Berryhill Fields facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Berryhill Fields |
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Breaking the Mould, sculpture by Andrew McKeown, installed in 2000. Commissioned by Groundwork UK.
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| Location | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Area | 63.31 hectares (156.4 acres) |
| Operated by | Stoke-on-Trent City Council |
| Designation | Local nature reserve |
| Website | Berryhill Fields |
Berryhill Fields is a large grassy area in the middle of Stoke-on-Trent, England. It sits between the neighborhoods of Bentilee and Berryhill, and the town of Fenton. This special place is a local nature reserve. This means it is protected for wildlife and people to enjoy.
The Stoke-on-Trent City Council owns and takes care of Berryhill Fields. The area covers about 63.31 hectares, which is like 156 football fields!
A Look Back in Time
Long ago, in the Middle Ages, there was a manor house here. A manor house was like a big country home for a wealthy landowner. You can still see the old earthworks, which are the remains of its foundations. This site is now a scheduled monument, meaning it's an important historical place.
People believe this was once the manor house for Fenton Vivian. This town later became modern-day Fenton. A person named Vivian of Standon was the "lord of the manor" in the 1200s. This meant he was the main landowner and ruler of the area.
In the early 1900s, there were two coal mines on what is now Berryhill Fields. People also did a little bit of farming there. In the 1950s, the land was bought to build houses. But no houses were ever built. Later, in 1994, there was a plan to dig for coal using "open-cast mining." This is a way of mining where you dig coal from the surface. But this plan was not allowed.
Making the Park Better
Around the year 2000, Berryhill Fields got a big makeover. A project costing £2 million helped to improve the area. This project was managed by an organization called Groundwork Stoke. It was part of a bigger national program called "Changing Places."
Many improvements were made during this time. New paths were created to make it easier for everyone to visit, including people with disabilities. Several cool art pieces were added to the fields. One famous sculpture is called Breaking the Mould, which you can see in the picture at the top of this page.
The project also funded special digs to learn more about the past. These "archaeological excavations" helped uncover secrets of the 13th-century manor house.
