| Kings Heath Park | |
|---|---|
A tree next to the house (left) |
|
| Type | Park |
| Location | Birmingham, England |
| 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, managed by Birmingham City Council[1].
For a time, the park was used as the setting of popular BBC television programme Gardeners' World.
The park is centred on a house, built in 1832 for the newly elected MP William Congreve Russell[2]. In 1880 the house was bought by John Cartland, a wealthy industrialist[2] and ancestor of the author Barbara Cartland[2]. 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[2]. 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[2]. The council immediately opened the grounds as a public park[2].
From 1909-1911 the house was used as a school[2]. 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[2].
In 1953, the city council created a School of Horticultural Training in the house, using part of the park as training gardens[2]. Since 1995, this has been run, under a partnership arrangement, by Pershore (later Warwickshire) College and Bournville College[2].
In 2008/9, Kings Heath Park was granted a Green Flag Award for the 7th year running[3].