Beacon Park
Encyclopedia
Beacon Park is a public park in the centre of the city of Lichfield
, Staffordshire
, in the United Kingdom
. The park was originally laid out in 1859 in the form of the Museum Gardens adjacent to the newly built Free Museum and Library and has been extended over the years to its current size of 81 acres (327,795.7 m²). The park is located to the northwest of the city centre and to the west of the Cathedral Close
across the road from the Garden of Remembrance.
The park has many sporting and recreational facilities for use by the public, including an 18 hole golf course, football pitches, tennis courts and bowling greens. The park also hosts a wide range of events throughout the year including the Lichfield Bower
and The Lichfield Festival
.
. The area around Bishops Fish Pool in all directions was waterlogged marshland, this area south of Bird Street became known as the moggs from the 15th century and later Swan moggs.
Swan
s were kept by the Bishops of Lichfield
on Bishops Fish Pool from the early 14th century. Special pens and nesting areas were constructed. Ownership of the birds passed to the corporation from 1548. In 1704 the lease owner of Swan moggs was required to allow the swans make their nests there. In this area today we get the street names Swan Road and Swan Mews reflecting the history of the land use.
The land of the wider Beacon Park was used for agriculture from at least the 13th century to the 19th century. This past use is visible today in street names with Townfields south of the park and north of the park there are records of a Shaw field in 1336 which is now Shaw Lane.
was diminishing in the early 19th century money was spent diverting surface waters from ‘Swan moggs’ into a common conduit. The two streams across it were diverted into underground culverts and the land was raised with silt and mud dredged from Minster Pool
. The area was subsequently developed into the formal gardens of Beacon Park by the Corporation, but paid for by the Conduit Lands Trust. The Museum Gardens were opened in 1859 to complement the new Italianate
Free Library and Museum. The Recreation Grounds, opened in 1891, is the small area between the Museum Gardens and the wider Beacon Park. The central fountain was unveiled as the central focus of the Museum Gardens in 1871. A bandstand was also installed close to the junction of the Museum Gardens and Recreation Grounds, and was positioned to provide a focus for the avenue through the Museum Gardens.
The development of the wider Beacon Park is closely linked to the development of Beacon House, which was built for George Hand in 1800. The gardens and parkland were developed in stages over the nineteenth century as ownership of the estate changed. In 1826 the owner, Richard Hinckley added two wings to the house, extended the grounds and carried out extensive improvements to the landscape. Two fish ponds were dug along the valley, fed by the Leomonsley Brook, and a long ornamental approach constructed across the fields towards Walsall Road. SL Seckham
acquired Beacon House and its 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) estate in 1880. He extended the parkland to cover 100 acre (0.404686 km²) and added a terraced walk along the front of the house which linked the house to the ponds.
and Edward Smith were erected in the Museum Gardens in 1908 and 1914 respectively. During the 1st World War
, Beacon House was sold to the War department. A Crimean War
cannon and a First World War German gun were placed in the Museum Gardens after the war, only to be removed for scrap metal during the next war. After the World War I the park was the scene of much celebration with the Recreation Grounds used for athletics and the Museum Gardens for dancing. The Garden of Remembrance was laid out across Beacon Street opposite the park in 1920. The timber framed public convenience at the north east entrance was built in 1930, parts of which were built from the remains of the west range of the Friary
, which was demolished a few years previous.
Beacon House was used by the Royal Army Service Corps
during the Second World War
before being demolished by the City Council in 1964. The land on which Beacon House once stood is now a housing estate with street names Swinfen Broun Road and Seckham Road named after previous residents of the house. Colonel Swinfen Broun gifted 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of the land to the park in 1943. After the land attached to Beacon House was incorporated into Beacon Park between 1943 and 1964 the park area as we know it today was complete.
Over the rest of the 20th century many recreation facilities were incorporated into the park. Parkland was levelled for football pitches in 1947. A second bowling green in the recreation grounds was laid out by the City Council in 1962 to join the green in the Museum Gardens laid in 1922. In 1972 the two fish ponds were reshaped and deepened to leave one pool (Beacon Pool) we see today. The golf course was laid out and opened in 1973.
and the Big Lottery Fund
announced Beacon Park, Minster Pool and Walk
and the Garden of Remembrance had been awarded a grant £3.9 million under the ‘Parks for People’ programme. The transformation started in 2010 and is due for completion by the end of 2011 with works including a new café, refreshment kiosk, bowls and education pavilion, toilets, and new and improved play areas for children of all ages. Conservation work was carried out on the listed structures, including the statues, railings and fountain. In the Museum Gardens the bowling green was relocated to the recreation grounds and the space left was planted with beds of flowers to recreate the Victorian geometric landscape to the gardens.
In addition to sports other recreational facilities are available, these include a crazy golf course, young and older children's playground. During the summer season activities such as canoeing on Beacon Pool, donkey rides, giant board games and a bouncy castle are available in the park.
annually on the late May bank holiday. Some events of the Lichfield Festival
are held here including a firework display in July. 'Cars in the Park' takes place annually at the end of June. The event, first held in 1997, showcases more than 1,000 vintage and modern cars and 62 car clubs took part in the 2011 event. Lichfield Proms in Beacon Park, an open air classical music event, takes place annually on the first Saturday of September.A big top Circus
also comes to the park annually, usually in early spring.
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The park was originally laid out in 1859 in the form of the Museum Gardens adjacent to the newly built Free Museum and Library and has been extended over the years to its current size of 81 acres (327,795.7 m²). The park is located to the northwest of the city centre and to the west of the Cathedral Close
Cathedral Close, Lichfield
The Cathedral Close is a historic set of buildings surrounding Lichfield Cathedral in Lichfield in the United Kingdom. The Close comprises buildings associated with the cathedral and the clergy which encircle the Cathedral...
across the road from the Garden of Remembrance.
The park has many sporting and recreational facilities for use by the public, including an 18 hole golf course, football pitches, tennis courts and bowling greens. The park also hosts a wide range of events throughout the year including the Lichfield Bower
Lichfield bower
The Bower is well known in Lichfield, England and nearby areas. It is a festival held each spring on a bank holiday. It is about 800 years old. A statute of Henry II of England ordered that all men capable of bearing arms should be inspected by the magistrates. Since there was no standing army,...
and The Lichfield Festival
The Lichfield Festival
The Lichfield Festival is an annual multi-art-form festival held in Lichfield, Staffordshire, which aims to combine high quality, challenging and diverse events of an international calibre, alongside community-based, locally-sourced activities. Performances include drama, dance, film, literature,...
.
Early history
The land on which Beacon Park now stands was originally low lying, poorly drained pasture alongside the Leamonsley Brook. The Museum Gardens and Recreation Grounds were the site of Bishops Fish Pool or Upper Pool. The pool was created when a causeway was built on Beacon Street in the 14th century separating it from Minster PoolMinster Pool
Minster Pool is a reservoir located between Bird Street and Dam Street in the heart of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. The pool lies directly south of Lichfield Cathedral and historically has been important to the defence of the Cathedral Close...
. The area around Bishops Fish Pool in all directions was waterlogged marshland, this area south of Bird Street became known as the moggs from the 15th century and later Swan moggs.
Swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s were kept by the Bishops of Lichfield
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
on Bishops Fish Pool from the early 14th century. Special pens and nesting areas were constructed. Ownership of the birds passed to the corporation from 1548. In 1704 the lease owner of Swan moggs was required to allow the swans make their nests there. In this area today we get the street names Swan Road and Swan Mews reflecting the history of the land use.
The land of the wider Beacon Park was used for agriculture from at least the 13th century to the 19th century. This past use is visible today in street names with Townfields south of the park and north of the park there are records of a Shaw field in 1336 which is now Shaw Lane.
19th century
As the city water supply from AldershaweWall, Staffordshire
Wall is a small village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, just south of Lichfield. It lies on the site of the Roman settlement of Letocetum.The nearby junction of the A5 and A5127 roads and the M6 Toll motorway is often referred to as Wall junction....
was diminishing in the early 19th century money was spent diverting surface waters from ‘Swan moggs’ into a common conduit. The two streams across it were diverted into underground culverts and the land was raised with silt and mud dredged from Minster Pool
Minster Pool
Minster Pool is a reservoir located between Bird Street and Dam Street in the heart of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. The pool lies directly south of Lichfield Cathedral and historically has been important to the defence of the Cathedral Close...
. The area was subsequently developed into the formal gardens of Beacon Park by the Corporation, but paid for by the Conduit Lands Trust. The Museum Gardens were opened in 1859 to complement the new Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
Free Library and Museum. The Recreation Grounds, opened in 1891, is the small area between the Museum Gardens and the wider Beacon Park. The central fountain was unveiled as the central focus of the Museum Gardens in 1871. A bandstand was also installed close to the junction of the Museum Gardens and Recreation Grounds, and was positioned to provide a focus for the avenue through the Museum Gardens.
The development of the wider Beacon Park is closely linked to the development of Beacon House, which was built for George Hand in 1800. The gardens and parkland were developed in stages over the nineteenth century as ownership of the estate changed. In 1826 the owner, Richard Hinckley added two wings to the house, extended the grounds and carried out extensive improvements to the landscape. Two fish ponds were dug along the valley, fed by the Leomonsley Brook, and a long ornamental approach constructed across the fields towards Walsall Road. SL Seckham
Samuel Lipscomb Seckham
Samuel Lipscomb Seckham was an English Victorian architect, developer, magistrate and brewer.Samuel Seckham was born in Oxford, England, and became the City Surveyor. He was the original architect employed by St John’s College, Oxford to develop parts of North Oxford. He developed Park Town, an...
acquired Beacon House and its 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) estate in 1880. He extended the parkland to cover 100 acre (0.404686 km²) and added a terraced walk along the front of the house which linked the house to the ponds.
20th century
Statues of Edward VIIEdward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
and Edward Smith were erected in the Museum Gardens in 1908 and 1914 respectively. During the 1st World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Beacon House was sold to the War department. A Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
cannon and a First World War German gun were placed in the Museum Gardens after the war, only to be removed for scrap metal during the next war. After the World War I the park was the scene of much celebration with the Recreation Grounds used for athletics and the Museum Gardens for dancing. The Garden of Remembrance was laid out across Beacon Street opposite the park in 1920. The timber framed public convenience at the north east entrance was built in 1930, parts of which were built from the remains of the west range of the Friary
The Franciscan Friary, Lichfield
The Franciscan Friary was once a large estate located on the west side of Lichfield city centre in Staffordshire. The estate was built and inhabited by the Franciscan Friars from 1237...
, which was demolished a few years previous.
Beacon House was used by the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
before being demolished by the City Council in 1964. The land on which Beacon House once stood is now a housing estate with street names Swinfen Broun Road and Seckham Road named after previous residents of the house. Colonel Swinfen Broun gifted 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of the land to the park in 1943. After the land attached to Beacon House was incorporated into Beacon Park between 1943 and 1964 the park area as we know it today was complete.
Over the rest of the 20th century many recreation facilities were incorporated into the park. Parkland was levelled for football pitches in 1947. A second bowling green in the recreation grounds was laid out by the City Council in 1962 to join the green in the Museum Gardens laid in 1922. In 1972 the two fish ponds were reshaped and deepened to leave one pool (Beacon Pool) we see today. The golf course was laid out and opened in 1973.
21st century
In 2009 the Heritage Lottery FundHeritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and the Big Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
announced Beacon Park, Minster Pool and Walk
Minster Pool
Minster Pool is a reservoir located between Bird Street and Dam Street in the heart of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. The pool lies directly south of Lichfield Cathedral and historically has been important to the defence of the Cathedral Close...
and the Garden of Remembrance had been awarded a grant £3.9 million under the ‘Parks for People’ programme. The transformation started in 2010 and is due for completion by the end of 2011 with works including a new café, refreshment kiosk, bowls and education pavilion, toilets, and new and improved play areas for children of all ages. Conservation work was carried out on the listed structures, including the statues, railings and fountain. In the Museum Gardens the bowling green was relocated to the recreation grounds and the space left was planted with beds of flowers to recreate the Victorian geometric landscape to the gardens.
Monuments and sculpture
- Plaque of Martyrs – The plaque came into being as the seal for the city of Lichfield. The plaque depicts the disputed story of 999 Christian martyrMartyrA martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s who were killed by the RomansRoman BritainRoman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
under pagan Emperor DiocletianDiocletianDiocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
in Lichfield in 288AD. The plaque was set in front of the GuildhallGuildhall, LichfieldThe Guildhall is a historic building in the centre of Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. Located in Bore Street the Guildhall has been central to the government of the City for over 600 years, and in former times was not only the meeting place of the Corporation but also at various...
in 1744. During the Victorian restoration of the Guildhall, the plaque was moved to a rockery on the eastern side of the Museum Gardens when it opened in 1864. It lay in the rockery falling into a state of disrepair until, in 2010 during restoration works the plaque was relocated onto a plinth in the Recreation Grounds. The seal can also be seen on the railway bridge at St John’s Street.
- Chancellor Law’s Fountain – Unveiled in May 1871 the fountain was sculpted by Turner and Allen of London. The lions are made from Ashlar stone and the central figure is sculpted iron. The fountain was a gift from Chancellor Law who was the chancellor of the diocese and gave much to the city including the statue of Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
in the market square. The fountain is located at the centre of the Museum Gardens. In 2011 the fountain was restored with funding from Lichfield Conduit Lands Trust.
- King Edward VIIEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
– Unveiled in September 1908 the statue was sculpted by local stonemason George Lowther of Robert Bridgeman & Sons of Lichfield. The pedestal is made of Hoptonwood stone and the figure from Portland stone. The King is portrayed in full coronation robes with a sceptre in his right hand. The arms of the City of Lichfield are on the front of the pedestal. The statue was erected during the Kings reign as a gesture of the city’s loyalty to the King. The statue is located on the eastern end of the Museum Gardens.
- Captain Edward Smith – Unveiled in July 1914 at the western end of the Museum Gardens, the statue was sculpted by Kathleen ScottKathleen ScottKathleen Scott, Baroness Kennet, FRSBS was a British sculptor.-Early life:Born Edith Agnes Kathleen Bruce at Carlton in Lindrick, Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, she was the youngest of eleven children of Canon Lloyd Stuart Bruce and Jane Skene Kathleen Scott, Baroness Kennet, FRSBS (27 March...
wife of Antarctic explorer Robert ScottRobert Falcon ScottCaptain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
. The pedestal is made from Cornish granite and the figure is bronze. This is a memorial to the Captain of the Titanic which sank in April 1912. Captain Smith was from Hanley, Lichfield was chosen as the location for the monument as he was a Staffordshire man and Lichfield was the centre of the dioceseDiocese of LichfieldThe Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
. The statue's original cost was £740 raised through local and national contributions. In 2010 as part of the 'Parks for People' programme the statue was restored and the green patinaPatinaPatina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and similar metals ; a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure...
removed from its surface at a cost of £16,000. In 2011 an unsuccessful campaign was started to get the statue moved back to Captain Smith's home town of Hanley.
- Colonel Swinfen Broun – Unveiled in September 1972, the memorial features a sandstone brick with two bronze plaques either side. In 1948 Lichfield mourned the loss of one of its most generous benefactors. Colonel Swinfen Broun. He had paid a large part of the cost of Victoria Hospital, gifted the guildhall its clock and had gifted 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of recreational land to Beacon Park in 1943. In his will he also left half of his estate at Swinfen HallSwinfen HallSwinfen Hall is an 18th century country mansion house, now converted into an hotel, situated at Swinfen, in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire in England...
to Lichfield CathedralLichfield CathedralLichfield Cathedral is situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. It is the only medieval English cathedral with three spires. The Diocese of Lichfield covers all of Staffordshire, much of Shropshire and part of the Black Country and West Midlands...
and the other half to the corporation of Lichfield. A memorial was set up on the west bank of Beacon Pool after his death in recognition to his contribution to the city.
- Erasmus DarwinErasmus DarwinErasmus Darwin was an English physician who turned down George III's invitation to be a physician to the King. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave trade abolitionist,inventor and poet...
– Due to be unveiled in 2012 is a life and a quarter size (8ft) bronze statue of Erasmus Darwin sculpted by Peter Walker. The statue is projected to cost £61,500 with 30% of the funds to come from Section 106 fundingTown and Country Planning Act 1990The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is an act of the British Parliament regulating the development of land in England and Wales-Section 1:...
.
Recreational uses
The park has many sporting facilities including; flat and crown bowling greens in the recreation grounds. The Lichfield Museum Bowling Club have been playing on the greens since 1922 and are one of the oldest bowling clubs in the country. There are 4 asphalt surfaced tennis courts, 6 football pitches (seasonal), a basketball court, a cricket pitch (seasonal) and an 18 hole public golf course.In addition to sports other recreational facilities are available, these include a crazy golf course, young and older children's playground. During the summer season activities such as canoeing on Beacon Pool, donkey rides, giant board games and a bouncy castle are available in the park.
Entertainment uses
The park is used as an entertainment venue throughout the year. Some events include the Lichfield BowerLichfield bower
The Bower is well known in Lichfield, England and nearby areas. It is a festival held each spring on a bank holiday. It is about 800 years old. A statute of Henry II of England ordered that all men capable of bearing arms should be inspected by the magistrates. Since there was no standing army,...
annually on the late May bank holiday. Some events of the Lichfield Festival
The Lichfield Festival
The Lichfield Festival is an annual multi-art-form festival held in Lichfield, Staffordshire, which aims to combine high quality, challenging and diverse events of an international calibre, alongside community-based, locally-sourced activities. Performances include drama, dance, film, literature,...
are held here including a firework display in July. 'Cars in the Park' takes place annually at the end of June. The event, first held in 1997, showcases more than 1,000 vintage and modern cars and 62 car clubs took part in the 2011 event. Lichfield Proms in Beacon Park, an open air classical music event, takes place annually on the first Saturday of September.A big top Circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
also comes to the park annually, usually in early spring.