Victoria Park in Smethwick

I popped into Victoria Park in Smethwick back in November 2018. There I found a war memorial and a sculpture on the outside wall. There was also another sculpture within the park in memory of the victims of the Birmingham Riots in 2011. It was unveiled in 2012. The park also has outdoor gym equipment and a bandstand. The park is close to the Smethwick Council House.

We start our look around one of the many parks around the Black Country that I've popped into over the years. In November 2018 I got a bus to Smethwick to check out the new Lions of the Great War statue, then I walked down the Smethwick High Street towards the Smethwick Council House before I found Victoria Park.

 

The Smethwick Heritage Centre Trust is to the right of the main entrance to the park. On the day of my visit it was closed. Normally it would be open on Thursday's, Friday's and Saturday's (during the lockdown period we are in I expect it is closed every day now). It is located in a former Park-Keepers Lodge.

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The entrance to the museum would be round the back. They had collected over 20 years of artefacts, memorabilia and photographs connected to Smethwick's proud and distinct heritage. Their most popular material is their content relating to WW1 and WW2.

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On the wall outside of the park near the Heritage Centre is this culpture called Birmid. There were some sections to the left and right that have gone missing. I don't know who the artist was.

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Between the Smethwick Council House and the Heritage Centre is the War Memorial.

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It is Grade II listed dating to 1920 made of granite and bronze.

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The poppy wreaths were probably laid a few days before on Remembrance Sunday.

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Many of these parks have these Lest We Forget soldier statues installed near the War Memorial.

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There was also these poppies and crosses nearby as well.

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Heading into the park saw this sign and notice board. Welcome to Victoria Park Smethwick.

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Saw this bandstand in the distance.

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This is the British Olympic heroes mural. It looks like an outdoor gym was behind.

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Heading along a path further into the park saw this outdoor gym equipment. Bit like an outdoor treadmill.

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This is the Birmingham Riots Memorial. Created by Infamous Arts.

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The memorial was commissioned to commemorate the tragic deaths of Haroon Jahan, Shahzad Ali, and Abdul Musavir who were killed during the Birmingham Riots of 2011. The memorial was designed in conjunction with local primary schools who also assisted in the creation of tiles used within the mosaic work. It consists of three lamp posts, dedicated to each of the young men, along with a remembrance bench and dedication spiral on the floor. The memorial was unveiled in Smethwick’s Victoria Park on the 28th of September 2012.

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Saw another sculpture, some kind of metal rock. Not sure what it is supposed to represent or who it was by.

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Another outdoor gym equipment. Looks like a rowing machine.

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Near the end of the path, close to Tiverton Road. I did not know that there was a pond in the park when I left (I can see it now on the Google Maps satellite view).

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Another Welcome to Victoria Park Smethwick sign. Near the Tiverton Road exit / entrance.

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Looking on the map, there is another entrance on Victoria Park Road. At the time I think I went back to a bus stop on the Smethwick High Street and caught a bus to Dudley.

 

The other park in Smethwick, is West Smethwick Park. I only went there once in June 2012 to see the James T. Chance sculpture and the memorial to John Homer Chance (so a post of that park will be quite small and I never went back). Looks like that has a Boating Lake. The main reason at the time for going to West Smethwick was to find the Malcolm X plaque on Marshall Street.

There is at least two other parks in Smethwick that I've never been to: Smethwick Hall Park and Harry Mitchell Park.

I've been to Langley Green once, but was not aware of the nearby parks: Barnford Hall Park and Langley Park.

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

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Birmingham We Are People with Passion award winner 2020