A Walk In The Park: New Spring Street, Winson Green
WINSON Green is famous for its prison. And City Hospital.
Not much greenery there, then.
Luckily, you’ll find an oasis at New Spring Street to go with the wider area’s Musgrave Rec and Summerfield Park which have both previously featured in this column.
New Spring Street’s playground and hard court facilities are now at the heart of a once wideley-terraced area called Brookfields.
Former residents with very long memories have posted their thoughts about how life used to be here on a fascinating local history site – www.ted.rudge.btinternet.co.uk
Their notes clearly illustrate how this was once a tight-knit community, with shops like Gay’s Toys, Green’s Sweet Shop, Featherstone’s butchers and Jeff’s men’s outfitters, as well as businesses like Belmont Chandelier Works and Clarkson’s Button Factory.
Today, even though the local properties are currently being kept quite neat and tidy, their architectural interest is zero.
Walking around the area now is to see how modern developments don’t have the heart and soul of the old terraces, where everyone would have once known everybody else.
On a spectacularly-dull Sunday morning when the sunshine failed to materialised as I’d hoped, the only people out and about were solo dog walkers.
The landscape’s trees and grassland both felt like uninspiring examples of how an opportunity to create a park that can mature into something special has been ignored in favour of just doing something that’s bland and easily maintained.
So typical of other inner city areas, the basketball board was decorated with graffiti – probably by the sort of youngster who needs some old-fashioned love, not modern climbing frames.
On the plus side, the site has a feeling of openness which at least creates a breathing space and an alternative to small gardens.
Its best feature is a commanding view towards the commercial heart of Birmingham.
The BT Tower is visible from many quarters of the city. But the view from here is one of the more unusual and would be well worth a look on a sunnier day.
Close by is the New Testament Church of God – Brookfield Life Development Centre. Details from 0121 515 3828 or www.ntcgtherock.org.uk
* For more information about parks and open spaces in Birmingham, visit www.birmingham.gov.uk or telephone 0121 464 8728.
