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THE ELFORD HALL GARDEN PROJECT
Blog
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Thu, 27 Sep 2007
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Open day at the Garden 23rd September 2007
PRESS RELEASE
The Elford Hall Garden Restoration Team was
delighted with response to their “Open Day” on
Sunday afternoon. Cream teas were free as people
came to the garden and viewed the group’s plans.
This walled kitchen garden dates back to the
Georgian period and has not been cultivated for a
number of years. Substantial work now needs to be
done on the wall and buildings. The beautiful site
has river frontage on the Tame and is over 7 acres.
The garden was gifted to Birmingham in 1936 as
part of the 500 acre Elford Estate. The benefactor
Howard F Paget had made his own personal fortune
after the Great War. Another gift included
the “Elford Wing” of the then Royal Masonic
Hospital. Paget wanted the estate to be used as
a “Park of the people”, sadly the war intervened
and the idea never came to fruition.
The Birmingham Trust and Charities Committee are
now willing to grant the group a 35 year lease at
a peppercorn rent. Birmingham’s willingness to
consider the proposition is giving a unique
opportunity to realise some of what Howard Paget
must have dreamed.
The group plan to create an open and free park for
people of the village and region to enjoy. There
will be riverside walks, picnic areas and maybe a
tennis court and bowling green. Fruit trees will
be replanted around the walls of the garden and an
orchard planted next to the Victorian gardener’s
cottage. Some parts will be left as conservation
areas. Consideration is also being given to the
creation of new rights of way for the public to
enjoy.
A lot of work will have to be done. The group are
now pursuing funding opportunities for the
project. A society for “Friends “is being formed
and people are also wanted to join in with the
physical work involved.
Details can be found on the group’s web site:-
vhttp://www.elfordhallgardens.zoomshare.com/0.html
Sunday afternoon was a lovely event. The weather
held and over 120 people came to the event. A
spokesman for the group, villager Dick Cowley,
said “Seeing couples stroll through the meadow
outside the wall was great. Children were playing
and you can hear the sound of laughter. This is
just how it will be when the hard work is done.
The satisfaction for those who want to get
involved will be enormous. We intend to create
preserve some of the rural heritage for people to
enjoy now and also for the generations to come”.
Dick Cowley
Posted 06:23
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1 comment
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How to donate
I want to send a donation for this project to my
friend Jean Stensons at 46 The Beck Elford. How
do I do that? Read your article in Lichfield
Mercury - very interesting. We enjoy walking
around Elford and Whittington regularly and
would be interested in knowing about
developments of this project Pat Wilson.
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