History
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Tracing Historic Field Boundaries
Do you know that most of Highbury Park was once fields, and that many of the fields had names? Do you also know that many of the field boundaries are still visible? Would you like to explore these old boundaries and help us figure out the old field names? We have some info, but could do with more, and would be happy to hear from you if you want to help investigate. Here’s a map of the 1840 tithe map boundaries overlaid on a satellite photo. The full size version is here. Do you see any boundaries along tree lines, streams, or other natural features? Some of the old field…
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Advance Notice: Chamberlain Family Letters – ‘from Empire to Appeasement’
A date for your diary: Wednesday 26th January, 7pm Chamberlain Family Letters – ‘from Empire to Appeasement’ The Kitchen Garden Cafe, 17 York Road, Kings Heath, B14 7SA Highbury Park Friends present a fascinating talk by Peter Marsh, Honorary Professor of History at Birmingham University, based on his new book – ‘The Chamberlain Litany’ – which is an extraordinary analysis of over 10,000 letters between Chamberlain family members, over a 65 year period, including family discussions of major nineteenth and twentieth century events. This is as close as you can get to observing the lives of this famous local family, who produced three leading statesmen in two generations, an unrivalled…
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Not So Long Ago…
it was known as Uffculme Park, apparently all the way to Dad’s Lane. Scans of old postcards sent to us by Dave Ludlow show the gazebo next to what’s now the car park, plus two points along the main footpath. Whilst the major elements (gazebo, trees) are of interest, so are the minor features, such as the walkway construction. Have a look at the path and its edges, for example, the number of benches, and what might be a separate footpath. This one is really intriguing because it looks like these might be the same trees now as when the photo was taken. It looks like the bowling green hedge…
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Henburys History
We’ve been hearing recently from Dave Ludlow in relation to his ancestors who lived at the Henburys. Dave has sent us a copy of an obituary for George Frederick Lyndon, including a transcription. Mr. Lyndon was both accomplished and a man of wide-ranging interests, and seems to have been connected with many local institutions or noteworthy activities. “Mr. Lyndon, who was aged 83, was the son of Mr. Walter A. Lyndon, who lived at the Henburys, which estate now forms part of Uffculme Park.” W.A. Lyndon founded local edge tool firm Minerva Works at Fazeley Street, and G.F. Lyndon inherited both the business and the family home at Kings Heath,…
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‘Plant Hunters, Parks and Gardens’ – University of Birmingham
On Saturday 27th March 2010, from 10:00-4:30, a Day School is being held at the Centre for West Midlands History, University of Birmingham on ‘Plant Hunters, Parks and Gardens’. One of the speakers is Highbury landscape survey author Phillada Ballard, who will be talking about the history of Highbury Park. Other speakers are David Lambert and Simon Gulliver. This lecture responds to the growing momentum to promote the importance of heritage parks in Birmingham. Further details can be found at:Plant Hunters, Parks and Gardens: Developments in Garden History in Birmingham and the Midlands This event is part of the University Of Birmingham Day Schools and Evening Classes programme. A brochure…
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Work Starts on Henbury Wall
The contractors were at work today, and repointed a section of the wall within a couple of hours. The section of treated wall and up close.
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Festival of Walks: Historic Survey Walk No. 1
One of the ways we want to use Phillada Ballard’s Historic Landscape Appraisal is as a reference and organising device for a series of walks. We are calling them Historic Survey Walks, the first of which will be this Saturday, from 11:00, meeting at the Alcester Road entrance to the Park. This will be a short walk around the eastern end of the park, once known as Uffculme Park, and containing remnants of the 18th Century estate known as The Henburys, shown as the area labelled B in the map below. The history and character of this estate has developed a significantly higher profile through Phillada’s work, so we want…
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Tracing A Former Garden
One of the more important features of the former Chamberlain estate is the area of formal gardens to the east and south of the main house. These were extensively landscaped in a variety of styles. These gardens have been abandoned for decades, so identifying the remains is a matter of some guesswork. Fortunately, photographs in the Chamberlain Archive at the University of Birmingham provide very useful clues. An 1899 photograph of the parterre garden gives a pretty fair idea of the plan. With the main house faintly visible in the distance, the curvilinear hedge, a line of trees on a small rise to the right and sunlight from the left…