59-604: Dorridge is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands (county) , England. Historically part of the historic county of Warwickshire , the village is encompassed within the electoral ward of Dorridge and Hockley Heath, which had a population of 11,140 in the 2011 census . Dorridge is to the north of the M40 and the east of the M42 which, along with
118-742: A Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP) for the Birmingham constituency from 1840 until his death. His father Philip Frederic Muntz came to England from Poland (now Lithuania) shortly after the French revolution, and lived at Selby Hall, Worcestershire. Philip Muntz established himself as a merchant and manufacturer in Birmingham, with the company, Muntz & Purden, specialising in steel toys. He married Catherine, daughter of his business partner Robert Purden, of Radford. George's younger brother, Philip Henry Muntz (1811 – 1888), J.P. , M.P. for Birmingham,
177-474: A 'miry or muddy' or soily hill. The parish church was built on a hill of stiff red marl , which turned to sticky mud in wet weather. Solihull was an ancient parish , covering the town itself and adjoining rural areas, including Shirley . Solihull was made the centre of a poor law union in 1836, covering eleven parishes: Baddesley Clinton , Balsall , Barston , Elmdon , Knowle , Lapworth , Nuthurst , Packwood , Solihull, Tanworth and Yardley . Yardley
236-529: A Republican, his true character appeared to be that of an egotistical aristocrat. E. Edwards wrote in 1877 in the Birmingham Daily Mail of a conversation about a speech he made: "They won't be able to print Muntz's speech verbatim." "Why not?" said I. "Why my dear fellow, no printing office in the world would have capital I's enough." Dr Fletcher of Dorridge, together with Jonathan Henry Kimball of Knowle also provided for an 'Asylum for 20 Idiot Girls' in
295-578: A brass-making process for creating Muntz Metal , a form of brass used in shipbuilding, the family acquired a considerable estate in the area. Possibly the most famous of the Muntz family was the inventor of Muntz metal, George Frederic Muntz , who was also an early Member of Parliament for Birmingham . He was a supporter of political reform and a founding member of the Birmingham Political Union along with Thomas Attwood . In his actions that led to
354-883: A charter in 1954 making Solihull into a Municipal Borough ; ten years later it was given the status of County Borough . Reorganisation of boundaries and council responsibilities in 1974 created the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull by the merger of the Solihull County Borough and most of the Meriden Rural District , which forms the main rural part of the borough and county. It included Balsall Common, Barston, Berkswell, Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Elmdon, Fordbridge, Hampton in Arden, Hockley Heath, Kingshurst, Knowle, Marston Green, Meriden, Olton, Smiths Wood, Solihull, Shirley and Temple Balsall. In 1986
413-471: A conversation about a speech he made: "They won't be able to print Muntz's speech verbatim." "Why not?" said I. "Why my dear fellow, no printing office in the world would have capital I's enough". His home was at Umberslade Hall , in Tanworth in Arden . In the grounds of his estate, Muntz's son commissioned a church to be built which stands to this day, Umberslade Baptist Church . His descendants still live in
472-511: A friendship organisation, it supports local charities, with the two main events it runs being Dorridge Day and the Christmas sleigh, visiting nearly every street in the area every December. Dorridge Scout Group was formed from the old 1st and 2nd Dorridge Scouts. [1] Nearby there are the historic buildings of Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton now in the care of the National Trust , and
531-548: A microphone system installed and linked to Umberslade Hall so he could hear the services. The church is now in the ownership of Historic Chapels Trust Knowle and Dorridge Christadelphians meet in Dorridge Village Hall on Sundays. Knowle and Dorridge Round Table 812 was founded in 1963. For many years its regular meeting place was in Knowle, but the membership has always been drawn from the two communities. Whilst primarily
590-492: A short walk from the town centre. It has a small shopping centre, a village hall, at least three churches and a number of schools. It has a substantial park bordering the countryside. There are a few small restaurants, and three pubs. The property prices around Dorridge are the highest in the West Midlands region and also the highest in the entire English Midlands . In 2005, several houses sold for over £1,000,000 according to
649-481: A single track running south of Banbury. Dual track working was reinstated and today in spite of being a village, Dorridge is still one of the stops on the express service. The development of Dorridge is strongly linked to the Muntz family, who lived in nearby Umberslade Hall . The Muntz family were descendants of Philip Fredrick Muntz, an immigrant of the 18th century, who had left revolutionary France after settling there from Poland. Through industrial wealth, founded on
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#1733086346788708-499: A small but important green belt area, separates Dorridge and its neighbours of Knowle and Bentley Heath from the greater urban area of Birmingham , with the town of Solihull encompassing the green-belt area. It is situated at the southwestern extreme of the Meriden Gap and until 1974 was part of Warwickshire . Indeed, there are no major towns between Dorridge and Warwick. It is 125 metres (400 ft) above sea-level, located in
767-526: A visitor would be surprised to know that there was significant activity in the area over the last hundred years. In Poplar Road, between the Station and the level crossing at Bentley Heath, a significant goods yard existed. During the 1960s and 1970s the Austin Motor Company used it to deliver up to 600 cars a day for export, via the railway. It has now been replaced with sheltered housing. A brickworks,
826-410: Is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull , from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG32) and is one of seven boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region . Much of the large residential population in the north of the borough centres on
885-527: Is part of the Meriden constituency. Which will be renamed as Meriden and Solihull East for the 2024 general election . Aside from the strong church communities, the town benefits from a Round Table , a Residents' Association, a Neighbourhood Forum, drama groups and youth organisations including the strong Dorridge Scout Group. Some of the organisations are shared with Knowle, such as Knowle Sea Scout Group for young people aged 6 to 18. The Residents' Association
944-486: The Meriden Gap (after the village of Meriden ) which serves as a green belt separating the Birmingham conurbation from the city of Coventry. Parts of Solihull neighbour the suburbs of Minworth and Hall Green . Parts also lie close to (but not contiguous with) the town of Coleshill and city of Coventry . Elections to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of
1003-790: The Grand Union Canal is in walking distance with both the Heron's Nest and Black Boy pubs being accessible. The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal also links in and is notable for a large flight of locks that descend into nearby Lapworth from Birmingham . To the West, just across the M42, there is a nature reserve at Blythe Valley Business Park. The park is next to the River Blythe which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest . Footpaths run from Dorridge both to
1062-653: The Local Government Act 1894 . The 1894 Act split districts which straddled county boundaries, and so Yardley became a separate rural district (which was later absorbed into Birmingham in 1911), whilst the Warwickshire parishes from the Solihull poor law union became the Solihull Rural District. The 1894 Act also created parish councils for rural parishes , including Solihull. The Solihull Rural District and
1121-520: The Midlands Plateau . Both Knowle and the sub-village of Bentley Heath are contiguous with Dorridge to the north and share its B93 postcode. The village of Dorridge did not exist as a community until the mid-19th century, though it is mentioned as far back as 1400 in the Westminster Muniments which recorded a place called 'Derrech' - a clearing in the wood frequented by animals. It was just
1180-606: The Reform Act 1832 Muntz was indicted for sedition as he tried to undermine the Duke of Wellington with a run on gold – To stop the Duke, run for Gold . He also was involved in a riot at St Martin's in Birmingham in protest against the Church Rates which were levied at around 6d to 9d in the pound. He was sent to trial in 1838 but was acquitted on all but one of 13 charges. Whilst claiming to be
1239-683: The 1960s, though of limited architectural merit, were built with large gardens; many owners have since imposed character on these houses. More modern developments have seen the move to build apartment-style blocks, though there have also been substantial houses built, often on the site of much smaller houses and at the expense of the large gardens that still characterise the area. The Infant and Junior schools today have over 750 pupils, until as recently as 1955 there were no schools in Dorridge, with pupils travelling to Bentley Heath, Hockley Heath, Knowle or Packwood to get an education. In 1955 Dorridge Junior School
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#17330863467881298-453: The 51 seats on the council being elected at each election. Since the 2011 election The Conservative Party has had a majority on the council. At the 2015 election to the council, the following members were returned: For election purposes the council is divided up into the following wards based on civil parishes . Each ward is represented by three councillors: The constituent parts of the borough's coat of arms are: A stylised version of
1357-468: The Knowle Brick Company, existed off Mill Lane with its own clay pit. The company ceased production in 1969, and whole the site was converted to housing in 1993 by Bloor Homes . The extent of the brickworks and pit site is the same as that now occupied by all the housing accessed via Oakhall Drive. A gasworks was developed on land that has now been developed into flats. Many of the buildings around
1416-527: The Middlefield Hospital site occurred at a similar time. The architecture is a reflection of this development — there are some fine buildings from the Victorian era all around the area. Over the years, each period has then added buildings of its style — Avenue Road, for example, has classic Art Deco houses with rounded metal-framed windows. Building sizes were restricted in the post-war era. Buildings in
1475-705: The Park and to Solihull 's Brueton Park, the latter at times running alongside the River Blythe. As well as being home to Ye Olde Knowle Bowling Club, Dorridge Cricket Club play at The John Woolman Ground in Grange Road while Birmingham and District Premier League side Knowle and Dorridge Cricket Club sits on the village's border with Knowle. John Wyndham - (John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris) - born in Dorridge - (10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) Metropolitan Borough of Solihull The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
1534-665: The Second to lay the foundation stone of Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. The asylum was funded mainly by the local Counties of the Midlands, but George Fredrick Muntz sponsored competition with a prize of £100 for the best design. It provided for housing idiot children from all over the Midlands. It is perhaps telling that in 1867 it was renamed to be the 'Midland Counties Middleclass Idiots Asylum' and although subsidised, families typically had to pay an annual fee to have their children placed there. This
1593-552: The Solihull Parish Council were abolished in 1932. A new urban district of Solihull was created; the parishes of Solihull, Elmdon, Knowle, Nuthurst, Packwood and Sheldon were abolished and most of their combined area became the new urban district, subject to various adjustments to the boundaries with neighbouring parishes. The parts of the old Solihull Rural District not included were added to neighbouring rural districts. Expansion continued and Queen Elizabeth II granted
1652-577: The Solihull borough effectively became a unitary authority when the West Midlands County Council was abolished. It remains part of the West Midlands for ceremonial purposes , and for functions such as police, fire and public transport. There is some support to return the borough to Warwickshire for ceremonial purposes, as was the case when the County of Avon was abolished and Bath was returned to Somerset. There were also complaints that Solihull
1711-522: The Station Approach Conservation Area which they intend to refurbish. An independent local group was formed in 2010 as a focus of opposition to any redevelopment of Forest Court which, it is argued, would be inappropriate in scale for the existing village centre. After some changes to the plans approval was given by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, and in the summer of 2013 Sainsbury's submitted an application to amend some details of
1770-407: The airport to the nearby Birmingham International railway station . Around three-quarters of the borough is greenbelt and a large proportion of that is worked farmland. The borough shares its boundaries with Birmingham to the west and north, Coventry to the east, Warwickshire to both the north and south and Worcestershire to the south west. The borough contains a sizeable rural area known as
1829-471: The area and operate Umberslade Hall Children's Farm. He had seven sons and two daughters. The family business was continued by the eldest son, George Frederick junior together with Philip Albert Muntz , also a Member of Parliament who was created a Baronet in 1902 (see Muntz Baronets ). George's brother, Philip Henry Muntz , was also an MP. One son, William Henry Muntz, designed a new type of paddle wheel. The Muntz family are remembered by Muntz Street ,
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1888-503: The area that is now a Conservation Area – Station Approach – date back to around the start of the 20th century or before, though aside from the Forest Court shopping centre and the HSBC bank, now a café, the centre is essentially unchanged from the mid-1950s. In 2008, Sainsbury's revealed that they had purchased a long lease to redevelop the Forest Court shopping centre and also owned part of
1947-575: The area. The Forum is run entirely by volunteers, and by Spring 2017 had a membership of over 800. St Phillip's Church was first built in 1878. It was demolished and rebuilt in 2020. Originally, the Catholic population had no formal meeting place but met in Cross Close, a house in Arden Drive. In 1917 St George & St Teresa's church was built on Station Road. This burnt down in 1935 and was replaced with
2006-406: The behaviour of the patients. The demand for this facility was such that a purpose-built Idiot Asylum was then constructed in 1872 near Grove Road for £10,000. The construction of this was something of a national event: representatives of 100 Masonic Lodges marched from Knowle Station to take part in the laying of the foundation stone, which was set in place using the same mallet used by King Charles
2065-543: The borough include: There is a longer list in the article for Solihull town. The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Solihull. 52°24′32″N 1°46′51″W / 52.40880°N 1.78092°W / 52.40880; -1.78092 George Frederic Muntz George Frederick Muntz (26 November 1794 – 30 July 1857) was an industrialist from Birmingham , England and
2124-503: The coat of arms can be seen on the top left of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's website pages, and the official, heraldic version appears on a dedicated page on the same site – external links below. Solihull is regarded as having one of the strongest subregional economies in the West Midlands, with a significantly higher nominal GVA per capita and Silhillians enjoying considerably higher disposable income rates than both regional and UK averages. Analysis also shows Solihull as having
2183-658: The communities of Castle Bromwich , Kingshurst , Marston Green and Smith's Wood as well as the towns of Chelmsley Wood and Fordbridge . In the south are the towns of Shirley and Solihull, as well as the large villages of Knowle , Dorridge , Meriden and Balsall Common . Since 2011, Solihull has formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership along with neighbouring authorities Birmingham , Bromsgrove , Cannock Chase , East Staffordshire , Lichfield , Redditch , Tamworth and Wyre Forest . Solihull probably derived its name from
2242-432: The earliest post-War developments was Kingscote Road, one of the few developments of semi-detached housing in the area, followed by the nearby Rodborough Road development in 1960. There was a substantial development in the 1960s around the area christened by estate agents as the "Golden Triangle" – alluding to the expensive and desirable housing of the area bounded by Dorridge Road, Avenue Road and Knowle Wood Road. Even then
2301-513: The earliest records. The Drum and Monkey existed from around 1860, though then it was known as The White Lion Inn. In 1852 the railway was built by the Great Western Railway , originally in Brunel's preferred 7-foot gauge track. Dorridge railway station , which was originally called Knowle , and later Knowle and Dorridge , created the focal point for a new community. The Muntz family granted
2360-474: The land for the railway on condition that a station was built – perhaps less surprising on discovering that the Chairman of the Birmingham & Oxford Railway Company was P. H. Muntz, a relative. There is some folklore about the agreement that suggests that the railway was obliged to stop at Dorridge; however, with the affluent residents of Knowle and Dorridge, it was certainly a commercial practicality. Evidence of
2419-678: The land registry. According to housing website Zoopla , the average house price in Dorridge in the year to October 2024 was almost £678,000, amongst the very highest in the UK outside of London. There are a number of notable residents who live here or very nearby, Jasper Carrott , The Office actress Lucy Davis , Sir Adrian Cadbury , Karren Brady former managing director of Birmingham City F.C , Steve Bruce , former manager of Birmingham City F.C , former England International Lee Hendrie , alongside many other professional footballers and Musicians Bev Bevan , Harry Sutcliffe and Russell Leetch . Dorridge
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2478-430: The local press noted the high cost of housing, and that 2 and 3 car households were well above the national average. This area of housing has been noted as the most expensive in all of Dorridge and Knowle. This neighbourhood's proximity to the railway station has pushed property prices up much more than other areas of Dorridge. The population expanded rapidly: there were around 600 dwellings in 1955, which expanded to 1800 by
2537-683: The lowest (and fastest falling) claimant count for Jobseeker's Allowance in the region. The current Flybe airline maintains its head office on the second floor of Diamond House on the property of Birmingham Airport . This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Solihull at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. ^1 includes hunting and forestry ^2 includes energy and construction ^3 includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured ^4 Components may not sum to totals due to rounding Localities in
2596-466: The mid-1970s to somewhere above 2500 homes by the year 2000. Whilst there is a history of locals taking a dim view of developers, a local developer, Mr Ford, gave the land which is now Dorridge Park to the community in 1965. In the late 1990s another substantial development was built on former farmland in the area known as Four Ashes, behind the Porsche Centre Solihull, and the development of
2655-418: The mid-19th century, in 'Dorridge Grove' which was on the site of the former 'Royal Oak'; the building still exists as a distinctive house on Knowle Wood Road. The term 'idiot' was a specific term for those considered ineducable and was considered different from insanity. The records of the early years show that it was a successful enterprise, surprising those who visited that they achieved so much improvement in
2714-571: The name given to the ridge of land running westwards from Knowle (also then called 'Dorege'). The earliest evidence of settlement dates to the Bronze Age – an axe dated to 1300 BC was found in Norton Green. Cottages dating back to the 16th century exist in Mill Pool Lane. However, the lack of any significant road system until the arrival of the railway showed that there was no community there. With
2773-495: The popularity of the railway can be seen in that a "bus" service from the Greswolde Hotel in Knowle was provided in the early days of the railway at the cost of 6d. In its heyday, the train service ran between Lapworth and Birmingham with four tracks, but by the mid-1960s two tracks had been removed and traffic was declining. The link with London was revived in the 1990s as part of the privatisation of British Rail , initially with
2832-549: The rise of Solihull , a road connecting to Hockley Heath became formed. Along this road, the Four Ashes (after which the recently developed estate was named) became a landmark – records show the trees being present in 1662 and marking the Parish boundary. They were also mapped in 1725 even in preference to some local buildings of note. The ashes still exist today near to the driving range, though they have been replaced several times since
2891-432: The scheme. The railway station is on the line between London and Birmingham. Chiltern Railways have created an inter-city route out of the run-down remnants of what had become primarily a goods line. A West Midlands Railway route now terminates in Dorridge or Leamington Spa , from Birmingham . Dorridge is neither urban nor a village. However, it sits right next to the Warwickshire countryside, with green fields being
2950-547: The substantial building on the same site, which still exists today. In 2006, a parish centre was added to the church, which was paid off in 2015. The Methodists put down their roots in 1958 with the arrival of their church in Mill Lane. In 1877, George Fredrick Muntz founded Christ Church Umberslade, a Baptist church off Spring Lane, Hockley Heath following his conversion to the Baptists cause. In later years, due to ill-health, he had
3009-562: Was built and by 1963 an Infant School was built. These were joined by the Catholic School of St. George and Teresa. The secondary education is mainly provided by Arden School in nearby Knowle, which now also has a sixth form centre. The sixth form buildings were completed in 2007 with additions being made every year. A considerable number of children go to private schools in Solihull, Warwick or Birmingham or to grammar schools in Birmingham, Stratford and Alcester. When coming to Dorridge today,
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#17330863467883068-477: Was extended in 1893 and evolved into the Middlefield Hospital which existed on the same site until the 1990s, having been adopted by the National Health Service in 1948. Dorridge was not considered a district in its own right until 1940. Around the start of the 19th century, much of what is now Knowle Wood Road, (was then Packwood Road) was farmland with just a few dwellings, similarly Avenue Road (which
3127-523: Was formed in 1961. It was formed in response to concerns over unwelcome developments and also helped develop facilities for local residents. In 1974, Dorridge Day was first held as a fundraising event for the Village Hall which was opened in 1976. The Dorridge & District Residents Association first ran the event, though in recent years, Knowle and Dorridge Round Table have run this popular annual fair. Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Forum
3186-468: Was formed in 2015 with the purpose of bringing together the people from the three adjoining villages to define how they would like to see the villages develop in the future. The Forum will collate the policies developed into a draft Neighbourhood Plan for the three villages during 2017, and subsequently arrange for a local referendum to create the Neighbourhood Plan as a statutory planning document for
3245-544: Was in Worcestershire and the rest of the parishes were in Warwickshire . Such poor law unions formed the basis for later local government areas. In 1872 poor law unions also became rural sanitary districts for the parts of their areas without urban authorities; there were no urban authorities in the Solihull union. In 1894 rural sanitary districts were converted into rural districts with their own elected councils under
3304-488: Was indicted for sedition as he tried to undermine the Duke of Wellington with a run on gold: To stop the Duke, run for gold . He also was involved in a riot at Saint Martins in Birmingham in protest against the Church Rates which were levied at around 6d to 9d in the pound . He was sent to trial in 1838, but was acquitted on all but one of 13 charges. Whilst claiming to be a republican, his true character appeared to be that of an egotistical aristocrat. Edwards wrote in 1877 of
3363-572: Was not involved in the design of the Warwickshire flag in 2016. The borough is bordered by the M6 and the M40 and split by the M42 which divides the urban centre of the borough from the rural south and east. The borough's transport links have led to a number of established large businesses being based in the borough, such as Land Rover , the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham Airport . A short automatic light transport system links
3422-403: Was the first head of the Muntz family of Edstone Hall, Warwickshire. As an industrialist, George Frederic Muntz developed Muntz Metal . This was a brass alloy intended to replace the copper that was then used to prevent fouling on ocean-going ships. Muntz was a supporter of political reform and a member of the Birmingham Political Union . In his actions that led to the Reform Act of 1832, he
3481-459: Was then Warwick Road) had a handful of dwellings. By the 1930s the main Dorridge Triangle was properly established. Aside from the substantial family homes, there are a significant number of mansions, some of which, such as Parkfield near the park, have now been converted into flats. During the 1930s, development slowed, and it was not until the 1950s that expansion gathered pace again. One of
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