From the Birmingham Nature Centre to the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

Located on the Pershore Road in Edgbaston near Cannon Hill Park is the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. This was a rebrand from the former Birmingham Nature Centre in 2014. A name it had since about 1974. Before that it was Birmingham Zoo from 1964 until it closed in 1973. The building used to be the Birmingham Natural History Museum from 1953, until the zoo opened a decade later.

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

On the Pershore Road in Edgbaston, is part of Cannon Hill Park that has either been a natural history museum or a zoo. What is now called the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park has had many different names in the past.

The Birmingham Natural History Museum opened in what is now the entrance building (ticket office and shop) in 1953. This was established by the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery whose natural history department established a museum on the site. But it didn't last too long. In 1964 the building and the land nearby was turned into the Birmingham Zoo by the Dudley Zoological Society. The zoo suddenly closed in 1973. Only for Birmingham City Council to reopen it as the Birmingham Nature Centre in 1974. It kept this name for 40 years until it was rebranded as the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park in 2014. Which it is still called today.

Some of the information above taken from Birmingham Nature Centre - mapping museums.

The building itself dates back to the 1920s or 1930s when it was originally built as the Birmingham Branch Art Gallery and Museum, at Cannon Hill Park. The building was designed by A Edgerton Leeson. It must have still been open until the early 1950s, when the Natural History Museum replaced it.

It was built on the site of Pebble Mill Farm. Before the farm this was the site of Pebble Mill, which was once a fulling mill. It was a water powered mill that existed from the 16th century. It gave it's name to the Pebble Mill land where the BBC used to be (now developed with new hospitals and a care home). The mill became a blade mill in the 17th century. It was converted to grinding corn in 1842. A dairy farm opened in 1890, with cow fields near the River Rea. The Bourn Brook was diverted at the beginning of the 20th century. The farm was demolished in 1921.

Information above taken from A Brummie's Guide to Birmingham on the Nature Centre.

 

I first took photos of the Birmingham Nature Centre building during the snow of December 2010, from the Pershore Road in Edgbaston.

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At the time the Nature Centre might have been closed, although the doors were open.

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It still had a sign above the door saying Museum. Probably dating from it's time as a Natural History Museum or before that as an Art Gallery and Museum.

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Some close up details of the inter war years museum building, which is now the entrance to what was then the Nature Centre.

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There is a set of doric columns at the entrance to the Nature Centre (formerly a museum).

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Also a ramp with railings to help people with wheelchairs or pushchairs, or hard of walking get in.

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An earlier view of the Nature Centre with a Christmas Tree out front.

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A Nature Centre sign / sculpture with all the months of the years.

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It also had animals in it's design. The name in the middle has since been covered over with a Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park sign (from 2014 onwards).

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The back of the museum building. There is a door here, but it was not open. I would think that there would be a door to the side into the then Nature Centre.

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The Queens Ride leads from Cannon Hill Park to the Nature Centre. With the Boy Scouts War Memorial on the left. The fence to the left runs along the site of the Nature Centre. For more on the war memorials of Cannon Hill Park, go to this post: Memorials in Cannon Hill Park . Tyre tracks in the snow from cyclists heading to and from the Pershore Road and the park.

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After a look at the entrance building to the Nature Centre, I headed into Cannon Hill Park for a look around the park while it was covered in snow. In the years since, I never got around to paying for a visit around the Nature Centre, but have been back around this area outside many times over the years.

 

In July 2013, I only really got photos of these colourful flower beds outside of the Nature Centre. This one pointing towards Pershore Road and over to Pebble Mill Road (to the far left of here).

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This colourful flower bed pointing in the direction of the railings of the Nature Centre with those printed photos of animals.

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A pair of flower pots surrounded by logs. On the drive in front of the Nature Centre. The Pershore Road to Selly Park to the left.

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Another set of flower pots surrounded by logs close to the roadside. The Pershore Road into Edgbaston and the City Centre to the right of here.

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From the Pershore Road, I got this photo through the railings of these emu's (or ostriches). It would be nice one day after lockdown ends, to pay for a visit, or go with a group of other photographers. Anyone up for it when things go back to normal?

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Well overgrown as I saw this view of a bridge that crosses the Bourn Brook. It joins up to the River Rea beyond the Nature Centre.

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Got some new photos of the Birmingham Nature in August 2014 when it had by this point been renamed to the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. Admission Charges to the left and Opening Times to the right. (To date I still haven't paid for a visit around the park).

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All of these new signs went up outside in the car park for the re-named Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park.

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These signs for the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park points the direction to the car park & main entrance. At the time someone had put put a poster about a Missing Dog. I hope they found their dog at the time (6 years ago now).

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But have different photos of animals on them. Probably to get young children excited about their visit.

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Another one for the Entrance to the Car Park. The gate closes at dusk.

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My only night time photo was from January 2018, as I got off the bus early on the Pershore Road and took this Christmas Tree, while their was Christmas fairy lights on the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Centre. This was just after 5pm in the evening, before a walk up the Pershore Road.

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Another view of the bridge over the Bourn Brook from the bridge on the Pershore Road during April 2018. For many years there was flood defence works on this side and on the Pebble Mill side which took years to complete. And one of the paths into Cannon Hill Park, only just reopened.

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During the summer drought in July 2018, grass lawns all over the City had gone from the normal green to a yellow colour. Here the flower beds were looking quite pink at the time. The car park to the park is in the distance to the right. The Pershore Road to the left.

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The other pink flower bed closest to the railings of the Wildlife Conservation Park. By now they had loads of large printed photos of animals for visitors to see before going into the park. The grass was so dry at the time.

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Finally in January 2019, I saw this Land Rover Defender parked outside of the entrance of the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. It was from the Park Ranger Service. Could see it from Pebble Mill Road before I walked onto the Pershore Road.

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Maybe one day when things are back to normal, someone could organise a group photo visit around the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. Maybe someone at Birmingham We Are, or one of those Facebook groups such as Brumtography. I have no childhood memories of going to the Birmingham Nature when I was little. Could have gone in the 1980s and I remember nothing about it.

But in recent years, I been to London Zoo with my then camera (in 2010) and even went to a Zoo in Lyon, France (2017). I've seen the birds in cages at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Did go to the Birmingham Sealife Centre a couple of times after it opened in the mid 1990s, but didn't have a camera at the time. And only have exterior views from the late 2000s and into the 2010s.

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

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