Hednesford Park Explained

Hednesford Park
Type:Public park
Location:Hednesford, England
Map:Staffordshire
Coords:52.711°N -1.996°W
Created:1931
Operator:Cannock Chase District Council
Status:Open

Hednesford Park is a park located in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. The park covers an area of 24acres, consisting of a recreational field area, running track, skatepark, play area, cafe, and tennis courts. The park is adjacent to Hednesford town centre and the Hednesford Hills nature reserve.[1]

Location

The park is located in Hednesford town centre on Victoria Street, one street north of the town's market street. It is bounded to the west by the Chase Line heavy railway and to the east by the A460 road, the latter separating it from the Hednesford Hills nature reserve and Hednesford War Memorial. The park is immediately north of the Victoria Shopping Park and south of a residential housing estate.

Transport

The park has one bus stop directly adjacent to it on the A460, called Beverley Hill. It sees an hourly bus service between Rugeley and Cannock.[2] The park is, however, also a short walk from Hednesford's town centre bus station and Hednesford railway station.

The park is additionally served by a car park, which is open 24/7. The car park is free to use, but parking may be restricted for large events.[3]

History

The site which Hednesford Park now sits on was once occupied by Hednesford Pool, a body of water covering 27acres. In the 1870s, a colliery known as the Pool Pit, named after Hednesford Pool, was opened nearby.[4] To prevent the colliery, later renamed the Valley Pit, from flooding, the Cannock & Rugeley Colliery Company diverted the Bentley Brook which fed the pool.[5] [6] As a result, the pool began to dry up, and by 1900 it was completely dry. The modern park was opened in 1931, when the land was given to the local council by the Cannock Chase Miners’ Welfare Committee.

The park saw an extensive redevelopment between 2014 and 2019, featuring the construction of a new play area, skatepark, and café. Sports England originally objected to part of the redevelopment, asking the council to justify the removal of one of the park's two bowling greens. However, they accepted the fact that neither green had been used since 2009 and withdrew their objection.[7] As part of the redevelopment, the local council installed electronic visitor counters on all entry points to the park. They recorded almost 590,000 visitors in 2019.

The park won gold Britain in Bloom awards in the It's Your Neighbourhood category in 2017 and 2018,[8] along with gold Heart of England in Bloom parks-category awards in 2021[9] and 2022.[10]

Facilities

Hednesford Park features a large recreational field area bounded to the north, east, and west by trees.[11] The field contains a football pitch.[12], and there is also another football pitch in the north of the park.[13] The park also features a skatepark, parkour area, tennis courts, a play area, and a café known as The Pavilion. In 2014, Cannock Chase District Council moved a historic signal box from its original 1876 site by the Chase Line into Hednesford Park.[14]

Events

Weekly events

Hednesford Park hosts a weekly roster of events, running every day of the week except Saturday. Details of these events are published on The Friends of Hednesford Park website and include the following:[15]

Hednesford Festival

The park is host to the annual Hednesford Festival, featuring a travelling funfair, market and charity stands, children's entertainment, a food area and vehicles on display. In 2022, the organisers Hednesford in Partnership reported that over 4,000 people attended.[16]

The 2023 event is slated for 12 August, featuring a planned World War I experience, tennis tournament, maypole workshops, cycling, skate park competition, traditional team games, and live entertainment, along with the activities mentioned above.[17]

Chase Pride

In 2022, the park was selected to host Chase Pride, the first ever LGBTQ pride festival to be held in Cannock Chase. Turnout was estimated at 4,000 people, and acts included Cheryl Hole, Danny Beard, and Woody Cook.[18]

The park was selected to host the event again in 2023, and the event is set to include two stages of entertainment, a market, a travelling funfair, a food court, and a pride parade running through Hednesford town centre to the park.[19] Planned acts include Danny Beard, Angie Brown, and Jaymi Hensley of Union J.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hednesford Park. Google Maps. 29 May 2023.
  2. Web site: Hednesford, adjacent to Beverley Hill. bustimes.org. 30 May 2023. 30 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230530153355/https://bustimes.org/stops/3800C241501. live.
  3. Web site: Hednesford Park. 30 May 2023. Cannock Chase District Council. 16 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230516083419/https://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/content-z-tags/hednesford-park. live.
  4. Web site: Hednesford Park. Cannock Chase Heritage Trail. 29 May 2023. 29 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211129153124/https://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/custom/HeritageTrail/hednesford_park.html. live.
  5. Web site: Valley Pit. staffspasttrack.org.uk. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529210748/https://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx?&ResourceID=45108&PageIndex=13&SearchType=3. live.
  6. Web site: Bentley Brook. Google Maps. 30 May 2023. 30 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230530110327/https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bentley+Brook,+Cannock/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x487a0ac51246845b:0x20737944dcb1f21d?utm_source=mstt_1&entry=gps&g_ep=CAESCjExLjgxLjEzMDEYACDXggMqAEICR0I%3D. live.
  7. Web site: £3m historic Hednesford Park revamp to go ahead. Express & Star. 24 October 2013. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529221155/https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2013/10/24/3m-historic-hednesford-park-revamp-to-go-ahead/. live.
  8. Web site: Hednesford Park scoops Britain in Bloom award. Cannock Chase District Council. 11 October 2018. 28 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529224619/https://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/council/news/articles/hednesford-park-scoops-britain-bloom-award. live.
  9. Web site: Results for 2021. Heart of England in Bloom. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529224613/https://www.heartofenglandinbloom.org/results-for-2021-2. live.
  10. Web site: Results for 2022. Heart of England in Bloom. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529224610/https://www.heartofenglandinbloom.org/results-for-2022. live.
  11. Web site: Hednesford Park. OpenStreetMap. 1 June 2023.
  12. Web site: Hednesford Park south football pitch. Google Maps. 1 June 2023. Visible on satellite view.
  13. Web site: Hednesford Park north football pitch. Google Maps. 1 June 2023. Visible on satellite view.
  14. 18 March 2014. Hednesford Signal Box. YouTube. Cannock Chase District Council. video. Hednesford, England. 1 June 2023. 1 June 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230601175221/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd2WLZtjD8g&gl=US&hl=en. live.
  15. Web site: What's on. The Friends of Hednesford Park. 31 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529210748/https://www.tfohp.co.uk/whats-on. live.
  16. Web site: Thousands flock to park and soak up the sunshine at Hednesford Festival. Express & Star. O'Brien. Lisa. 14 August 2022. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529223204/https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/staffordshire/hednesford/2022/08/14/thousands-flock-to-park-and-soak-up-the-sunshine-at-hednesford-festival/. live.
  17. Web site: Hednesford Festival 2023. Cannock Chase District Council. 30 May 2023. 30 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230530155608/https://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/a6_1.pdf. live.
  18. Web site: Inclusion for all the message at Chase Pride's runaway success first event. Express & Star. Rowe. Nathan. 4 September 2022. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529223157/https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/staffordshire-entertainment/2022/09/04/inclusion-for-all-the-message-at-chase-prides-runaway-success-first-event/. live.
  19. Web site: Chase Pride. chasepride.org.uk. 29 May 2023. 29 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529223200/https://www.chasepride.org.uk/. live.
  20. Cs0ZWRbNE82. chaseprideofficial. Chase Pride 2023. 30 May 2023. 1 June 2023.

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