Cannon Hill Park
| Cannon Hill Park | |
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Cannon Hill Park lake
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| Type | Public park |
| Location | Birmingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°27′11″N 1°54′04″W / 52.453°N 1.901°WCoordinates: 52°27′11″N 1°54′04″W / 52.453°N 1.901°W |
| Operated by | Birmingham City Council |
| Status | Open year round |
| Website | birmingham |
Cannon Hill Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England. It is the most popular park in the city, covering 250 acres (101 ha) consisting of formal, conservation, woodland and sports areas. Recreational activities at the park include boating, fishing, bowls, tennis, putting and picnic areas.
It also contains Birmingham Nature Centre, the mac theatre, and adjacent to the park is Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
In April 1873, a local benefactor, Miss Louisa Ann Ryland (1814–89) of Barford Hill House, Warwickshire, gave 57 acres (23 ha) of meadow land, known as Cannon Hill Fields, to the Corporation and paid for the draining of the site to create a public park. J.T Gibson of Battersea was employed to transform the site. He constructed two large lakes, the smaller ornamental ponds and a bathing pool. 35 acres were devoted to ornamental gardens and shrub borders. Kew Gardens donated seeds and plants to establish the collection, this collection was used by students to enable them to study Botany. It opened to the public in September 1873. A further 7 acres (2.8 ha) were given by the brewer John Holder in 1897, and in 1898 5 acres (2.0 ha) were acquired to straighten the River Rea, which is now culverted and runs along the western edge.
A 1906 granite and bronze memorial to the dead of the Second Boer War by Albert Toft, stands on the western edge of the park. Grade II* listed, it was refurbished in 2012.
In 1911 a 16th-century timbered house was moved from Deritend and re-erected in the park by the Birmingham Archaeological Society, to serve as a refreshment room and cricket pavilion. Named the Golden Lion Inn it is a Grade II listed building but is now in a very poor state of repair and fenced-off. The bandstand, the bridge over the lake ('Red Carriage Bridge'), and Cannon Hill House are also Grade II Listed.
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