Birchmeadow Playing Fields
Birchmeadow Playing Field Site is a 5.3-hectare (13-acre) recreational area in Broseley, England, consisting of a mixture of woodland, play area, and a football pitch.[1] It was also one of the first places where a wooden railway was built.[2] The site is protected by Fields in Trust through a legal "Deed of Dedication" safeguarding the future of the space as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy.[3]
History[edit]
An ironworks was located on the site which is now called Birchmeadow playing fields.[1] It was served by one of the first railways in England, built in Broseley in 1605 by Richard Wilcox and William Wells.[2][4] After several weeks, employees of the nearby coalmaster Lord James Clifford vandalised and damaged the railway, possibly due to a rival rift between two coalmasters.[5]
Community spaces project[edit]
In November 2009 the Birchmeadow Park Management Committee was awarded £115,000 from various grant bodies to improve the park. The grant was spent on a new woodland path, an archway, the resurfacing of the car park, and a new play facility on the site.[1] The park is continuing to be developed and future projects include increasing woodland management, improving the football pitches, improving the changing rooms, and enhancing the landscaping of the park.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Birchmeadow Playing Field". Shropshire Council. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ a b Lewis, M. J. T. (1974). Early Wooden Railways. Routledge & Kegan Paul PLC. pp. 95–108. ISBN 978-0710078186.
- ^ "Birchmeadow Park, Birchmeadow Road, Broseley, Shropshire, TF12 5AN". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Smith, R. S. (1960). "England's First Rails: a Reconsideration". Renaissance and Modern Studies. 4: 125–8. doi:10.1080/14735786009391434.
- ^ A History of Shropshire: Volume X: Wenlock, Upper Corvedale, and the Stretton Hills. 1998. pp. 257–93. Retrieved 17 August 2013.