Lightwoods House is said to have been built by Jonathan Grundy in 1791, but a brick in the wall of the entrance porch is inscribed 'Jonathan Grundy, June 19, 1780'. In 1902, on the death of the last occupant, the house with its 16-acre park was put up for sale, and it seemed likely that the house would be demolished and the land used for housing. Mainly through the efforts of A. M. Chance, however, the house and park were bought for the public. In October 1902 the committee which had raised the purchase money handed over the property to Birmingham corporation as a public park. A feature of the park is the garden, opened in 1915, which contains specimens of the plants mentioned by Shakespeare. Since the opening of Lightwoods Park the house has at various times accommodated a public library, public refreshment rooms, and rooms for the Sons of Rest. In 1971 it was converted into studios and offices by John Hardman & Co. Ltd., stained-glass artists.