Louisa Ann Ryland was a major benefactor to the (then) town of Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, England. Her donations included several large areas of land that were used to create public parks. The largest of these, donated in 1873, was some 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) and became Cannon Hill Park

Cannon Hill Park

Cannon Hill Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England. It is the most popular park in the city, covering consisting of formal, conservation, woodland and sports areas...

. She also contributed to the building of Birmingham School of Art

Birmingham School of Art

The Birmingham School of Art was a municipal art school based in the centre of Birmingham, England. Although the organisation was absorbed by Birmingham Polytechnic in 1971 and is now part of Birmingham City University's Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, its Grade I listed building on...

.

Birmingham was made a city in 1889, the year she died. She is commemorated today by Louisa Ryland House, which houses the city’s social services and housing departments.

External links

• Louisa Ryland