Birmingham’s Award Winning Parks

10 of Birmingham’s parks have been awarded the Green Flag Award.

Aston Park , Cannon Hill Park , Castle Vale Centre Park , Cotteridge Park , Handsworth Park, Kings Heath Park , Lickey Hills Country Park, Newhall Valley Country Park, Sunset and Moonlit Parks  and Ward End Park.

The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. The award scheme began in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country. Sites are judged against eight criteria which include a conservation and heritage element.

Three of the parks awarded with the Green Flag Award are also part of the English Heritage ‘Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England‘.

Aston Park, Cannon Hill Park, and Handsworth Park

Birmingham has a number of historic parks and gardens, 15 in total others include Winterbourne Botanic Garden and also include Key Hill and Warstone Lane cemeteries. They form an important part of the historic and cultural fabric of the city. Sites included on the Register are graded I, II* and II in the same way as listed buildings. The main purpose of this register is to celebrate designed landscapes and encourage appropriate protection to prevent damage to significant features of the sites, such as historic layout, structure, built features and planted elements.

A collection of photographs of Handsworth Park (Grade II)

With summer on its way…. (?!) why not make the most of the sunshine and spend some time at one of the award winning historic parks!