A New Chapter for Highbury Gardens

Chamberlain Highbury Trust awarded grant by The National Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the Victorian gardens at Highbury Hall.

Today Chamberlain Highbury Trust (CHT) is announcing a £2 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to save the grounds of Highbury Hall and restore them to their original splendour.

The grounds of Highbury Hall (33 acres of Highbury Park) represent one of the best examples of 19^th century landscaped gardens in the West Midlands and this vital funding will allow the trust to secure the future of this tranquil urban oasis.

The funding will allow the trust to reinstate and restore numerous heritage features such as the Italian Garden, the Sunken Rock Garden and the crucible wall as well as deliver an exciting programme of events geared to the local community.

The project has always been about more than just bricks, mortar and planting. This funding will allow the Trust to continue to work with the diverse local communities of Birmingham.

One of our main plans will enable 750 young people (aged 11-30) to take part in leadership, governance and environmental conservation.

Local groups and schools will be able to get involved in the project through events and volunteering opportunities, allowing even more people to play a vital role in protecting the gardens. We will also help support the local economy by recruiting professional support to help accomplish this exciting and ambitious transformation.

The Heritage Fund will support this project for three years and leave Highbury with a ten year management plan to improve the whole of Highbury Park for future generations.

Key to the project is protecting this important urban environment and increasing its biodiversity through a series of landscaping improvements and conservation efforts.

David Kidney, Chair of CHT said: “We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. With this funding, thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to conserve this stunning garden and enable residents and visitors to Birmingham to share it for years to come”

Robyn Llewellyn, Area Director, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said, “We are delighted to be supporting Chamberlain Highbury Trust’s ambitious plans to revitalise the picturesque gardens of Highbury Hall. It’s fantastic that support from National Lottery players will connect this historic site with Birmingham’s communities and improve urban biodiversity.”

CHT would like to thank their supporters over the last 10 years. These include our wonderful volunteers, our trustees (past and present), our partners, fantastic project team and Birmingham City Council.

Notes to Editors About Chamberlain Highbury Trust

Chamberlain Highbury Trust is an independent trust established to protect Highbury Hall & Park, the Grade II* former home of the Chamberlains.

Since its formation in 2016 CHT has performed vital work on protecting and restoring the building and the gardens which surround it.

The Chamberlain Highbury Trust’s eventual aim is to take over responsibility for Highbury and its grounds and implement a sustainable business plan.

Follow @chamberlain.highbury.trust on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

heritagefund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund