For a time, the park was used as the setting for the popular ATV programme Gardening Today.[2]
History
The park is centred on a house, built in 1832 for the newly elected MP William Congreve Russell.[3] In 1880 the house was bought by John Cartland, a wealthy industrialist[3] and ancestor of the author Barbara Cartland.[3] In 1902 the Cartland family formed the Priory Trust Co Ltd to own and manage the house and land with the intention of developing the area for housing.[3] These plans came to nothing, and on 9 November 1908 the Trust sold the house and half the surrounding land to the Kings Norton and Northfield Urban District Council.[3] The council immediately opened the grounds as a public park.[3]
From 1909-1911 the house was used as a school.[3] In 1911, Kings Heath — and the park — was incorporated into the city of Birmingham. The Trust sold the remaining land to Birmingham Corporation on 10 February 1914, and this was immediately incorporated into the park.[3]
In 1953, the city council created a School of Horticultural Training in the house, using part of the park as training gardens.[3] Since 1995, this has been run, under a partnership arrangement, by Pershore (later Warwickshire) College and Bournville College.[3]
In 2008/9, Kings Heath Park was granted a Green Flag Award for the 7th year running.[4]
