Perry Hall Park

Perry Hall Park (also called Perry Hall Playing Fields) is a park in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England, at gbmapping|SP059918. It was in Staffordshire until 1924.

It was formerly the site of Perry Hall, home of the Gough family, though only the hall's moat remains after the Birmingham Corporation had to chose between saving Perry Hall and the nearby Aston Hall for financial purposes. When Harry Dorsey Gough set up home in Maryland, USA, in 1774, he named his estate there Perry Hall.

The park is bisected by the River Tame, which was remodelled in 2005 to slow the flow, alleviate flooding and create improved habitats for wildlife, as part of the SMURF (Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains) project. The park has a small heronry.

The park is skirted by the Birmingham - Walsall railway line (the "Chase Line"), formerly the Grand Junction Railway and served by nearby Perry Barr railway station and, at the western end, Hamstead railway station.

In July 1913, the first International Scout Rally in Birmingham was held in the park, attended by about 30,000 Scouts.cite web | year = 1949 | url = http://www.4thderby.org.uk/history2.htm | title = Through the years by 'The Trek-Cart' | publisher = the 4th Derby (Derwent) Scout Group| accessdate = 2007-04-05]

External links

* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=19118&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=7&MENU_ID=1743 Birmingham City Council page on the park]
* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=52674&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=5245 The Two Perry Halls]
* [http://www.smurf-project.info/ SMURF]

References