Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham

Cannon Hill Park, located in the south of Birmingham, is the city's most popular park, sprawling over 250 acres (101 hectares) and featuring a variety of areas including formal gardens, conservation zones, woodlands, and sports facilities. Established in 1873, the park offers numerous recreational activities such as boating, fishing, bowling, tennis, putting, and picnicking.

Miss Louisa Ann Ryland donated over 57 acres of Cannon Hill Fields to establish the park, also funding its drainage for public use. J.T. Gibson designed it with two large lakes, ornamental ponds, and a bathing pool, incorporating 35 acres of gardens and plants from Kew Gardens. It opened in September 1873. Subsequent expansions included 7 acres from brewer John Holder in 1897 and an additional 5 acres in 1898 for River Rea adjustments.

Cannon Hill Park features several notable memorials and historic structures. A key highlight is a Grade II* listed granite and bronze memorial by Albert Toft, honoring those who died in the Second Boer War, refurbished in 2012 and located on the park's western edge. The park also houses the Golden Lion Inn, a 16th-century timbered house now used as a cricket pavilion and refreshment room, despite its current state of disrepair. Additionally, the park includes other Grade II listed entities like the bandstand, the Red Carriage Bridge, and Cannon Hill House. A concrete memorial by William Haywood in the park honors Scouts who died in both World Wars.

Modern attractions in Cannon Hill Park include the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, the Mac Theatre, and its proximity to Edgbaston Cricket Ground. A notable feature is the scale model of the Elan Valley Reservoirs in the form of ornamental ponds located in a Japanese garden near the Mac, built in 1962. In 2019, a memorial called Infinite Wave was unveiled by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, commemorating the British victims of the 2015 Bardo National Museum and Sousse attacks in Tunisia.