Marsh Park

The Park was officially opened on 17th September 1921, known at the time as ‘Marsh’s Park & Recreation Ground’. It was conveyed by a Deed of gift by the owners of Marsh and Baxter to Brierley Hill Urban Council to be used as a public park and it forms part of the Brierley Hill WW1 memorial.

Prior to being laid out as public park, during the 19th century, it formed part of a wider site which was used for the extraction of fire clay and for the manufacture of bricks. Fire clay was an important material because due to it being resistant to high temperatures. It is suitable for lining furnaces and for the manufacture of utensils used in metal working and glass making industries (such a crucibles, saggars, kilns etc). Unlike conventional brick-making clay, some fire clays are mined at depth, found as a ‘seaearth’ (a British coal mining term) which is the layer found underlying a coal seam.  Located within Marsh park was a former shaft which was used to extract the fire clay. The site is therefore an important visible reminder of the former landscape of extraction and the significance of Brierley Hill to the supply of fire bricks and its role in the local glass and metal working industries. It has been identified by Dudley Council as an ‘Archaeology Priority Area’ and is one of a many number of sites that makes up the Black Country Geopark.

The park is also significant due to its links with the Marsh and Baxter Empire who were a major employer in Brierley Hill in the late19th and early 20th century and the ones who conveyed the park by a Deed of gift to Brierley Hill Urban Council.

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Thanks to funding through the Brierley Hill High Street Heritage Action Zone various events have been hosted in the park, including the Hug your Hi! Street event which took place in March 2022 where a giant love heart was created in the park (see below YouTube footage) and in 2024 the historic gates into the park were repaired and redecorated.