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Online directories

Manor Farm Park

Address

389 Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham, B31 2AB

Plan your journey.

How to get there and parking

Entrances off Bristol Road South, Whitehall Lane, Lovell Close, Eymore Close and Manor Drive. Situated just off Bristol Road South (A38) between Selly Oak and Northfield.

Free parking. Bus routes 20, 21 and 63 pass near the park. Hole Lane station is two minutes’ walk away.

About the park

Exploring Manor Farm Park means entering parallel time zones. Once the grounds of chocolate manufacturer and philanthropist George Cadbury’s farmland estate, the stunning parkland still carries traces of the time when he invited the underprivileged children of the city to visit his purpose-built barn for weekend entertainments.

Going back further down the centuries, to stand in the Great Meadow in the midst of the 50-acre park is to experience the solitude and stillness of a medieval country-dweller. The restful and inspiring landscape includes a restored lake with three islands, wooded sections, Griffin’s Brook and waterfalls. A Heritage Trail with 10 key points of interest has been installed following the launch of the Cadbury Barn Trust, a charitable incorporated organisation which includes the Friends of Manor Farm Park and raises awareness of the Cadbury legacy.

Heritage features include The Ancient Hedgerow dating back to the 17th century, the old farm buildings and lodge and a section of the Elan Aqueduct which carries drinking water from Wales to Birmingham using the power of gravity.

Overhead view of Manor Farm Park showing lake
Video introduction

Facilities at the park
  • Playground
  • Picnic spots – permanent shelter, new picnic tables with benches and wheelchair space
  • Fishing
Toilets
There are no toilets on site.
The nearest are at Victoria Common, behind the Grosvenor Shopping Centre in Northfield.
Points of interest
  • Birmingham City Council acts as the Trustee of the George Cadbury for Public Parks Trust, keeping Manor Farm Park as a public park in perpetuity
  • The Heritage Trail was created by the Friends of Manor Farm Park backed by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and grants from the W A Cadbury and The Baron Davenport Funds.
  • The Heritage Trail was opened by Duncan Cadbury, former chair of the Bournville Village Trust
  • A short film about the Park and Trail has been commissioned by the Friends of Manor Farm Park
Other features
  • 2 kilometre walking route crosses the park
  • Disabled access to the Great Meadow
  • The Merritts Brook Greenway, a local cycling and walking route, passes through the park
  • Thirty species of birds and mammals
Park friends group

Friends of Manor Farm Park

For further information, or to get involved, contact the Friends:

Parks friends group activities

Activities include:

  • Promoting the park
  • Organising educational and recreational activities
  • Four annual events (Dawn Chorus Walk, Bat Walk, Lark in the Park, Autumn Antics)
  • Conservation activities
  • Waterside care maintaining the brook and stream.
  • Monitoring of freshwater invertebrates and river fly species.
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