Muntz Park is a small park in Selly Oak between Gristthorpe Road and Umberslade Road.
Muntz Park (December 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown
It is next to Raddlebarn Primary & Nursery School.
Raddlebarn Primary & Nursery School from Muntz Park (December 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown
The park has a Play Area close to Gristthorpe Road.
Play Area at Muntz Park (December 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown
History of Muntz Park
The park is named after Frederick Ernest Muntz although his grandfather George Frederick Muntz was more well known as he invented Muntz metal. The Muntz family lived in Birmingham and Warwickshire, originally came from Lithuania. The land that is now Muntz Park was originally part of Selly Farm and had been owned by the Muntz family since the early 19th Century. The park was formed in 1907 when Frederick Ernest Muntz gave three acres of land to the district council. From it's earliest days, the park was used for dancing, music and games. In 1923 the Birmingham Civic Society gave a grant to re-landscape the park. Over the years the park has been used for open air concerts. Organised by the Bournbrook Entertainment Committee. During WW2 there was a communal air raid shelter built under the park (near where the Children's Playground is today). It could accommodate a dozen people.
Information sign at Muntz Park (December 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown
The Hollow in Muntz Park
The hollow is the remains of a marl pit. Marl pits were common features in the 19th Century (and earlier). Marl is a clay deposit, formed in this area from glacial drift deposits. The clay soils were dug by local farmers and added light soils in a process known as marling. This increased the cohesion of the soils in the days before chemical fertilisers, manure and marl was the most used means of improving the fertility in the soil.
Near the Hollow at Muntz Park (December 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown