111-663: Bournbrook is an industrial and residential district in southwest Birmingham, England, in the ward of Bournbrook and Selly Park and the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Selly Oak . Before 2018 it was in Selly Oak Council Ward . Prior to what is commonly termed the Greater Birmingham Act, which came into effect on 9 November 1911, the Bourn Brook watercourse was the North Eastern boundary of Worcestershire, and
222-528: A Sunday evening congregation of 70. It was open in 1957. Tiverton Christian Fellowship began in 1890 before obtaining the land in Tiverton Road. In 1894 George Cadbury opened the Selly Oak Institute which was used as a place of worship until the new meeting-house was built in 1927. In 1899 the institute consisted of a main hall, ancillary rooms, and a temperance tavern, or 'cyclists Arms'. In 1954 there
333-578: A boat rally was held at Hawne Basin , a former Great Western Railway interchange, where tubes were moved from boats to trains. The railway had closed in 1967, and the basin had been unused since then, but thirty boats attended the rally, and the Combeswood Canal Trust developed plans for turning it into a marina. Part of the Lapal Tunnel was unearthed during the construction of the M5 motorway during
444-617: A cast-iron footbridge, built in 1858, still carries the towpath over the former entrance to the Two Locks Line. An embankment on the side of a hill carries the canal on to Blowers Green Lock, which is the deepest lock on the Birmingham Canal Navigations, as it replaced two earlier locks which were affected by subsidence. Nearby is a pumphouse, managed by the Dudley Canal Trust. At Park Head Junction, Line No. 2 turns off to
555-620: A choir and a band. The institute was used by others including the Traders and Ratepayers Association, and the police who held a court there twice a month. In 1899 it boasted a temperance tavern 'The Cyclists Arms'. In 1937 it was the address of the relieving officer and the registrar of births, marriages, and deaths, as well as a Men's Social Club, a girls' gymnastic club, Selly Oak Choral Union and Miss Christine Boyse who taught dancing. The institute continued to hold Adult Education courses and facilitate community groups that have recently been relocated to
666-497: A collapse of the canal severed part of the loop. Having suffered from mining subsidence for years, the two-locks line was closed in March 1909 and later filled in. The line is now under a late 20th century industrial estate and only the junctions, towpath bridges and a few yards of watered but unnavigable canal remain. After repeated collapses, Lapal Tunnel was abandoned in June 1917 leaving
777-616: A crossing point of the Bourn Brook. Potentially it was a meeting place for the nobility of each of the shires. The Bourn Brook, which flows into River Rea near in Cannon Hill Park, is the Ward boundary. The Bourn Brook was in continuous use to power mills for several centuries. Harborne Mill was in Staffordshire until 1891. Pebble Mill and Edgbaston Mill were both in Warwickshire. Another mill
888-618: A cutting and bridge when work began. The length of the canal was to be 10.8 miles (17.4 km), for which the working capital would be £90,000 with an additional £40,000 if required. John Snape carried out a survey and despite opposition from the Birmingham Canal, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and a contingent of iron foundries in Wolverhampton , an act of Parliament, the Selly Oak Canal Act 1793 ( 33 Geo. 3 . c. 121),
999-578: A flight of steps up to the entrance. It may have replaced an earlier pub called the Bowling Green Inn It was replaced by The Brook which has since been demolished and a hall of residence for students is now on the site. In the 1881 census the Bristol Pear , on the corner of Bristol Road and Heeley Road, was the Heeley Arms the 1881 census shows with Thomas Thompson as publican. It changed its name to
1110-573: A forge, and the Bell and Shovel Inn. Kerby's Pools was a Victorian pleasure resort in Bournbrook. Its three pools were devoted to boating and fishing and there was also a leisure garden. People would travel in great numbers to enjoy the entertainment and facilities the resort offered. Showell describes it as "a well-known and favourite resort on the outskirt of the borough, on the Bristol Road, and formerly one of
1221-435: A gallery for spectators, a children's bath and separate private baths for men and women. The larger men's swimming pool would be floored over in the winter months and the floorspace was used for concerts, political meetings, and dances. A smaller, shallower swimming bath, with steps down into it was provided for women and children. In 1911, it was taken over by Birmingham Baths Committee . More recently it has been converted into
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#17328446656121332-494: A health centre and now includes a " Pulse Point " gym as well as sunbeds and a sauna whilst retaining the swimming pool, the children's pool which is used as a smaller instruction pool and pool spectator seating facilities. The land on which the free library was built was donated by Thomas Gibbins (junior), a local councillor as well as being an industrialist. The philanthropic organisation, the Carnegie Foundation , financed
1443-682: A new junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to the recently reconstructed Harborne Lane bridge along the route of the former Dudley Canal. On 28 February 2016, following re-excavation of part of the Harborne Lane Wharf, a canoe paddled by a member of the Lapal Canal Trust, became the first vessel since 1953, to proceed along the part of the Eastern length of canal which runs through Selly Oak Park and part of which, remains "in water". It
1554-579: A reputation for electing outspoken MPs, first with the victory of Anthony Beaumont-Dark of the Conservatives in 1979, and then with his defeat by Lynne Jones of the Labour Party in 1992. 52°25′N 1°55′W / 52.42°N 1.91°W / 52.42; -1.91 Dudley Canal The Dudley Canal is a canal passing through Dudley in the West Midlands of England . The canal
1665-423: A scheme which used a steam pumping engine and stop locks at either end of the tunnel to create a flow which assisted the movement of the boats. This proved successful for it continued to be used until 1914 and Brewin was awarded plate worth £50 in recognition of his contribution. In 1838, a 400-yard (370 m) cut was made at Lodge Farm to divert the canal and make room for a storage reservoir and pumping engine and
1776-452: A school hall and seven other ancillary rooms. The church originated in cottage meetings which followed the appointment in 1829 of C Bridgewater as inspector of tolls at the Selly Oak locks. There was a Sunday evening congregation of 35 in 1851, and a Sunday afternoon attendance of 118 in 1892. It was enlarged in 1910 and had a school hall. Church membership in 1932 was 150. It closed in 1957 when
1887-500: A short stretch navigable between Selly Oak and a brick works at California until 1953, after which it was drained and filled in. After a period of disuse following nationalisation in 1948, the first suggestions that the canal and others should be restored were made by the newly formed Inland Waterways Protection Society (IWPS) in 1959. However, the British Transport Commission presented their annual Bill in 1961, in which
1998-461: Is no mention of how this was achieved. The tunnel was also affected by subsidence from local coal mining and was regularly closed to allow repairs to be made. Working a loaded boat through the tunnel took about 4 hours and this caused congestion. Various ways were considered to alleviate this, including rope haulage in 1840, but the cost of £6,000 was deemed to be too expensive. Subsidence in the Lapal tunnel
2109-563: Is part of the English and Welsh network of connected navigable inland waterways and forms part of the popular Stourport Ring narrowboat cruising route. The first short section, which connected to the Stourbridge Canal , opened in 1779. This was then connected to the Birmingham Canal system in 1792 via Dudley Tunnel . Almost immediately, work started on an extension, called Line No. 2, which ran through another long tunnel at Lapal to reach
2220-531: Is passes through a cutting which is part of the cut made in 1838 to accommodate the construction of Lodge Farm Reservoir. Brewins Tunnel was built here, but was uncapped after 20 years. A short arm managed by the Withymoor Island Trust is located on the west bank and is used for moorings. Beyond it, the Bumble Hole Branch partially encircles Bumble Hole, a water-filled former clay pit. This was once
2331-603: The Birmingham and Dudley Canal Consolidation Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxix), was obtained in the following year and the Dudley Canal ceased to be an independent concern on 27 July 1846. The Birmingham Canal Navigations carried out a number of improvements in the 1850s. Building of Netherton Tunnel was begun on 31 December 1855 and completed on 20 August 1858. It was the last canal tunnel to be built in England and compared to
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#17328446656122442-513: The Dudley Canal Act 1796 ( 37 Geo. 3 . c. 13) was obtained in December 1796 to authorise a further £40,000 and by the time the new route was completed on 28 May 1798, a total of £162.50 had been called on each £100 share. The original shares were worth £118.75 and financial matters were simplified by issuing additional shares so that they all had a nominal value of £100. Lord Dudley resigned from
2553-639: The Black Country . Major industries developed along both sides of the two canals. Terraced housing, for the better off working people, was constructed on the former Selly Hill, Selly Grove, and Selly Oak estates. The High Street provided retail, entertainment, and public services. The property of Sir Henry Gough Calthorpe of Edgbaston was protected by clauses in the Canal Bill prohibiting the construction of wharves, warehouses, and other buildings along with other restrictive concessions. The Bournbrook rifle range, on
2664-673: The Black Country Museum project. Funding for this was provided by the Job Creation Scheme run by the Manpower Services Commission , as a way to provide work and training for the unemployed. The trust were able to use the museum as a base for their electrically powered trip boat, which by then had taken over 25,000 people into the tunnel since the start of trips in 1964. Plans for the No. 2 Line moved forwards in 1980, when
2775-780: The Dudley Canal were completed in 1798 and raw materials, especially coal and lime, for heavy industry were transported into Selly Oak from the Black Country and then to the River Severn, or to Oxford and London via the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal . The Worcester and Birmingham Canal commenced in 1791 and was completed in 1815 with the lifting of the Worcester Bar in Birmingham. Industrial activity developed along its banks from Bournbrook to Lifford. The industry stopped abruptly at
2886-671: The Worcester and Birmingham Canal . This was completed in 1798 but significant trade had to wait until the Worcester and Birmingham was completed in 1802. In 1846, the company amalgamated with the Birmingham Canal Navigations and various improvements followed including the Netherton Tunnel . This was of a similar length to and parallel to the Dudley Tunnel but it was much bigger with towpaths on both sides and gas lighting. It
2997-536: The parish church grew, a chapel of ease was created in Selly Hill and a Mission in Dawlish Road. Robert Dolphin, who had bought Selly Hall and its farm lands in 1835, donated the land. St Stephen's was designed by Martin and Chamberlain in the decorated style. Contributions for the building of the church came from several notable businessmen: William Docker, Charles Winn, Thomas Webley, and Lord Calthorpe. The first stone
3108-473: The 1870s and went as far as the Bournbrook Hotel. Hughes ran an experimental steam powered service between Monmouth Street and Bournbrook on 2 July 1880, the latter distance being covered in twenty-five minutes with a car load of passengers attached to the engine. From 1890 to 1900 accumulator battery trams were in use connecting Birmingham to Bournbrook. A year later electric cables were introduced to replace
3219-403: The 1960s and the void was filled with concrete. The Lapal Canal Trust is working on the restoration of parts of the lost canal and to replace the tunnels with a completely new line, passing over the hill through Woodgate Valley Country Park . In February 2012 plans for the regeneration of the Selly Oak area were submitted to Birmingham City Council which included a navigable section of canal from
3330-650: The Birmingham Canal Company. The junction between the Dudley canal and the Stourbridge canal was at the foot of the nine-lock Black Delph flight. Thomas Dadford, Sr. was engaged as the engineer and surveyor and acted in this capacity until 1783 after which he was employed more informally. The Dudley Canal Act 1796 allowed the Dudley Canal Company to raise £7,000 and this had been subscribed by July 1778 but
3441-563: The Birmingham Canal Navigations Working Party produced a report, which was published in early 1971. They recommended to the British Waterways Board that much of the Birmingham Canal system should be retained. Canals were grouped into four categories, the first two of which needed little action or expenditure to make them navigable again. The Dudley Canal was in the third category, where it was suggested that
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3552-492: The Bourn Brook evidence has been found of Bronze Age burnt mounds. As these have been interpreted as having domestic use, for beer-making, or saunas the implication is that there may have been a prehistoric settlement nearby. Small pieces of prehistoric, Probably Iron Age, pottery and a piece of worked flint were found on the Selly Park Recreation Ground in 1996 which may indicate the site of an Iron Age farmstead in
3663-700: The Committee became the Dudley Canal Tunnel Preservation Society on 1 January 1964, eventually becoming the Dudley Canal Trust in 1970. On 26 June 1970, the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council, a government committee created in May 1968, held a press conference at which recommendations about the future of "remainder" waterways were made to the British Waterways Board. "Remainder" was a classification that indicated there
3774-450: The Dudley Canal Company but never received any payment as the beneficial tolls and usefulness of the new canal were deemed to be adequate compensation. An act of Parliament, the Dudley Canal Act 1785 ( 25 Geo. 3 . c. 87), was obtained in July 1785 to authorise the work which had been surveyed by John Snape and John Bull and checked by Dadford, who then became consulting engineer. Abraham Lees
3885-634: The Dudley Canal and Tunnel were scheduled to be closed immediately, with no provision to safeguard the route for future restoration. Both the Inland Waterways Association and the IWPS protested, but the protests were ignored, and closure occurred in 1962. Despite this, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Society explored the tunnel in mid-1963, after which a Dudley Tunnel Committee began running boat trips through it. These proved popular, and
3996-399: The Dudley Tunnel, it was huge, being around 27 feet (8.2 m) from side to side at water level with a towpath on both sides. It was found necessary to build an invert through the tunnel because of unstable ground caused by mining below its line and large retaining walls were required at each end. As a result, the cost rose from £238,000 to £302,000 and a tunnel toll was charged to help recoup
4107-577: The Hubert Road premises. The tall brick and terracotta building that resembles a French Gothic chapel was the Selly Oak Water Pumping Station . In the middle of the 19th century piped water gradually became available throughout the Birmingham area due to six wells that were built on the outskirts of the city. Although built in the 1870s by Birmingham Corporation Water Department it wasn't opened until 1879 by Joseph Chamberlain . Following
4218-549: The Jalalabad Mosque and Islamic Centre. Bournbrook Elim Church , Alton Road, was formerly an un-denominational mission, was acquired in 1944. The congregation, founded from Graham Street, had formerly met in a hired hall. The Church membership in 1957 was 110. Bournbrook Gospel Hall , Tiverton Road was registered for public worship in 1895 and is probably identifiable with the Selly Oak Hall which claimed, in 1892, to have
4329-516: The Nine Locks, even though they were rebuilt in 1858 as a flight of eight. There is a well-restored stable block by lock 3, and a grade II listed lock keepers house near the line of the old locks, which was built in 1779, probably to a standard design by Thomas Dadford. Above the locks, the canal passes Merry Hill Shopping Centre , built on the site of Round Oak Steelworks after its closure in 1983. Although it has been closed for more than 100 years,
4440-677: The Sharpness Dock Co. A boatyard on the Dudley Canal was established and run by the Monk family for many years. A final roof fall in 1917 resulted in the closure of the Lapal tunnel. The canal continued to be used transporting bricks from the California brickworks. Planning is underway to reopen the section of the canal through the new Sainsbury's site. Eventually it is hoped to re-connect the canal at Halesowen . Railways The Birmingham West Suburban Railway line from Granville Street to King's Norton
4551-719: The Society of Friends, and for use by other groups. When Elliott needed the Workman's Hall for his manager of the Elliott's Metal Company Ltd the Adult School moved to the Selly Oak Institute located in Bournbrook. The institute is a listed building. It was described as having a large club room containing three billiard tables, three committee rooms, and a large hall suited for concerts and dramatic performance. Various groups met there including
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4662-666: The Staffordshire and Worcestershire. A bill was placed before Parliament in the spring but there was opposition from the Birmingham Canal Company and the promoters withdrew it. They then presented separate bills for the Stourbridge Canal and the Dudley Canal, both of which became acts of Parliament on 2 April 1776, the Stourbridge Canal Act 1776 ( 16 Geo. 3 . c. 28) and the Dudley Canal Act 1776 ( 16 Geo. 3 . c. 66). They passed despite further opposition from
4773-615: The Station Inn before adopting its current name. Goose at the OVT The Inn was reported to have existed in c1700. On the 1839 Tithe Map the owner was James Kerby and it was called the Bell and Shovel Inn. Under the ownership of George North from 1859 the name changed to the Malt Shovel. Showell records that the public house, belonging to Holt's brewery, having been extended and partially rebuilt, and
4884-415: The Two Lock Line, fell into mine workings. The canal remained closed for some time while repairs were made. Blowers Green Lock was built near the junction of Line No. 1 and Line No. 2 at this time to replace two original locks. A wharf was constructed for the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company in Selly Oak . The original line at Bumble Hole became the Bumble Hole Branch Canal and Boshboil Arm after
4995-406: The Warwickshire side of the watercourse, was opened in 1860 as the training ground for the Birmingham Rifle Corps later known as the First Volunteer Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Trams from Birmingham initially stopped at Selly Oak Gate, the county boundary on the turnpike road, or at the Gun Barrels Public House. Extended services ran at weekends to Kerby's Pools. Located adjacent to
5106-437: The area of restraint." The name 'Bourn' is derived from the Old English burna or bourne for brook or stream when it had gravel beds and was characterised by clear water and submerged water plants. By contrast 'broc' usually denotes muddy streams with sediment laden with water. Normally both words were used for streams of a considerable size. Roads The Bristol Road was turnpiked in the early 18th century. The original line of
5217-414: The area that once housed significant goods sidings that could hold up to 300 wagons. The sidings were mainly used for the conveyance of coal and a coal merchant's stood on the site for many years. Bournbrook is served by Selly Oak railway station on the Cross-City Line , providing services to the Birmingham New Street , Lichfield Trent Valley , Bromsgrove and Redditch stations. Prehistoric Along
5328-430: The area was locally governed by the King's Norton and Northfield Urban District Council . Bournbrook was once known for its Victorian Leisure Park known as Kerby's Pools. The industry that followed the construction of the canals transformed the ancient manor of Selley. The junction of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the Netherton Canal via the Lapal Tunnel created a distribution centre for heavy raw materials from
5439-440: The batteries. The tram sheds between Dawlish Road and Tiverton Road are now the Douper Hall of Residence. The depot in Dawlish Road was replaced by one opened in 1927 in Chapel Lane. The depot in Harborne Lane was used for buses which replaced the trams. The former Bristol Road tram route and its depots were replaced by buses in 1952. The depot closed in 1986 and is in use as Access storage centre. Canals The Lapal Tunnel and
5550-428: The boundary with Edgbaston because of clauses inserted in the Bill that protected the property of Sir Henry Gough-Calthorpe by prohibiting the construction of wharves, warehouses and other buildings without his consent. The embankment near Wheeleys Road, gave way on 26 May 1872 causing considerable damage to the properties nearby. By an agreement of 1873 this canal was sold to the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal Co, otherwise
5661-404: The brook which was beyond their jurisdiction. The pub had been rebuilt by 1987 and has since been demolished to make way for a sports centre containing Birmingham's first Olympic-size swimming pool . An earlier building called The Grinders appears at this location on an 1819 turnpike map. It may have been named after William Deakin's Gun Barrel Manufactory at Bournbrook in 1841. Like many rural inns
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#17328446656125772-423: The building. It was opened in the year 1906 and is run by the city council. In Bournbrook there is one surviving primary school: Tiverton Junior and Infant School . St Mary's C of E Primary School opened as a National School in 1860 with accommodation for 252 children. It was enlarged in 1872 and ten years later the boys and girls were separated. St Mary's National School was opened in Hubert Road Bournbrook in 1885
5883-409: The celebrated taverns and tea gardens of past days". There were a variety of attractions and events like fireworks displays. It was one of few spots for fishing within walking distance of Birmingham. There were some accidents: on 17 May 1875 Lawrence Joyce was drowned when the boat upset, and two men were drowned 23 July 1876. The pools were filled in during the 1880s as the spread of heavy industry and
5994-410: The closed Lapal Tunnel. This was once an area of industry, but most of it has gone, to be replaced by housing estates, light industrial units, and playing fields. At the northern end of Gosty Tunnel, a layby marks the site when a tug was once kept to pull barges through the tunnel. Beyond lies Hawne Basin, refurbished as a marina after its use as a railway interchange ceased in 1967. The head of navigation
6105-409: The committee at this point, having steered the company through twenty-two year of construction. The working capital had risen from just £7,000 to over £200,000 in this period and no dividends had been paid. Traffic through the new tunnel was meagre until 1802 when the Stratford Canal provided a link to the Warwick and Birmingham Canal (later the Grand Union Canal ) and hence to London. The first dividend
6216-399: The congregation joined with the Primitive Methodists. After being used for less dignified functions it was demolished in the late 1970s. Lookers car salesroom now occupies the site. St Paul's Church was opened by the Primitive Methodists in 1874. The congregation was founded in 1870 and met at first in the open air, then in cottages, and finally in a hired dance-hall, before the first chapel
6327-417: The construction of terraced housing for the workers diminished the rural attractiveness of the location. In 1878 a cricket match was played at Bournbrook. At least 3,000 spectators were present when the game commenced at noon on Wednesday 25 June 1878. This number had risen to 12,000 by close of play. For the first two days batting, bowling, and fielding were excellent. A thunderstorm on the final day resulted in
6438-404: The cost of restoration, and that the Park Head end of the Tunnel would be landscaped as part of a derelict land regeneration scheme. Some 50,000 tons of mud were removed from the channel by dredging, and the locks reopened later that year. The Dudley tunnel was reopened at Easter 1973, at a ceremony attended by around 14,000 visitors. A short arm north of the tunnel was restored in 1977, as part of
6549-439: The cost. Gas lights provided illumination which were later replaced by electric lighting. The short Two Locks Line was built to reduce the distance travelled by boats passing through the Lapal Tunnel and heading for the Stourbridge Canal. Brewins Tunnel, which had been built on the Lodge Farm Cut in 1838 was made into a cutting and the Delph Flight of nine locks were rebuilt, the middle seven being replaced by six new locks. A loop to
6660-450: The development of the estate began in the 1870s. The other farms gradually disappeared under the pressure of increasing industrialisation and the demand for building land. Selly Hill Farm was converted into Selly Hill House a minor country residence and Langleys Farm became 'The Langleys'. The 1839 Tithe Map and Apportionments for Northfield Parish, Worcestershire, show that in Bournbrook James Kerby owned 43 acres of land that included pools,
6771-424: The former St Wulstan's C of E School were bought in 1952 for an extension to the school. In 1954 the name was changed to Tiverton Road School. There was a small Quaker boarding school for twelve boys aged eight to sixteen in a building at the junction of Selly Park Road and Oakfield Road. Although no longer a school, the building was destroyed by a bomb during the Second World War and new houses have now been built on
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#17328446656126882-500: The girls were transferred there and the National School was used for boys and infants. In 1898 the schools were united for administration and called Selly Oak and Bournbrook Schools. A third department was opened in 1898, in Dawlish Road, to accommodate 545 senior girls and the Infants department. Bournbrook School was used for boys with additional accommodation for 200 boys provided at the Bournbrook Technical Institute from 1901 to 1903. The Selly Oak and Bournbrook Temporary Council School
6993-423: The grounds better laid out, the establishment was re-christened, and opened as the Bournbrook Hotel at Whitsuntide in 1877. For a short time it was a Firkin Pub, and it is now the Goose at the OVT. The Gun Barrels was just in Edgbaston. During the late 19th century the pub became popular for prize fights because as the Bourn Brook was the county boundary, the pugilists could escape from the local police by crossing
7104-411: The land owned by James Kerby included a forge. An 1861 advertisement for sale of the Bourn Brook Estate (Worcestershire) describes a rolling mill in the occupation of the Bourne Brook Iron Company within a short distance of the mining district. An iron founder and metal roller, Noah Fellows occupied it in 1863. Arthur Holden, a paint manufacturer was the occupant in 1873. From 1880 Frederick Spurrier worked
7215-518: The local authorities through which the canals ran should be included in restoration plans. This plan of action had formed part of the Transport Act 1968 , and was adopted soon afterwards for the Dudley Tunnel Branch. The renamed Dudley Canal Trust began to restore the canal. Over the weekend of 26–27 September 1971, they organised "Dudley Dig and Cruise", at which over 600 people cleared a lock chamber and two lock pounds of debris. In early 1972, Dudley Corporation announced that they would provide half of
7326-438: The location of the medieval mill will be useful to inform the local and regional research cycles. In the 16th century the King family had a fulling mill on the Bourn Brook. Henry Cambden the elder, a knife cutler, built a blade mill on part of Gower's Farm in 1707. In 1727 the mill was assigned to Henry Carver, a brass founder. The Gunsmiths, Heeley and Company, is recorded as occupying the mill in 1816. The Tithe Map of 1839 shows
7437-498: The main campus of the University of Birmingham , numerous houses in the area have been converted from private housing into HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation) for students at the university. In response to this practice, fourteen of Selly Oak's community groups have formed a federation 'CP4SO' (Community Partnership for Selly Oak) to address the major issues that the 'Buy to Let, to convert' might be causing. The Local Action Plan, adopted in July 2001, identifies that: an area of restraint
7548-407: The main line, but the embanked route which cuts off the loop was built as part of the Netherton Tunnel project. Another part of the old loop, the Boshboil Arm, turns to the west opposite Windmill End Junction, where to the north lies the southern portal of Netherton Tunnel. Both this portal and the north portal are grade II listed structures. From Windmill End Junction, Line No. 2 continues towards
7659-527: The main shareholders. In 1784, the Stourbridge and Dudley companies approached the Birmingham Canal about a junction. This would involve building extra locks at Park Head and a tunnel which would link to Lord Dudley's existing mining tunnel which joined the Birmingham Canal at Tipton. The Birmingham Canal Company agreed but imposed heavy tolls on traffic using the junction to compensate for the loss of revenue of goods which would formerly have travelled via Aldersely Junction. Lord Dudley agreed to sell his tunnel to
7770-429: The mill for rolling joined in 1908 by Henry Spurrier. The Tithe Map shows that in 1839 there were seven farms in Selly Oak. Selly Farm was on the corner of Warwards Lane and St Stephen's Road. It was referred to in 1809. It was replaced by a petrol filling station in the 1970s and is now St Stephen's Court, students' apartments. Raddlebarn Farm was formerly Raddle Barn Doors Farm in a reference of 1776. It had 50 acres and
7881-884: The nearby University of Birmingham . Half of the university's Selly Oak campus is located within the constituency. The Cadbury factory and Cadbury World are also within its boundaries. 1955–1974 : The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Balsall Heath , Moseley and King's Heath, and Selly Oak. 1974–1983 : The County Borough of Birmingham wards of King's Norton, Moseley, and Selly Oak. 1983–2010 : The City of Birmingham wards of Bournville, King's Norton , Moseley , and Selly Oak. 2010–2024 : The City of Birmingham wards of Billesley , Bournville , Brandwood , and Selly Oak . 2024–present : The City of Birmingham wards of Billesley; Bournbrook & Selly Park; Bournville & Cotteridge; Brandwood & King’s Heath (part); Druids Heath & Monyhull; Highter’s Heath; Stirchley; Weoley & Selly Oak (part). Minor differences reflecting
7992-528: The pitch flooding and the game was abandoned. George Cadbury was a teacher with the Adult School Movement. When he moved his chocolate factory to Bournville he created purpose built Institutes in Selly Oak , Stirchley , and Northfield to serve the working community. In 1894 he extended the coffee house he had built for the workers of the Selly Oak and Bournbrook villages to include a meeting place for
8103-580: The pub had an adjacent bowling green which may also have been used for croquet. The Plough and Harrow was formerly called the New Inn in 1900 (delete) and took the name Plough and Harrow in 1904. The records of the Birmingham District of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows show a lodge was located at the New Inn, in Selly Oak. The squirrel motif of Holt's Brewery can be seen on the gable. Holts Brewery
8214-510: The revised ward structure in the City of Birmingham which became effective in May 2018. Since its creation in 1955 the seat has switched hands three times between Labour and the Conservatives . The seat has progressively swung towards Labour from being a safe Conservative seat; this has been attributed to housing redevelopments that took place in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, it has acquired
8325-489: The road, before 1771, went by way of Edgbaston Park Road which began opposite Bournbrook Road, alongside Edgbaston Park, along Priory Road, Church Road, Arthur Road, Wheeley's Road, Bath Row, Holloway Head, and Smallbrook Ringway. A new section of the turnpike was made in 1771 at a cost of £5,000, starting at Bristol Street and joining the old road at the Gun Barrels. The first horse-drawn tram service from Birmingham began in
8436-452: The short Withymoor branch was built in 1842. In 1813, the Birmingham Canal had suggested amalgamation with the Dudley Canal as a way to prevent continued reductions in tolls but no action was taken. In 1845, with a number of railway schemes threatening the profitability of the canal, a new approach from the Birmingham Canal Navigations was viewed more favourably and a merger was agreed on 8 October 1845. An act of Parliament to authorise it,
8547-570: The site. Selly Oak Nursery School was founded in Greet in 1904, but in 1921 the school moved to premises in Tiverton Road which had been equipped by Mr. and Mrs. George Cadbury Junior. The following is from the (1964) VCH City of Birmingham An Un-denominational church in Alton Road was registered for public worship from 1912 to 1945. Bournbrook Chapel , a brick building seating 250 in Elmdon Road,
8658-504: The south of the Netherton Tunnel at Bumble Hole was eliminated by making a new cut. Dudley Tunnel was closed in 1884 to allow the south end to be rebuilt. The work was completed and the tunnel was reopened on 23 April 1885. It saw considerable traffic with coal and limestone passing southwards and blast furnace slag making the return journey. Subsidence affected the canal in 1894 when a section near Blackbrook Junction, including part of
8769-698: The south-east, but the original line continues through three locks to a junction with the remains of the Pensnett Canal and the Grazebrook Arm, and into the southern portal of Dudley Tunnel. At the far end is the Black Country Museum, which offers boat trips into the tunnel and associated mines. Following Line No. 2 from Park Head Junction, the canal passes around Netherton Hill, where there are mass graves for cholera victims in St. Andrew's churchyard, after which
8880-501: The straightening of the Bourn Brook and the construction of the mill leat suggests that the site of the Bourn Brook Mill was medieval in origin and that a mill or mills had existed in roughly the same location for 500–600 years. Deposits from the relict water channels were radiocarbon dated to the 15th and 16th centuries. The fishponds that the leat drained into would also have to be of late medieval date. Further opportunity to discover
8991-454: The successful construction, in 1904, of the Elan Valley pipeline the well was retained in case of emergencies but was finally capped in 1920. The beam engine was built by Messrs.' James Watt and Co. and produced 1¼ million gallons each day. The site is now owned by Western Power. Bournbrook Tavern , Bristol Road, was a Mitchells & Butlers pub with an unofficial name of 'The Steps' due to
9102-409: The vicinity. Roman Metchley Fort occupied a site nearby distributing goods such as salt from Droitwich to places further north and west. It is probable that they upgraded existing tracks. At some point they would have needed to ford the brook and Bournbrook seems a likely place with the possibility of local support for periods when the area was flooded. Anglo-Saxon Until 1911 the Bourn Brook
9213-428: The wharf at Halesowen opened for business in early 1797. Tunnelling proved difficult. Thirty shafts were dug, to provide multiple work faces, but much of the route was through sand and large quantities of water had to be pumped out of the workings using three steam engines. The £90,000 had been spent by May 1796 and additional calls on the shares were used to raise the extra £40,000 authorised. Another act of Parliament,
9324-464: The whole project for a year after which Robert Whitworth carried out an inspection. He was satisfied and Underhill continued to manage the construction of the tunnel and an aqueduct near the junction with the No.1 Line while management of the rest of the project was handled by Benjamin Timmins. The section from Netherton to Halesowen had been built about 1 foot (0.30 m) too high but this was rectified and
9435-401: Was a member of both the Stourbridge and the Dudley canal company committees. Lees retained his position. In May 1789, there were further issues when it was discovered that the tunnel was not straight. Pratt resigned, and Josiah Clowes was engaged to complete the project. He finished the tunnel, built a new junction with the Birmingham Canal at Tipton and a reservoir at Gad's Green. Completion
9546-410: Was abandoned in the 1960s but a committee was formed, later becoming the Dudley Canal Trust, and restoration took place culminating in the reopening of Dudley Tunnel in 1973. Lapal Tunnel remains closed and although the Lapal Canal Trust originally campaigned for it to be reopened, they have modified their plans to include a surface route following the conclusion of an engineering study. The Dudley Canal
9657-433: Was agreed that those who had been at the meeting would raise £61,500 and that the remaining £28,500 required would be subscribed by existing Dudley shareholders. The line would be constructed at the same level as the Dudley Canal at Park Head. A tunnel of 3,795 yards (3,470 m) would be required at Lapal and a shorter one of 537 yards (491 m) at Gosty Hill. Another short tunnel was to be built at Halesowen but became
9768-595: Was also provided in the People's Hall, Oak Tree Lane. St Mary's National School Bournbrook was closed in 1939 due to dwindling numbers. The Dawlish Road premises were sold in 1940 as a warehouse but bought by Birmingham Education Committee in 1952 to be an annexe to Tiverton Road County Primary School. Tiverton County Primary School was opened in 1906 by King's Norton and Northfield Urban District Council with accommodation for 510 children. Bournbrook Congregational Church provided accommodation for two classes in 1952. The buildings of
9879-460: Was announced at a shareholder's meeting on 25 June 1792, and the official opening was on 15 October. With the Dudley Tunnel just finished, a meeting was held in Birmingham on 31 August 1792 at which a canal from Birmingham to serve the collieries at Netherton was proposed. The following day, the Dudley Canal Company proposed their own version of a similar canal and following meetings with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, whose line it would join, it
9990-475: Was built. In 1892 there was a Sunday afternoon attendance of 107. In c1908 a new brick chapel seating 500 was built which had, in 1940, five ancillary rooms, one of which was built as a school hall. Church membership in 1932 was 193. It was used after the two Methodist congregations were united until moving to a new Methodist church in Langley's Road in 1966. St Stephen's, Selly Hill: As the congregation of St Mary's,
10101-635: Was exchanged in 1983 with Elim Pentecostal Church. St Wulstan's is now a smaller church in Alton Road Birmingham Selly Oak (UK Parliament constituency) Birmingham Selly Oak is a constituency in the West Midlands , represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Alistair Carns of the Labour Party . The seat includes many students and staff from
10212-464: Was founded in 1887 in Aston, but in 1934 became Ansells Brewery Ltd. It was demolished pre 1987. The Tiverton Pool and Fitness Centre originally opened in Bournbrook on 28 January 1906 as Tiverton Road Public Baths. They were built by King's Norton and Northfield District Council to the design of E Harding Payne and built by a local building firm, T A Cole & Son. There were two swimming baths, one with
10323-463: Was housed in the new University of Birmingham buildings. The railway was carried over the Bristol Road by an embankment and multi-arched viaduct. In the 1920s the central part of the viaduct was replaced with the current steel bridge in order that the new higher trams could pass underneath. The new bridge followed a slightly different alignment. The arches that were used as by Vincent's timber depot have recently been cleared. The current car park occupies
10434-563: Was insufficient to finance the work. The company continued to call money on the shares and raised £9,200 in this way with each £100 share being worth £128. Construction work was completed by 24 June 1779, apart from a water supply reservoir at Pensnett Chase , although little traffic used the canal until the Stourbridge Canal was completed in December of that year. As built, the canal terminated at two basins at Great Ox Leasow and Little Ox Leasow, both built on land owned by T. T. Foley, one of
10545-548: Was laid on 30 March 1870 and the St Stephen's Church was consecrated on 18 August 1871. The patrons are the bishop and trustees; the living is valued at £200; it is a perpetual curacy, and the incumbent is the Rev. R Stokes, M.A. Of the 300 sittings 100 are free. The parishes of parish of St Stephen and St Wulstan combined in 1980. The Lych-gate was added in 1924 St Wulstan's mission church was consecrated as St Wulstans in 1906. The church
10656-422: Was mainly used for grazing cattle. The farmhouse survived until 1974 when it was replaced with a row of modern terraced houses. The cowshed remained until the 1990s being used as a fabric shop and Kaplan's. Bournbrook Farm was at the junction of Exeter and Dawlish Roads. It was owned by John Heeley, a gunmaker who owned Bournbrook Forge and Mill. The track became a road extending as far as the Bristol Road just before
10767-399: Was no obvious commercial future for the waterway. The recommendations included the returning to "cruiseway" status of nine canals, which included the Dudley Canal. The Waterways Recovery Group, formed in 1970 to co-ordinate volunteer involvement in canal restoration, began work on the canal later that year, raising public awareness of the canal and its potential as an amenity. In December 1970,
10878-595: Was obtained in 1793. The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal was authorised soon afterwards which would provide a connection to London. The original route was renamed "Line no 1" to distinguish it from the new "Line no 2" which linked the canal at Park Head Junction , near Netherton , to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Selly Oak , Birmingham via Halesowen and the tunnel at Lapal . Work began in early 1794 with Josiah Clowes as engineer and William Underhill as resident engineer. Clowes died in early 1796 and Underhill managed
10989-456: Was opened by King's Norton and Northfield Urban District Council in 1903 in the room that was previously used as an annexe of Selly Oak and Bournbrook C of E School. The premises were not satisfactory and the school was closed in 1904 when Raddlebarn Lane Temporary Council School was opened. The schools were separated again in 1914 with the 1885 Hubert Road and 1898 Dawlish Road buildings becoming St Wulstan's C of E school. In 1946 accommodation
11100-454: Was opened by members of Selly Oak (Bristol Road) Primitive Methodist church in 1901. In 1932 there was a church membership of 54. Bournbrook Church Hall , Dartmouth Road, was built in 1932 with seating for 350. The church was formed in 1894 and in 1902, when services were being held in a corrugated iron building, numbered 30 members. For some years after 1902 Dartmouth Road was a mission of Francis Road. The vacant chapel has been converted into
11211-663: Was opened in 1876 with five stations. The single track was doubled and extended from Granville Street to New Street, at an estimated cost of £280,400, so that the Midland Railway had a direct run through the town. It was later incorporated into the Midland Railway and the terminus changed to New Street. During the Great War casualties were brought to Selly Oak and transferred to the First Southern and General Military Hospital which
11322-416: Was paid in 1804 and although dividends were never high, they averaged around 4 per cent between 1826 and 1844. Dudley Tunnel was popular with tourists and was mentioned in guides to Dudley Castle written by the Rev. Luke Booker in 1825 and W. Harris in 1845. There were complaints that the tunnel was often blocked by unattended limestone boats but this problem seems to have been resolved by 1799 although there
11433-470: Was proposed for the area between Bristol Road, Heeley Road, Raddlebarn Road, and Bournbrook Road. Within this area planning permission for further purpose built student accommodation may be refused. Planning permission is required for the conversion of dwellings for more than six people, or where people do not live as a single household. Planning approval may be refused throughout the Plan area, but particularly within
11544-524: Was said to be an average Sunday attendance at the meeting-house of 70. St John's Methodist Church was opened by the Wesleyans in 1835, and provided sittings for 108. It was replaced in 1877 by a new chapel costing £2,414 which provided sittings for 350. Important extensions were notified to the Wesleyan Chapel Committee in 1909. In 1940 St John's was described as a brick building seating 494 with
11655-482: Was seen as part of a scheme to transport coal from coalfields near Dudley to Stourbridge where it would be used for industry. Limestone and ironstone were other potential cargos. A meeting was held in Stourbridge in February 1775 at which Robert Whitworth was commissioned to survey a route and the whole cost of the project was promised. The principal promoter was Lord Dudley and the route ran from Dudley to Stourton on
11766-501: Was shown in 1787–9 on the most westerly of the streams from Edgbaston Pool where it joined the Bourn Brook near the Bristol Road. This may be the old silver rolling mill owned by Mr Spurrier referred to by Leonard, located near the present Eastern Road that was fed by the brook that ran from Edgbaston Pool. A miller was mentioned in the Lechmere Tax Rolls for Weleye and Selleye in 1276–82. An archaeological excavation identified that
11877-404: Was suggested, by members of the trust in attendance, that this may have been the first vessel to operate beyond Harborne Lane Wharf, since the brickworks at the Eastern end of the Lapal Tunnel was closed in 1926. Photographs were posted on the Lapal Canal Trust's website. The canal forms an end-on junction with the Stourbridge Canal at the foot of the eight Delph Locks . These are usually known as
11988-504: Was the ancient Anglo-Saxon boundary between Worcestershire and Staffordshire (Harborne), and Warwickshire (Edgbaston). The boundaries of the Midland shires were possibly established during the reign of the Danish Kings from 1016 to 1042 based on the former tribal kingdoms. Physical features were frequently used to identify the boundary of a region or estate. The Hamlet of Bournbrook developed at
12099-408: Was the last canal tunnel built in England. Subsidence from coal mining was a significant problem for much of the life of the canal. The Lapal Tunnel was regularly affected and a section near Blackbrook Junction fell into mine workings in 1894. The route was restored but the short Two Locks Line nearby was abandoned in 1909 and the Lapal Tunnel suffered the same fate in 1917. Most of rest of the canal
12210-502: Was the on-site engineering manager and the main contract for the tunnel went to John Pinkerton. Its width was to be 9.25 feet (2.82 m) with 7 feet (2.1 m) of headroom and 5.5 feet (1.7 m) of water. The contract specified that it should be finished by 25 March 1788. In 1787, Pinkerton's work was thought to be unsatisfactory and work stopped while arguments took place. Dadford was paid off, Pinkerton had to pay half of his £4,000 bond and work restarted with Isaac Pratt in charge. He
12321-399: Was worse and it was closed twice in 1801 and for four months in 1805. Incentives to aid passage through the Lapal Tunnel began in 1820. Any boat carrying over 15 tons could claim one shilling and sixpence (7.5p) for hiring extra leggers. This was increased to three shillings (15p) in 1829 providing the boat was carrying 18 tons. In 1841, the superintendent of the canal, Thomas Brewin, devised
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