Historic greenhouse to be replaced

17:12:20 8th December 2008

An historic greenhouse thought to have stood in a Birmingham park for more than a century is to be replaced by a more easily maintained modern greenhouse.

The original has already been demolished - much to the disgust of some local residents, according to the Birmingham Mail.

Cannon Hill Park was a gift to the people of Birmingham in 1873 - when Louisa Ryland donated 57 acres of her land to the city.

It is thought that the greenhouse was constructed soon after and had stood in some form ever since.

Local resident Anne Malloy has been coming here for 17 years and felt let down by the council.

"Every time I come in through the front gate those greenhouses have been there to greet me," she told the newspaper.

"As far as I know there has been no consultation with the public and park users. They just switched the heating off and put a fence up. It's disgusting."

But the fact that a new greenhouse is to be erected will be some comfort to park users.

They may also be pleased that the park has remained open and available for so many years when other gardens and green spaces have been falling victim to "garden grabbing".

The government recently ruled out the chance of outlawing "garden grabbing", stating that it needed more information on the subject.