The entrance gates to a borough park have been restored to their former glory.
Dudley Council has used Brierley Hill High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) funding to repair and restore the gates which have stood at the Seager’s Lane and Church Street entrances to Marsh Park for more than 100 years.
Marsh Park was given to the people of Brierley Hill by Messrs. Marsh and Baxter Ltd “to recognise it was only right for the children to have a playground in the district” and provide open space for them to be ‘free, safe and to enjoy themselves’.
It was opened in September 1921 in a grand ceremony led by Mrs Elsie Marsh, wife of Ernest Marsh of Marsh and Baxter Ltd where the Church Street gate was unlocked with a golden key.
Marsh Park is in the south-west of the Brierley Hill High Street Conservation Area and is an Archaeological Priority Area (APA).
The council has been working in partnership with the Friends of Marsh Park on the project.
Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said:
“Marsh Park is one of a number of heritage projects being supported in Brierley Hill though the Brierley Hill High Street Heritage Action Zone, along with the restoration of the war memorial and improvements to the civic hall green.
“The park provides an important area of green open space for residents, but its landscape also acts as a visible reminder of the former industry of the town, where the extraction of clay was used to supply fire bricks to the local glass and metal working industries.
“I encourage people to come and visit Brierley Hill in order to see the park and all of the other heritage projects we are delivering."
Frank Chamberlain, chair of the Friends of Marsh Park, said:
“The Friends of Marsh Park & Lawyers Field would like to thank all those involved in making this project possible. The gates are an important and long-lived feature of our landscape and we hope they will welcome thousands more visitors to the park for the next 100 years.”
For more information on the regeneration projects in Brierley Hill go to https://www.regeneratingdudley.org.uk/brierley-hill-projects and https://www.dudley.gov.uk/brierley-hill-haz
For more information about the Friends of Marsh Park https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsmarsh/