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History of Lightwoods Park and House

In the later part of the 18th Century this was still an area of
woodland, a feature from which the Lightwoods takes its name.
No building occupied the site at the Lightwoods until around
1791 when the house was erected by Jonathan Grundy II
(1744-1803), a merchant living in Birmingham. Estate plans
dated 1820 show the house as a central block, with detached
wings and having a walled enclosure to the north, a perimeter
path linked to gateways at the top corners and clear routes to a
carriage driveway.
In March 1865, Mr. George Caleb Adkins (the wealthy owner of
a local soap and lead factory) purchased Lightwoods House
where his family lived until 1902, during this time the original
parkland was enlarged through purchasing neighbouring farms.
Under the instructions left in George Caleb Adkins will, his wife
Anne was encouraged to profit from the expanding population of
Bearwood. The Adkins family accordingly sold areas of their
estate to a syndicate of developers and from 1888 public works
contractors were clearing the farmland which lay north of Adkins
Lane and widening the rural road network.


By 1902 the farmland surrounding the Lightwoods estate was
almost fully developed. Bearwood was a growing community with
new businesses, shops and facilities with only the original area of
the Lightwoods House and 16 acres of the immediate parkland
remaining substantially unaltered and intact whilst available
building land was becoming scarce. Following the death of
Anne Adkins in 1902, the remaining 14 acres of the surrounding
parkland was immediately put up for sale and purchased by
developers.
The catalyst for the saving of Lightwoods was John Weatherhead,
the founder of the Bearwood Early Morning Adult School. The
members of the Adult school agreed to try to save the estate as
a public park and decided they needed a prestigious figurehead.
They selected Alexander Macombe Chance, a member of the
Chance family who owned the famous Smethwick glass
manufacturing company, Chance Brothers and Co. A public
meeting called by the Early Morning School was held September
29th 1902 and a committee formed to save the land. Events
unfolded rapidly and public donations flowed in which enabled
the committee to raise the purchase price in excess of £11,000
within less than four weeks. The committee handed some 16
acres, 2 roods and 24 poles (6.738 ha) to Birmingham City
Council as a free gift in November 1902.
The Park was an immediate success and the Council undertook a
number of improvements from late 1902 – 1903, the most
popular addition was the erection of the bandstand. Further
donations were received for the installation of a drinking fountain
in the Park.
The Park was officially opened in June 1903 and already plans
were in place for a further piece of land across Galton Road as
an extension to the park. Over subsequent years the area of the
park increased by donation or purchase to reach its final size of
12.36 ha. The annex was developed to include recreation,
gymnastics and sports as further tennis courts were constructed
with a pavilion, pathways and a second drinking fountain.
In 1915 as improvements to the park at the L‘ightwoods ’
continued, a suggestion was made that a location should be
found in the park for a Shakespeare Garden. The theme for the
Shakespeare Garden was popular and the walled garden at
Lightwoods was chosen as an ideal site.
During World War I, Lightwoods House was converted to a Red
Cross Military Hospital and from March 1916, with the
permission of Birmingham City Council, the part of the premises

previously used for refreshments was converted into
accommodation for 40 – 50 wounded soldiers. The hospital
finally closed in 1919 but changing social circumstances meant
that the park failed to reach its pre-war popularity. By 1935 the
cafeé had been reinstated at the front of the house, the other
side taken up by the Sons of Rest. Park facilities continued to
expand with a tennis court installed west of the pond by 1938.
In the 1950s’, the pool in Lightwoods Park was drained and a
piano shaped paddling pool was built in its place. Part of the
site adjoining Bearwood Road was taken from the park to build
Bearwood’ Bus Station. Even though parks in general declined in
popularity after the 1950’s, Lightwoods continued as a popular
destination used for picnics and with a comprehensive number of
organised events, shows and concerts.
In 1971 the Tea and Reading rooms were closed in the house
and the property was leased to the stained glass company, John
Hardman and Co. as a workshop with studios and offices and
some restoration work was undertaken.
In the 1980’s vandalism increased in the Park. The Sons of Rest
building and bowling pavilion were burnt down and as a result
the bowling club relocated and the bowling greens became
disused. The aviary was also removed around this time but the
bandstand was listed in September 1987 and was renovated in
1991.
Around the beginning of the 1990’s Lightwoods Park hit the
headlines as the paddling pool was transformed into a skate park
and the play area revamped as part of the BBC’s Challenge
Anneka television series.
By the end of the 20th Century the park was under threat with
minimal maintenance and much of the decorative ironwork was
stolen from the restored bandstand and the tennis courts were
removed. The Shakespeare Garden was still cared for but was
often locked. When John Hardman and Co. left the premises in
Lightwoods House in 2007, the Grade II Listed building remained
empty and became a target for vandalism. In 2009, only one
permanent member of staff remained and this led to an initiative
by Sandwell Council to take control of the management of the
Park and the Lightwoods House. Transfer of park and house from
Birmingham City Council to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough
Council occurred in November 2010.

Edgbaston High School trip to Florence February 2013

A Magical Experience in Florence

Published: 01 Mar 2013

On the Wednesday before half-term, 36 staff and girls headed off to Florence, a journey that took us to some of the most celebrated places in the history of Renaissance Art.

As ever we were very fortunate with the weather. All of our visits since 2008 have taken place during crisp, cold, but bright, weather which has almost begun to feel like an entitlement. We are sure that one day our luck will run out but for this occasion we were able to see cathedrals, piazzas and street vistas in a clear bright light against unblemished blue skies. Gathering on the steps of great churches was made a simple pleasure by the warm sun on backs or faces.

Having arrived at Pisa airport, we made a brief stop at the Piazza de Miracoli, in order to admire the baptistry, the duomo and the world famous leaning tower. There wasn't time to climb to the top of the tower but the party enjoyed lunch in a variety of pavement cafes and afterwards explored the duomo, Pisa's cathedral, which has a beautiful gilded ceiling and an interesting fourteenth century font by Giovanni Pisano. Our coach then carried us to Florence through a stark and wintry Tuscan landscape. The vineyards and the bare hills still bore traces of recent snow where the pale sun could not reach.

Our hotel in Florence was opposite the main station, ideally placed for exploring the historic centre. It was clean, comfortable and provided with wifi so that girls need not face the hardship of exile from Facebook during their time in the city.

We dined in two local restaurants during our stay. The first of these, within a few minutes walk for the hotel, was excellent in every respect but the second, a short distance from the Uffizi gallery was generally preferred by the girls. Menu and decor may have been contributed to this judgement but the group of handsome young men waiting upon us was perhaps the deciding factor. They were certainly very patient with our various dietary requirements. Mrs Harris is not only a vegetarian but also abhors tomatoes. This is clearly unheard of in Italy. Having explained all this to one of the waiters he looked at us blankly for a few moments whilst he attempted to assimilate the information. He then went off to confer with his colleagues and the chefs. I caught his eye as he looked back from the huddle.

"We are thinking," he said.

Eventually Mrs Harris was provided with a very tasty meal of peppers and courgettes whilst the rest of us dined on chicken and pasta.

I can never quite get over the sheer scale of Florence's duomo. Hemmed in by buildings in places it rises above them all, its magnificent dome is visible from almost everywhere in the city. The girls were certainly awestruck too and my impression was that they were hugely impressed by the array of wonderful buildings and works of art we were privileged to see. They proved to be a wonderfully receptive audience when listening to the stories behind each painting or learning about the techniques and working practices employed by Renaissance artists.

Saturday, our last full day, took us by coach to Siena, with its stunning black and white cathedral, like the world's biggest humbug and its maze of winding streets leading down to its dramatic shell shaped piazza. This, the venue for the world famous "Palio" race during the summer months, was blissfully calm on a February afternoon. It was hard to imagine ten thousand spectators crammed in there on a stifling August day, ten horses racing pell mell around the perimeter, amidst a riot of colour, flags and medieval pageantry.

San Gimignano, our final port of call, is as fascinating to me now as it was on my first visit to this region, its walls and towers rising starkly amongst the tidy vineyards and the soft green hills. These towers, crow haunted on a quiet winter's day look out over medieval streets that have hardly changed over five hundred years, a tumble of terracotta pan-tiled roofs, cascading picturesquely down the hillsides to car parks almost deserted at this time of year but impossibly hectic in high summer. There were once more than seventy towers, a kind of medieval New York, each built by clans and families whose rivalry, when not expressed in blood feuds and open warfare, found expression instead in a desire to outstrip their neighbours and to overtop their dwellings. The highest of the towers was once seventy metres tall and is fifty even today. Surprisingly spacious inside, the visitor is required to surmount two hundred and thirty six steps to reach the top. I know - I climbed them, in supervision of a party of girls who wanted to enjoy the amazing views from the top. Having made my way down to the bottom I found there were more girls keen to make the ascent. For a second time I climbed to the top, gasping and panting rather more than the first.

It was, all things considered, a most successful visit. The weather was excellent, the girls admirably enthusiastic and engaged with the teaching, the hotel impressively convenient and the restaurants of a high quality. One thing that sticks out in my mind is all the girls singing the school song on the steps outside the Uffizi one night, a real treat for the locals! All the ingredients were in place for us to enjoy ourselves tremendously on this visit and my impression is that the girls carried away memories of Florence and of Tuscany that will last them for a lifetime.

Many thanks to Miss Richards, Mrs Harris and Mrs Mooney, my staff colleagues on the visit, and to Miss Richards for the photos included with this report.

Mr Dukes, Head of Art

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