Bleak Hill Park  Bleak Hill Park (formerly known as Short Heath Recreational Ground) is a public park in Erdington, Birmingham, UK. It is identified by Birmingham City Council as a "green corridor". The park is named after the topographical name of the nearby area; referring to either "bleak hills" or "black hills". Like the origin of Blakesley Hall in Yardley, three Old English words could provide the root of the word "Bleak" – one meaning "black", one meaning "to shine", and one meaning "shining, pale, or bleak". The area was first recorded as Blakhilles in 1461. In 2008, the park underwent a £100,000 transformation to remove graffiti and litter and to install sports pitches.