Sandwell Valley Country Park
Encyclopedia
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 the West Midlands
of England
.
, a 12th century Benedictine
monastery
which itself was founded on the site of an earlier hermitage
. The monastery was closed on the orders of Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 and by 1705 the land was redeveloped once more, into Sandwell Hall, built for the Earl of Dartmouth
. From the late 19th century the Hall was used as an asylum, calling itself "Sandwell Hall Industrial School for Mentally Defective Boys".In 1928 Sandwell Hall was demolished due to subsidence caused by mining at Hamstead Colliery
and Sandwell Park (Jubilee) Colliery which between them employed over 1,000 miners. A coal tramway ran from the Jubilee pit through the Sandwell Park to the canal / railway at West Bromwich.
The RSPB site here attracts over 150 different species of birds.
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
, run by Sandwell
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
Metropolitan Borough Council, in Sandwell Valley
Sandwell Valley
Sandwell Valley is an area of green belt in the West Midlands of England, on the border of Birmingham and West Bromwich, with Walsall at its northern end....
, on the River Tame
River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...
in the middle of the urban conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
between Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Location
Sandwell Valley country park stretches from the A41 at West Bromwich to the edge of Walsall, with car parks in Forge Lane and Sandwell Park Farm. The main entrances to the site are at Sandwell Park Farm, Salter's Lane, West Bromwich, B71 4BG. Forge Mill Farm, Forge Lane, West Bromwich B71 3SZHistory
Sandwell Valley Country Park was once the site of Sandwell PriorySandwell Priory
Sandwell Priory was a medieval monastic house in Staffordshire, England. Although records of the establishment of the priory are sparse it is reported that the priory was founded by William Fitz-Anculf in the 1100s...
, a 12th century Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
which itself was founded on the site of an earlier hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
. The monastery was closed on the orders of Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 and by 1705 the land was redeveloped once more, into Sandwell Hall, built for the Earl of Dartmouth
Earl of Dartmouth
Earl of Dartmouth is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for William Legge, 2nd Baron Dartmouth. The Legge family descended from Edward Legge, Vice-President of Munster. His eldest son William Legge was a Royalist army officer and close associate of Prince Rupert of the...
. From the late 19th century the Hall was used as an asylum, calling itself "Sandwell Hall Industrial School for Mentally Defective Boys".In 1928 Sandwell Hall was demolished due to subsidence caused by mining at Hamstead Colliery
Hamstead Colliery
Hamstead Colliery in Hamstead, England, was operated by the Hamstead Colliery Company and produced coal between 1878 and 1965.-Background:It was situated on the north west border of Birmingham. In 1928, due to boundary changes, it became part of West Bromwich. In 1876 the Hamstead Colliery Company...
and Sandwell Park (Jubilee) Colliery which between them employed over 1,000 miners. A coal tramway ran from the Jubilee pit through the Sandwell Park to the canal / railway at West Bromwich.
Amenities
By the 1960s the site was developed into the Country Park with up to 2000 acres (809.4 ha) set aside for amenities such as three golf courses, a Millennium Cycle Route, 2 off-road cycle paths and open spaces close to the heart of a major UK city that attracts over 20,000 visitors per year.The RSPB site here attracts over 150 different species of birds.