In 1848, John Eglington, a local surveyor, valued the estate at £160,000. In the 1860s, E. A. Foden first mooted the idea of turning the estate into a park and in 1871, the Walsall Arboretum and Lake Company was formed and issued a prospectus for shareholders describing the principal features. In 1873, a lease was drawn up for the creating of a park and the flooding of more land. The Arboretum was officially opened on 4 May 1874 by Lady Hatherton. The park consisted of two lakes, two lodges, a boathouse, bandstand, several summerhouses, a tree lined promenade, space for dancing, a flagpole, croquet lawns and a cricket ground. On 20 May 1875, severe weather caused extensive damage to the lake area. Visitor numbers started to fall as a result of complaints over the lack of provision for children's activities. A cycle track was opened in 1876 as an attempt at boosting visitor numbers, however, in 1877, the company went into liquidation and the lease was surrendered to
Lord Hatherton and a management committee of local businessmen took over. On 4 September 1877, an Article of Agreement stated that the land should only be used as a park. In the following year, a steam boat named "Lady of the Lake" was launched. In 1880, Thomas Everton was appointed the first park keeper and he moved into the main lodge. Heavy rain caused flooding and damage to the cycle track on 27 October 1880. for six weeks. In February 2009 it was announced that the Illuminations would be suspended due to financial constraints, the event having run at a loss for a number of years. In March 2011 it was confirmed that the Illuminations would be scrapped permanently. The last Illuminations was held in 2008 with a record low attendance, making a loss of £167,000. ==Sporting activities==