Pictured above: Mansell construction manager Dean Howard
with (left to right) Betty Finney and Councillors Pauline Hinton
and Anne Shackleton
Construction services company Mansell is close to completing a
£2 million contract to make major improvements to one of the
most popular Black Country parks, helping to restore it to its
former glory.
Mansell's Stourbridge-based Western Region has been carrying out
extensive restoration work in Dartmouth Park, Lloyd Street, West
Bromwich.
The £2.17 million contract was placed by Sandwell
Metropolitan Borough Council. The work involves the restoration of
the park's boundary walls, restoration and replacement of railings,
reconstruction of the park entrances and extensive work on the main
avenue.
The opening of the avenue was marked when the mayor, Councillor
Pauline Hinton unveiled a drinking fountain, along with Councillor
Anne Shackleton, cabinet member for Culture and Leisure and Betty
Finney of the Friends of Dartmouth Park committee. They were
watched by local community staff from Sandwell Metropolitan Borough
Council and Mansell, and members of the Friends of Dartmouth
Park.
Much of the work is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund under
the Parks for People programme. Restoration work has already been
carried out on the park's war memorial.
Dartmouth Park is a popular recreational spot in the area, with
two lakes, a children's play area and sweeping views across the
Sandwell Valley.
The park dates back to Victorian times. The freehold was donated
to the local authority in 1919 by the 6th Earl of Dartmouth in
recognition of the men of West Bromwich who fell in the Great War.
The handover was carried out by the then Prince of Wales, later
Edward VIII.
The park was extensively developed in the 1930s and was the
venue for many local events. However much of its features fell into
disrepair in the 1970s and 1980s and Dutch Elm disease took its
toll of the tree stock. The aim of the work is once again to turn
it into a place for local people to enjoy.