Cape Hill
Encyclopedia
Cape Hill is an area of the town of Smethwick
, West Midlands
. It is centre around the road of the same name and includes the adjoining streets, Cape Hill starts at Waterloo Road near Shireland High School and the end of the High Street near Victoria Park. Cape Hill ends at the start of the Dudley Road where the boundary for the City of Birmingham starts. It is Smethwick’s busiest shopping area.
Brewery when he he entered into partnership with William Butler in 1897. The brewery grounds even included a county standard cricket pitch where Worcestershire CCC played an annual match. During the 19th and early 20th centuries the area became a thriving industrial and commercial area and in the 1950s and 60’s it was the centre of immigration from the Commonwealth.
Facing each other on opposite corners of Durban Road are Cape Hill Primary School and the building which was once the local dispensary. Both were constructed in red brick with terracotta facings, the dispensary in 1888 and the school in 1890. Neither building has changed its exterior appearance to any significant extent. The school is still providing education for the local childrenbut the dispensary is now an "at risk" Grade II Listed Building. There have been plans to turn the building into an emergency refuge for asylum seekers, a casino and a restaurant but none of these has come to fruition.
and various chain fast food restaurants. It has a large indoor market located just off Cape Hill on Windmill Lane, there was a Mecca Bingo situated here but it is now closed and has now been turn into a pub.
. It is just over a mile from Smethwick Rolfe Street
station, located on the High Street in Smethwick.
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
. It is centre around the road of the same name and includes the adjoining streets, Cape Hill starts at Waterloo Road near Shireland High School and the end of the High Street near Victoria Park. Cape Hill ends at the start of the Dudley Road where the boundary for the City of Birmingham starts. It is Smethwick’s busiest shopping area.
History
The area began to be developed in the latter part of the 19thC. Henry Mitchell bought a large plot of land alongside the road and built his brewery there in 1879. This became the Mitchells & ButlersMitchells & Butlers
Mitchells & Butlers plc runs around 2,000 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The Company's headquarters is in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom...
Brewery when he he entered into partnership with William Butler in 1897. The brewery grounds even included a county standard cricket pitch where Worcestershire CCC played an annual match. During the 19th and early 20th centuries the area became a thriving industrial and commercial area and in the 1950s and 60’s it was the centre of immigration from the Commonwealth.
Facing each other on opposite corners of Durban Road are Cape Hill Primary School and the building which was once the local dispensary. Both were constructed in red brick with terracotta facings, the dispensary in 1888 and the school in 1890. Neither building has changed its exterior appearance to any significant extent. The school is still providing education for the local childrenbut the dispensary is now an "at risk" Grade II Listed Building. There have been plans to turn the building into an emergency refuge for asylum seekers, a casino and a restaurant but none of these has come to fruition.
Shopping
It is a busy shopping area of mainly mostly small businesses, but which also includes an AsdaAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
and various chain fast food restaurants. It has a large indoor market located just off Cape Hill on Windmill Lane, there was a Mecca Bingo situated here but it is now closed and has now been turn into a pub.
Transport
It is served by several bus routes to places including Birmingham, Dudley, and West Bromwich. Most of the buses serving here are operated by National Express West MidlandsNational Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
. It is just over a mile from Smethwick Rolfe Street
Smethwick Rolfe Street railway station
Smethwick Rolfe Street railway station serves the town of Smethwick, West Midlands, England. It is situated on the Stour valley line 5 km north west of Birmingham New Street...
station, located on the High Street in Smethwick.