Handsworth Park
🏟 Playground & park · Handsworth, Birmingham
Handsworth Park
A restored Grade II-listed Victorian park with two play areas, a boating lake and a historic bandstand in the heart of Handsworth.
🕑 Opening & entry
🌱 Open daily, dawn to dusk · Free · No booking needed
📍 Location & directions
Address: Holly Road (Leisure Centre entrance), B20 2BY
Plus Code: 9C4WG36G+RC
About Handsworth Park
Handsworth Park, originally Victoria Park, is a 63-acre Grade II-listed Victorian park in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, managed by Birmingham City Council. It opened on Christmas Day 1890 and adjoins St Mary's Church, where Industrial Revolution figures James Watt and Matthew Boulton are buried. The park's landscape of grass slopes centres on a large boating lake and a smaller pond fed by the Farcroft and Grove Brooks, with flower beds, mature trees and a distinctive bandstand cast at the Lion Foundry near Glasgow. For families there are two play areas, both near the Leisure Centre off the Holly Road entrance, with one section for younger children and one for older children. Handsworth Leisure Centre sits within the park and provides public toilets, including accessible toilets. After decades of decline from the 1970s, a £9.5 million restoration was completed and the park reopened on 8 July 2006; boating resumed in June 2009 with a new public cafe at the boathouse. The park has long hosted major community events and cultural celebrations serving Handsworth's diverse communities.
⭐ What makes this place special
- Boating lake
- Bandstand
- Cricket ground and pavilion
- Handsworth Leisure Centre
- Cafe at boathouse
- Adjoins St Mary's Church
🏞 Facilities
- Free entry
- Toilets on site
- Café / refreshments
- Accessibility: Accessible toilets available in the Leisure Centre
🧒 Ages & play
- Ages: Younger and older children
- Play area for younger children (by the Leisure Centre)
- Play area for older children (by the Leisure Centre)
📍 Nearby places to play
- Ward End Park · approx 3.8 miles · Ward End
- Cannon Hill Park · approx 4.0 miles · Edgbaston
- Highbury Park · approx 5.1 miles · Moseley
Explore more:
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is Handsworth Park free?
Yes, the park is free to enter and is managed by Birmingham City Council.
What's in the playground?
There are two play areas near the Leisure Centre off Holly Road, with a section for young children and a section for older children.
Are there toilets and a cafe?
Yes. Public and accessible toilets are in the Leisure Centre, and there is a cafe at the boathouse.
Where is Handsworth Park?
It is in Handsworth, north-west Birmingham, with the main family entrance off Holly Road, and adjoins St Mary's Church.
Can you go boating there?
Yes, boats can be hired from the boathouse during the summer, usually between May and September.