| Selly Oak Park | |
| Location: | Selly Oak, Birmingham, England |
| Coords: | 52.4428°N -1.9467°W |
| Operator: | Birmingham City Council |
Selly Oak Park is a public park in Selly Oak, Birmingham, England. It is close to the University of Birmingham. The stump from the "Selly Oak", a large oak tree on Oak Tree Lane was situated in the park after it was felled in 1909.[1] [2] [3]
The park’s history is well documented, in a book,[4] and an associated website.[5] It was the first park developed under the authority of the former Kings Norton and Northfield Urban District Council. In February 1899, Thomas Gibbins and his wife Emma Joel Gibbins (née Cadbury) and her four sons, William, Thomas, John and Benjamin (of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company,[6]) donated “11 acres, 2 roods and 5 perches” of land “for ever”, arranging for the Park to be laid out,[7] and a shelter, public conveniences and a park-keeper’s lodge to be built. The park was formally opened by the 88 year old Mrs. Gibbins on Easter Monday, 3 April 1899. The gift was marked by the naming of the adjacent Gibbins Road (formerly Old Lane). In 1911 the district fell within the scope of the Birmingham Extension Order and the park moved into the care of Birmingham City Council.
Following the 1899 gift of land there were four further donations:
In March 1958, 0.271acres of land at the junction of Gibbins Road and Harborne Lane (previously used by the City Transport Department as a grit and salt store) was transferred from the City’s Public Works Committee.
In more recent years there have been two transfers of land from the park:
The shelter (built in 1899), the bandstand (built in 1908) and the Daughters of Rest Pavilion (built in 1953) have been demolished.
Today, the Park is maintained for Birmingham City Council by Quadron Environmental Services who provide its non-resident park keeper.
In 2011 an active community support group, The Friends of Selly Oak Park,[8] working with the local Council laid out an Art, History and Nature Trail. They also maintain a gallery of park photographs. An annual community event, the Selly Oak Festival, is held in the Park each June.