Homer Hill Recreation Ground Trust

Local records show that since medieval times the area now known as Homer Hill was owned by the Homer family, the earliest reference being Johanne de Hanmor in 1275.  The family’s name is believed to have arisen from Anglo-Saxon ‘hana mor’ which means ‘cock hill’. There was a field here called ‘coccscyte’/Cockshoot denoting a place where nets were stretched out to trap birds in flight.

On Tuesday February 18th 1919 a motion appeared on the Cradley Parish Council agenda in the name of Mr A Westwood, chairman during the three blackest years of the WW1.  He suggested those who had come back as well as those who had died in the cause of liberty and freedom should be remembered; and his idea was to raise some public memorial in Cradley with the names of the men inscribed thereon, and to give an entertainment to the returned soldiers and their wives who had also made sacrifices.

On Monday March 1st 1920, Mr. R. Green, Halesowen Urban District Council, suggested that a park, recreation ground or open space for the children to play in should be part of the memorial scheme at Cradley.

At auction on 14th June 1920, local chainmaker Ben Hodgetts purchased land about Homer Hill, Cradley to form a recreation ground.  On Monday, January 3rd 1921 the War Memorial Committee decided to incorporate the recreation ground within a Cradley war memorials scheme (to include a cenotaph) and on 11th October 1922 the land was conveyed under a covenant forming Homer Hill Recreation Ground Trust to Parish Council of Cradley who agreed:-

• the Council, its successors or assignees will forever hereafter support, maintain and improve the said hereditaments as and for the purposes of public recreation ground.

The closure of Cradley Colliery and its incline railway to Park Lane in 1927 left the land, mine shafts and spoil heaps vacant. The land was transferred to the Urban District Council to extend and improve the park in 1934.

In 1948 the pit mound was bulldozed and levelled. The Friends of Homer Hill Park group was established in 2007 and helps to raise funds towards improving park facilities.