West Smethwick Park

West Smethwick Park
The John Chance memorial
Type	Public park
Location	Smethwick, England
Coordinates	52°29′46″N 1°59′28″W / 52.4960555°N 1.991063°WCoordinates: 52°29′46″N 1°59′28″W / 52.4960555°N 1.991063°W
Created	7 September 1895
Operated by	Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

The Chance memorial

Drinking fountain

West Smethwick Park is a public park in the St Pauls ward of Smethwick, England.^[1] It opened on 7 September 1895.

Smethwick - and thus the park - was traditionally in Staffordshire, but has been administrated by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, as pert of the West Midlands county, since 1974.

In June 2015, it was announced that a £4.8 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant had been reserved for the park, subject to final approval. It would allow for the restoration of the pavilion, bandstand and memorials.^[2]

Memorials

The park features a memorial, in brick and terracotta, with a bronze bust, to Sir James Timmins Chance, a partner in the nearby glass-making firm, Chance Brothers. Chance purchased the land for the park. Beneath the bust is a plaque reading:

James T. Chance
M.A J.P. D.L.
For fifty years a partner in the firm 
of Chance Brothers & Co. 
at the Glass Works Smethwick 
and the Alkali Works, Oldbury
He purchased the land for the park, 
laid it out and endowed it 
and on September 7th 1895 opened it
A gift to the public for ever.
He also made the roads on its East and West boundaries.

A stone drinking fountain commemorates John Chance, chairman of Chance Brothers, who died in November 1900.^[3] There is also a memorial to Ft Sgts Cox and Preston, who crashed nearby on 31 July 1944.

References

1. "Parks in Smethwick". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
2. "English parks set to benefit from £24m grants". BBC Online. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
3. "Handsome memorial in decline". Black Country Bugle. Retrieved 29 June 2015.