A new sculpture to honour people who fought to preserve Haden Hill House and Haden Old Hall in Cradley Heath will be officially opened on Sunday 8th July at a special event.

The Friends of Haden Hill Estate commissioned Black Country sculptor Luke Perry to create the wedding bower. The Deputy Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Carol Goult will join the Friends and councillors to unveil the sculpture outside Haden Hill House at 2pm.

BUGS Ukulele Strummers will be performing immediately after the unveiling ceremony and again at 3.15pm. Everyone is welcome. Ken Smith, chair of the Friends group, said:

“We wanted to do something to commemorate what was done by the late Meryl Cockin, The Preservation Society, The Protection Society and others in the 1970s to save these two wonderful buildings. We wanted to create a focal point, which can also be used for wedding photography.”

Luke has designed the bower using influences from the park, including the dragons on the cast iron park benches installed in the 1930s. The houses were derelict and faced a real risk of being demolished in the early 1970s. However, following a big campaign, the houses were saved.

Haden Hill House was extensively restored in the 1980s, by this time under Sandwell Council’s ownership, and it opened as a museum open to the public. It is also now licensed for wedding ceremonies.

Haden Old Hall has also received a major facelift and is now often opened up to the public at events supported by the Friends of Haden Hill.

Haden Hill Park was the first site in Sandwell to receive the prestigious Green Flag Award and is now one of 11 Green Flag-awarded parks and green spaces in Sandwell. The Haden Hill Estate also holds the Green Heritage Site award. Councillor Ann Shackleton, who is a member of the Friends group, said:

“This is about ensuring we acknowledge the contribution that past members of the Friends group and others made to developing the park and preserving the two houses. It’s important to remember the impact they had.”