Old Yardley Park near the Old Grammar School

I've only popped into Old Yardley Park twice in the past so far. I've got in from the Church Road entrance in the past.  Just a short walk off the Outer Circle (11A / 11C bus routes) from Stoney Lane, then up Blakesley Road. You can either head up Church Road or get in on Queens Road. The park has a play area and a small garden near the Old Grammar School.

My previous post on Old Yardley is here (relating to the village) - Old Yardley Village: a hidden gem not far from Blakesley Hall.

The last time I mentioned Old Yardley Park in a post was in this one: Parks around the no 11 Outer Circle Bus Route: from Kings Heath Park to Swanshurst Park and beyond.

Old Yardley Park

The park is part of the Old Yardley Conservation Area. The village surrounds St Edburgha's Church. Next to the Old Grammar School on Church Road is the entrance to the park, via what is now a formal garden (this was restored in 2012). Old Yardley Park was laid out in 1898. Almshouses were built nearby on School Lane in 1904. There is a medieval moat in the park called Rents Moat. The Yardley Great Trust gave lane in 1900 between Church Road and Queens Road for the public to use as Old Yardley Park. It is a short walk away from Blakesley Hall.

More information here: Yardley - History of Birmingham.

2010

In January 2010, during my walk around Old Yardley Village, while it was covered in snow, I saw the Old Grammar School. Old Yardley Park was to the right, but at the time, I did not go into the park (or wasn't aware of it). The school dates to 1260, but this building probably from the 15th century.

Seen on the approach to Old Yardley Village from Church Road.

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I didn't know it at the time. but the entrance to Old Yardley Park was to the right of the Old Grammar School. But at the time I was there to have a look around the village. The school was originally built as a Guildhall.

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There is a garden in Old Yardley Park next to the Grammar School, but I wouldn't really go through there until 2014. The school closed in 1908, and was being used as a Parish Room with a youth club upstairs (back in 2010).

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2014

In April 2014 I headed to Old Yardley Park to try out the camera on my then new Sony smartphone camera. Including testing out some of the filters (so left my then Fuji bridge camera at home).

In the garden close to the Old Grammar School was this memorial to Josiah Derrington (1835-1920) and Caroline Derrington (1830-1916). I would get another look at the Derrington Memorial in 2017. It looks like it was a drinking fountain. The Derrington family were brick makers based nearby in Hay Mills in the 19th century. The memorial fountain was restored in 2012, during the restoration works, which included laying out a Rose Garden and Herbaceous Border.

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A view of the playground / play area from a distance.

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On my then Sony smartphone camera (and my current one), in the camera, if you press Mode, then select Creative effect. Choose Kaleidoscope. I used this effect to get the spire of St Edburgha's Church mirror imaged.

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I next used on Creative effect, Sepia, to make it look like an old photo (looks like my current phone doesn't have this mode). Again you can see the spire of St Edburgha's Church.

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As I left, saw this Old Yardley Park sign. What was new at the time was the sign at the bottom for the Diamond Jubilee Gardens 2012 for the Yardley Conservation Society. The gardens was opened by the then Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor John Lines (with his wife the Lady Mayoress, Mrs Kathleen Lines) in October 2012.

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2017

It took me until January 2017 before I would return to Old Yardley Park with my main camera (by them my current Panasonic). It was a late morning / midday walk. I would suspect that I entered the park from Church Road at the time.

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The view towards the spire of St Edburgha's Church.

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A couple of views of the playground / play area.

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All the usual play equipment there for kids such as a couple of slides. The view of the play area towards Queens Road.

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Some kind of tyre swing, around in circles? It's not a see-saw though.

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One of the slides in the play area,

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This thing in the middle seems to have springs below it.

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Saw this Old Yardley Park sign from Queens Road.

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There was another Old Yardley Park sign further into the park near those trees.

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A big open field in the park.

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Heading over towards School Lane.

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The path near School Lane.

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The gate park into the park from School Lane.

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Saw a blackbird enjoying a bath in a puddle of water on the grass.

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Another blackbird on the grass. The grass was quite wet, so it must have rained around this time.

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Saw this curved bench. Around this area is a Youth Shelter.

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Back to the garden near the Old Grammar School and a proper look at the Derrington memorial. The side at the back.

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The bronze plaque reads:

IN LOVEING MEMORY OF

JOSIAH

DERRINGTON

1835 - 1920

AND

CAROLINE

DERRINGTON

1830 - 1916

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The memorial is now surrounded by these railings. This was a fountain, and it was restored in 2012 during the Diamond Jubilee Gardens project. Derrington & Sons was brick makers in Hay Mills in the late 19th century.

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There used to be tennis courts around here, but they had become neglected. The 2012 restoration works replaces it with this garden. Facing the Old Grammar School. It is now the Rose Garden.

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There is also a Herbaceous Border in the garden. I will need to one day go back in the summer to see what it is like now. As wasn't much to see in the winter of January 2017.

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For photos of the restoration works, see Robert C Jones post here: Yardley Old Park - the Restoration 2012.

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

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