Bournbrook
Encyclopedia
Bournbrook is a residential
suburb
an district in south-west Birmingham
, England
. The suburb of Bournbrook is bordered by Selly Oak
to the west and south, Selly Park
to the east, and Edgbaston
to the north. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal
and the Birmingham Cross-City Railway Line run along the southern boundary of the area. Much of Bournbrook was developed for industrial housing from the late 19th century, mostly in terraces of small dwellings.
The name comes from the Bourn Brook
, a tributary of the River Rea
, which flows along the northern boundary of the area (Bournville
is named after a different Bourn).
local authority electoral ward
, along with the districts of Selly Oak
, Selly Park
, Ten Acres and a small part of Stirchley
. It also comes under the Selly Oak local council constituency, which is managed by its own district committee, and comprises both the Selly Oak ward as well as the wards of Billesley, Bournville and Brandwood.
the area has become the principal area of private housing for students at the university, with university students representing as much as 76% of the population of Bournbrook and 29% of the total population of the Selly Oak ward as a whole.
Due to the large concentration of students in Bournbrook, the area has retained many of its pubs
. There are also numerous eateries along the Bristol Road (A38
). Bournbrook also has a very high concentration of curry houses, largely run by Bengali immigrants.
on the Cross-City Line, providing services to the Birmingham New Street
, Lichfield Trent Valley
and Redditch
stations. The former Bristol Road tram route and its depots were replaced by buses in 1952.
and included two swimming baths, one with a gallery for spectators, a children's bath and private baths for men and women. The larger swimming pool would be floored over in the winter months and the floorspace was used for gymnastics. In 1911, it was taken over by Birmingham Baths Committee
. More recently it has been converted into 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.
King's Norton and Northfield District Council
also built the public library.
, the Anglican church of Bournbrook, was consecrated on 6 and 7 October 1906. Its commemorative foundation stone declares that it was built "To the Glory of God and for the benefit of the People of Bournbrook". It became a separate parish in 1911.
At the end of the nineteenth-century and beginning of the twentieth Bournbrook was home to a small meeting of Conservative Quakers
, who also ran a school in Tiverton Road. Sometime in the 1880s the group joined with a like-minded Friends meeting based at Fritchley
in Derbyshire
, to form an independent General Meeting entirely separate of the London Yearly Meeting
, however following disagreements over the fact the Friends in Fritchley refused to travel to Bournbrook for meetings, and also concerns about the increasing permissiveness of the former, the Bournbrook meeting separated from them in 1906. Some members also left for a better life in Canada
in the early 1900s, and following the loss of the school because of fire in 1910, what remained of the Bournbrook meeting appears to have emigrated en masse, establishing the Halcyonia Monthly Meeting at Borden
in Saskatchewan
.
The local Muslim community, which is predominantly of Bangladeshi origin, is served by the Jalalabad Mosque and Islamic Centre in Dartmouth Road.
Until the mid-sixties, Bournbrook was the home to Ariel motorcycles
owned by first Charles Sangster then his son Jack Sangster
, and with their main factory in Dale Road. Ariel was the first motorcycle company to employ noted designer Edward Turner
from Peckham
to join their established engineer, Val Page
. He introduced the Ariel Square Four
model and re-vamped their Ariel Red Hunter
range. Ariel acquired Triumph motorcycles before the Second World War and, with Triumph, was itself later absorbed into the Birmingham Small Arms group when Jack Sangster joined their board. Although introducing new models, the Ariel Leader
and Ariel Arrow, the Bournbrook site gradually lost importance within the BSA
group with their final model, the ignominious Ariel 3 being wholly produced at Small Heath.
Until recently Westley Richards
was still in Grange Road.
Residential area
A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for residential use may permit...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an district in south-west Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The suburb of Bournbrook is bordered by Selly Oak
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south...
to the west and south, Selly Park
Selly Park
Selly Park is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Selly Park is located between the Bristol Road and the Pershore Road .-Toponymy:...
to the east, and Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
to the north. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Worcester and Birmingham Canal
The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a canal linking Birmingham and Worcester in England. It starts in Worcester, as an 'offshoot' of the River Severn and ends in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. It is long....
and the Birmingham Cross-City Railway Line run along the southern boundary of the area. Much of Bournbrook was developed for industrial housing from the late 19th century, mostly in terraces of small dwellings.
Toponymy
Bourn Brook
Bourn Brook is a common name for small rivers, reflected in a number of place names. See:* Bourn Brook, Cambridgeshire* Bournbrook, Birmingham* Bournville, Birmingham...
, a tributary of the River Rea
River Rea
The River Rea is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. The name of the river derives from a root found in many Indo-European languages and means "to run" or "to flow". It frequently bursts its banks after heavy rain....
, which flows along the northern boundary of the area (Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
is named after a different Bourn).
Governance
The suburb is in the Selly OakSelly Oak (ward)
The Selly Oak local council ward is one of the 40 electoral wards for the City of Birmingham, England. It is also one of the four wards that make up the local council constituency of Selly Oak, the other three being the wards of Billesley, Bournville and Brandwood....
local authority electoral ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
, along with the districts of Selly Oak
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south...
, Selly Park
Selly Park
Selly Park is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Selly Park is located between the Bristol Road and the Pershore Road .-Toponymy:...
, Ten Acres and a small part of Stirchley
Stirchley, West Midlands
Stirchley is a southern area of Birmingham, England. Close to the districts of Kings Heath, Bournville, Selly Park, Cotteridge and King's Norton...
. It also comes under the Selly Oak local council constituency, which is managed by its own district committee, and comprises both the Selly Oak ward as well as the wards of Billesley, Bournville and Brandwood.
Geography
Population and services
Located adjacent to the main campus of the University of BirminghamUniversity of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
the area has become the principal area of private housing for students at the university, with university students representing as much as 76% of the population of Bournbrook and 29% of the total population of the Selly Oak ward as a whole.
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. There are also numerous eateries along the Bristol Road (A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
). Bournbrook also has a very high concentration of curry houses, largely run by Bengali immigrants.
Public transport
Both Bournbrook and Selly Oak are served by Selly Oak railway stationSelly Oak railway station
Selly Oak railway station is a railway station in Selly Oak in Birmingham, England on the Cross-City Line between Redditch, Birmingham and Lichfield....
on the Cross-City Line, providing services to the Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
, Lichfield Trent Valley
Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
Lichfield Trent Valley is a split-level railway station on the outskirts of the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations in Lichfield, the other being in the city-centre.-History:...
and Redditch
Redditch railway station
Redditch railway station serves the town of Redditch, Worcestershire, England. It is the southern terminus of the Cross-City Line 23 km south of Birmingham New Street...
stations. The former Bristol Road tram route and its depots were replaced by buses in 1952.
Public facilities
The Tiverton Pool and Fitness Centre originally opened in Bournbrook on January 28, 1906 as Tiverton Road Public Baths. They were built by King's Norton and Northfield District CouncilKing's Norton and Northfield
King's Norton and Northfield Urban District was a local government administrative district in north Worcestershire, England, from 1898 until 1911...
and included two swimming baths, one with a gallery for spectators, a children's bath and private baths for men and women. The larger swimming pool would be floored over in the winter months and the floorspace was used for gymnastics. In 1911, it was taken over by Birmingham Baths Committee
Birmingham Baths Committee
The Birmingham Baths Committee was a Birmingham City Council-run organisation responsible for the provision and maintenance of public swimming and bathing facilities within the Birmingham boundaries in England...
. More recently it has been converted into 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.
King's Norton and Northfield District Council
King's Norton and Northfield
King's Norton and Northfield Urban District was a local government administrative district in north Worcestershire, England, from 1898 until 1911...
also built the public library.
Religion
St Wulstan'sWulfstan, Bishop of Worcester
Wulfstan , Bishop of Worcester, was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop and the only English-born bishop after 1075. Wulfstan is a Christian saint.-Denomination:His denomination as Wulfstan II is to indicate that he is the second Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester...
, the Anglican church of Bournbrook, was consecrated on 6 and 7 October 1906. Its commemorative foundation stone declares that it was built "To the Glory of God and for the benefit of the People of Bournbrook". It became a separate parish in 1911.
At the end of the nineteenth-century and beginning of the twentieth Bournbrook was home to a small meeting of Conservative Quakers
Conservative Friends
Conservative Friends refers to members of a certain branch of the Religious Society of Friends . In the United States of America Conservative Friends belong to three Yearly Meetings—Iowa Yearly Meeting , North Carolina Yearly Meeting , and Ohio Yearly Meeting...
, who also ran a school in Tiverton Road. Sometime in the 1880s the group joined with a like-minded Friends meeting based at Fritchley
Fritchley
Fritchley is a small village in Derbyshire south of Crich and north of Ambergate. To the west of the village is the ruin of a windmill. Fritchley has no church, although there is a pub, the Red Lion....
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, to form an independent General Meeting entirely separate of the London Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
, however following disagreements over the fact the Friends in Fritchley refused to travel to Bournbrook for meetings, and also concerns about the increasing permissiveness of the former, the Bournbrook meeting separated from them in 1906. Some members also left for a better life in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the early 1900s, and following the loss of the school because of fire in 1910, what remained of the Bournbrook meeting appears to have emigrated en masse, establishing the Halcyonia Monthly Meeting at Borden
Borden, Saskatchewan
-Notable people:* Robert Wardhaugh, born 1967, in Borden, Saskatchewan is an award-winning History professor at the University of Western Ontario.* David Orchard, is a Canadian political figure and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.- See also :* List of communities in Saskatchewan* Villages...
in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
The local Muslim community, which is predominantly of Bangladeshi origin, is served by the Jalalabad Mosque and Islamic Centre in Dartmouth Road.
Industry
Industry in the Bournbrook area has included gunmaking, boxmaking and motor cycle manufacture.Until the mid-sixties, Bournbrook was the home to Ariel motorcycles
Ariel (vehicle)
Ariel was a bicycle, motorcycle and automobile marque manufacturer based in Bournbrook, Birmingham, England. Car production moved to Coventry in 1911. The company name was reused in 1999 for the formation of Ariel Ltd, a sports car producer.-History:...
owned by first Charles Sangster then his son Jack Sangster
Jack Sangster
John Young Sangster was an industrialist who became an important figure in the history of the British motorcycle industry. He is more commonly known as Jack Sangster.-Early life:...
, and with their main factory in Dale Road. Ariel was the first motorcycle company to employ noted designer Edward Turner
Edward Turner
Edward Turner was a British motorcycle designer. He was born in Camberwell in the London Borough of Southwark, on the day King Edward VII was proclaimed King....
from Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
to join their established engineer, Val Page
Val Page
Valentine Page was a British motorcycle designer born in 1892. Described as Britain's greatest motorcycle designer, he worked for most of the leading marques, including Ariel, Triumph, and BSA. He died in 1978.-J.A Prestwich:...
. He introduced the Ariel Square Four
Ariel Square Four
The Square Four was an Ariel motorcycle designed by Edward Turner, who devised the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing drawings of his engine design to motorcycle manufacturers. The engine was essentially a pair of 'across frame' OHC parallel twins joined by...
model and re-vamped their Ariel Red Hunter
Ariel Red Hunter
The Ariel Red Hunter was the name used for a range of Ariel single-cylinder motorcycles. They were designed by the firm's chief designer Val Page in 1932 around an overhead-valve single-cylinder engine he developed six years earlier...
range. Ariel acquired Triumph motorcycles before the Second World War and, with Triumph, was itself later absorbed into the Birmingham Small Arms group when Jack Sangster joined their board. Although introducing new models, the Ariel Leader
Ariel Leader
The Leader was an Ariel motorcycle made from 1958 and 1965. A radical design, the Leader was fully enclosed with an integral windscreen and was the first British motorcycle to have flashing indicators...
and Ariel Arrow, the Bournbrook site gradually lost importance within the BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
group with their final model, the ignominious Ariel 3 being wholly produced at Small Heath.
Until recently Westley Richards
Westley Richards
Westley Richards is one of the oldest surviving traditional English gunmakers. It was founded in 1812 by William Westley Richards. Their inventions included the Anson & Deeley boxlock action and the Droplock, which equals in status James Purdey's self opening and Holland & Holland's removable...
was still in Grange Road.
Notable buildings
- St Wulstan's Church (now the Elim church)
- Bournbrook Friends' Institute, later the Selly Oak Institute
- Goose at the Old Varsity Tavern (formerly the Bournbrook Hotel)
Notable residents
- David HughesDavid Hughes (tenor)David Hughes was an English-born popular singer of Welsh extraction who became an opera singer.-The popular tenor:...
, born Geoffrey Paddison (1929-1972), EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
popular tenor and opera singer of WelshWelsh peopleThe Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
extraction, who lived in Alton Road - Charles Henry Tickle, otherwise Charlie TickleCharlie TickleCharles Henry "Charlie" Tickle was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Birmingham....
, (born 1883), EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
professional footballer who played as an inside forwardInside forwardIn football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
for Small Heath F.C. (later renamed Birmingham City F.C.Birmingham City F.C.Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in 1905), and who lived in both Heeley Road and Exeter Road
External links
- 1890 Ordnance Survey 25" map of Bournbrook
- History of St Wulstan’s Parish Church, Bournbrook
- A transcript of Bennett's 1899 Business Directory covering Bournbrook
- History of a Bournbrook Family
- Some evocative photographs of Bournbrook taken in 1974
- Present day photos of Bournbrook (a good compassion with those of 1974)
- Tiverton Pool and Fitness Centre (formerly Tiverton Road Public Baths)
- Article on ‘Studentification’ in Bournbrook from Selly Oak M.P. Lynne Jones’ webpages
- Birmingham, B29