Galvanised Steel Railings, Hickman Park, Wolverhampton

Hickman Park was originally part of the Springfield Estate, owned by local industrialist and MP Sir Alfred Hickman. Following his death in 1910, it was donated to Bilston Council in 1911 after it had been formally laid as a memorial. It originally consisted of a bandstand, cast iron drinking fountain, flower bedding and an ornamental pond, which is still present today.

The park has undergone restoration work funded by the Heritage Lottery.

The park is over a hundred years old and it was important to retain the Edwardian style, without compromising on safety and security. Alpha Rail provided design assist services and worked closely with all the stakeholders involved, including architects, the council and the contractor. This helped to ensure the design considerations were met and that the railings were fitted on time and meet the design specification.

The new railings were designed to match the ornamental patterns of the existing railings and blend in serenely with the local environment, which consists of an open air theatre, children’s play area, sports pitches and a wild flower meadow.

Alpha Rail manufactured 400m of galvanized and polyester powder coated decorative vertical bar railings, plus two flat top handrails for a section of stairs, as well as security perimeter fencing and gates. The security perimeter fencing is 1.8m high and provides added safety to those enjoying the park’s facilities. The fencing around the pond is decoratively designed and also provides safety from the water feature and the flat top handrails are fitted on a grand stairway and feature similar scroll work patterns to the park’s main gate.

Jack Moody, a horticultural, landscaping and civil engineering company installed the railings and painted all of the railings green, as specified by Wolverhampton City Council to match the colour of existing railings in the Edwardian Park to complement their surroundings and reflect the history and tradition of the park.