Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich
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Dartmouth Park is a public park in
West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...
, in West Midlands, England, about east of the town centre and west of
Sandwell Valley Country Park Sandwell Valley Country Park is a country park, run by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, in Sandwell Valley, on the River Tame in the middle of the urban conurbation between Birmingham and West Bromwich in West Midlands, England. Locati ...
. The park was opened in 1878. It is owned and operated by
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, or Sandwell Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government servic ...
, and is listed Grade II in Historic England's
Register of Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England {{R from move ...
{{R from move ...
. Its area is .


History and description

Reuben Farley Reuben Farley (17 January 1826 – 1899) was an English businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was the first Mayor of West Bromwich and served for four terms. He was also the first freeman of West Bromwich and the town's Farley Clock Towe ...
, an alderman of West Bromwich, wrote to
William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth William Walter Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth (12 August 1823 – 4 August 1891), styled Viscount Lewisham until 1853, was a British peer and Conservative politician. Political career Legge was elected in 1849 as Member of Parliament (MP) for ...
in 1876, proposing the leasing of land from the Dartmouth estate to create a public park in West Bromwich. After further correspondence and meetings, it was agreed that of land at Cooper's Hill in West Bromwich, one of two sites offered, be leased for 99 years with a nominal rent of £1 per year."Dartmouth Park"
West Bromwich Local History Society. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
Budgets were set for building a lodge and laying out the park. An advertisement in ''
The Gardeners' Chronicle ''The Gardeners' Chronicle'' was a British horticulture periodical. It lasted as a title in its own right for nearly 150 years and is still extant as part of the magazine '' Horticulture Week''. History Founded in 1841 by the horticulturists Jose ...
'' invited designs from landscape gardeners, which was won by John Maclean of Donnington Park in Leicestershire. Sites within the park were fixed in January 1877.The Earl donated trees and shrubs and a fountain from his home,
Patshull Hall Patshull Hall is a substantial Georgian mansion house situated near Pattingham in Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building and by repute is one of the largest listed buildings in the county. History The Hall was built to designs ...
. The park was opened on 3 June 1878 by Reuben Farley and the Earl of Dartmouth; about 40,000 people attended, and the day was observed as a general holiday. The Earl of Dartmouth donated more land in 1887, where a boating pool and boathouse were created.


Twentieth century

The freehold of the park was given to the people in 1919. A war memorial, funded by public subscription, was unveiled by
William Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth William Heneage Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth, (6 May 1851 – 11 March 1936), styled Viscount Lewisham between 1853 and 1891, was a British Peerage, British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. He served as Vice-Chamberla ...
in 1923. (It was listed Grade II in 1987.) In 1933 a new bandstand replaced the original structure. From the 1940s the refreshment rooms were run by the former footballer Joe Johnson, who had played for
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
, and his wife. In the 1970s the Expressway (part of the
A41 road The A41 is a trunk road between London and Birkenhead, England. Now in parts replaced by motorways, it passes through or near Watford, Kings Langley, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Bicester, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, New ...
), linking the north of West Bromwich with the
M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
, was opened. This removed about from the south-west of the park, removing the tennis courts and golf course. The original entrance from Herbert Street was lost; the gates, gate piers and lodge at this entrance survive in a small area of land on the other side of the Expressway. A concrete footbridge was built over the Expressway to the park from Herbert Street. These changes, and the development of Sandwell Valley Country Park, made Dartmouth Park less popular.


Restoration

The park received funding for restoration from the
National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in 2008. The improvements included a new bandstand, on the site of the original bandstand; a children's play area; installation of lighting on a pathway through the park; and paths added and rerouted, with resurfacing of existing paths. After restoration work, the park was officially re-opened in September 2014.


Facilities

Facilities include ornamental lakes, floral displays, outdoor gym equipment, a children's play area and a sensory garden. There is a pavilion with refreshments, toilets, a community room and a viewing tower."Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich"
''Visit Sandwell''. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 19 November 2023.


References

{{Reflist West Bromwich Parks and open spaces in the West Midlands (county) Tourist attractions in the West Midlands (county) Grade II listed parks and gardens in the West Midlands (county)