Elmdon Park in Solihull during late December 2015

This visit to Elmdon Park was a delayed Christmas Day 2015 walk on the 28th December 2015. It was a Bank Holiday Monday as Boxing Day 2015 was on a Saturday. The park is a local nature reserve in the Elmdon area of Solihull. Established in 1944 on the estate of Elmdon Hall. The park is close to the Jaguar Land Rover factory. Elmdon Church is located in the eastern part of the park.

Welcome to Elmdon Park in Solihull. It was the Christmas - New Year period, so late December 2015. Couldn't go for a park walk on Christmas Day 2015 as it was raining. Boxing Day fell on a Saturday, so the Bank Holiday Monday was on the 28th December 2015.

The park was established in 1944 by the then Solihull Urban District Council from the house and grounds of Elmdon Hall which was derelict at the time. The house was used by the Home Guard (Solihull's very own Dad's Army) before becoming derelict and it was demolished in 1956.

Elmdon Church is located within the park, also known as St Nicholas's Church. There is also a old walled garden which is now a local nature reserve managed by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. The park also has playgrounds, tennis courts, and football pitches.

To the South and West of the park is the massive Jaguar Land Rover plant. Birmingham Airport is to the east of the park. I'm not sure if there is an entrance to the park from the Coventry Road or Damson Parkway. The main entrance to the park is from Tanhouse Farm Road and Elmdon Park Road.

 

Near the car park from Elmdon Park Road was this Welcome to Elmdon Park sign and map.

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The football pitch with at least one goalpost visible to the far left of this tree.

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Views of the playground. Not entirely sure what this semi circle structure is, perhaps a modern bandstand? Swings are seen behind.

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All the usual playground equipment that you would normally find in a park play area. (I would expect all of this to now be closed during lockdown).

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Twitters the wooden owl sculpture. 'Twitters' came to Eldon Park in 2003 and is carved from a tree that was removed from the park.

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A waterfall near Elmdon Lake. With ducks at the top.

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Ducks at the top of the waterfall at the Elmdon Lake.

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An old stone footbridge over the Elmdon Lake. Would assume this is something that has survived from the Elmdon Hall Estate.

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One of the many views of the Elmdon Lake. Most of the ducks, gulls, geese and swans were close to the waterfall end.

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At this point the Elmdon Lake gets thin and narrow towards the Hatchford Brook.

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Baubles on a Christmas Tree.

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Something that won't be possible now, but back then, a group of runners were seen going up the hill.

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A view of the chimneys at Jaquar Land Rover.

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View further back of Jaguar Land Rover with an interesting looking tree in the middle.

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At the time someone left this beanie hat on a wooden post which had BOOM all over it!

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A beacon in Elmdon Park. A beacon to commemorate the joining of the EU was installed in 1992, and this now marks the centre of Elmdon Hall. (of course the UK just left the EU when Brexit went through).

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This is Elmdon Church. Also known as  The Parish Church of St Nicholas Elmdon. It is a Grade II listed building: Church of St Nicholas, Solihull. Designed by John Standbridge of Warwick in 1780-1. Altered in 1979. Made with Ashlar limestone and slate roofs. It is hidden in a dense woodland.

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About 5 wooden bollards here. The path here was a bit muddy.

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Suburban Solihull from the top of the hill. These houses are a bit further north of Jaguar Land Rover.

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Heading back past the playground / play area. Saw this wooden frame thing, think kids are supposed to swing like monkeys on the ropes.

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Heading back to the car park, saw this wooden Owl totem pole. The totem pole was created from ideas put forward by local schools, after an Oaks and Shires event in 2004. Below the owl it looks like a horse.

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Just before we left, saw this Solihull M.B.C. Elmdon Park sign near the entrance. Solihull Council has similar signs to this in their other parks and green spaces all over the Metropolitan Borough.

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For more Elmdon Park photos please check out my album on Flickr here: Elmdon Park.

 

I might not be able to get to parks further away now, but in the past I've done photos walks to parks in:

Sandwell

1. Lightwoods Park, Bearwood,
2. Victoria Park, Smethwick
3. West Smethwick Park
4. Victoria Park, Tipton
5. Warley Woods
6. Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich
7. Sandwell Valley Country Park, West Bromwich

Dudley

1. Priory Park, Dudley
2. Leasowes Park, Halesowen
3. Mary Stevens Park, Stourbridge

Wolverhampton

1. West Park, Wolverhampton

So will hope to do posts for those parks in the future (I already did one for Sandwell Valley Country Park).

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

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Birmingham We Are People with Passion award winner 2020