub leader with St Mary's Cubs.

Congratulations on the great work you have done and are doing in the park.

My family did not have a car, so often a day out would be a picnic in Handsworth Park and a row around the pool. We always looked forward to the concerts in the big top, that would be put up every summer. We had quite famour entertainers perform there. :)
 
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