Elmdon, West Midlands
Encyclopedia
Elmdon is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
in the county of West Midlands
, England
.
The name Elmdon means hill of the elms. It is primarily a residential area. It was formerly home to Elmdon Aerodrome, which is now Birmingham Airport. Elmdon Parish Church dates from 1780 and overlooks the Rover Works
, home of Land Rover
since 1946.
Whilst mention is made in the Domesday Book
of Elmdon, as being in the Hemlingford Hundred, it was little more than an estate until the opening of the Birmingham
-Coventry
turnpike through the parish created an important junction and staging-post where the modern Coventry Road crosses Old Damson Lane / Elmdon Lane. The focus of the village moved from the area immediately surrounding what is now the parish church (i.e. the Elmdon Hall estate and its vicinity) to said junction.
Notable residents of Elmdon Hall include the Spooner and Alston families, after whom nearby Alston Road is named. William Wilberforce
lived in Elmdon for some time after his marriage to Barbara Spooner
, and has the church's Wilberforce Hall named after him.
Local legend has it that the ancient elm on top of the 'elm-don', now in Elmdon Park, was planted by Thomas Beckett. Its sister tree, which once demarcated the farthest extent of the Elmdon estate, is several miles away at the junction of Lode Lane and Solihull By-Pass / Seven Star Road on the outskirts of Solihull
town centre. The northern suburbs of Solihull as far as the Coventry Road, and the entire Land Rover
factory, are built on land once part of the estate. Much of this land was sold for development and agriculture in 1920, and the rest in 1930. The hall and its much-depleted grounds remained.
In 1944 the hall itself was sold to Solihull Council, who initially used it to house the Home Guard, demolishing it in 1956. Two stone eagles which once topped the gateposts at the gatehouse on the Coventry Road were removed by the Royal Air Force
to decorate an airbase. In its final years the hall was dilapidated, a favourite haunt for local children. The council turned the land into Elmdon Park and a handful of private residences.
Elmdon Airport opened on land north of the Coventry Road in 1939, but was taken over and closed to civilian use by the Royal Air Force almost immediately, due to the outbreak of World War II
. It re-opened after the war, and eventually became Birmingham Airport. The construction of the runways necessitated the closure of Elmdon Lane between the village and Marston Green to the north, and the demolition of Elmdon village itself. Two dwellings remain of the original settlement at the crossroads, though maps still show this point as the centre of Elmdon. The term these days largely refers to the church and park, so the focus of the parish has effectively returned to its pre-turnpike location.
Birmingham International railway station
, on the West Coast Main Line
, and the National Exhibition Centre
, are adjacent to the airport and on the border between Elmdon and Bickenhill
. Due to the extensive development of this area, very little remains of the original infrastructure, and the Airport-NEC complex can be seen as a self-contained small town.
Some versions of the airport's expansion plan call for the demolition of what remains of Elmdon, the church and the dwellings around it, as well as Bickenhill church, and the enclosure of more than half of Elmdon Park, to allow for a third runway. This, however, is at the ambitious end of the scale, and is unlikely to be implemented. More likely is the extension of the existing north-south runway (the only one currently in use) over the Coventry Road (in tunnel) onto Bickenhill's Castle Hills Farm (already airport land).
Solihull Moors Football Club
has its stadium, Damson Park
, in Elmdon, adjacent to the Land Rover factory and Elmdon Park. Plans for a rail link from the factory to the West Coast Mainline were scrapped when Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar.
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central 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 and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
in the county of 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...
, 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 name Elmdon means hill of the elms. It is primarily a residential area. It was formerly home to Elmdon Aerodrome, which is now Birmingham Airport. Elmdon Parish Church dates from 1780 and overlooks the Rover Works
Solihull plant
The Solihull plant is a car manufacturing factory in Lode Lane, Solihull, UK, now owned by Land Rover.The plant currently produces the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Land Rover Discovery and Land Rover Defender vehicles.-History:...
, home of Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
since 1946.
Whilst mention is made in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of Elmdon, as being in the Hemlingford Hundred, it was little more than an estate until the opening of the 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...
-Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
turnpike through the parish created an important junction and staging-post where the modern Coventry Road crosses Old Damson Lane / Elmdon Lane. The focus of the village moved from the area immediately surrounding what is now the parish church (i.e. the Elmdon Hall estate and its vicinity) to said junction.
Notable residents of Elmdon Hall include the Spooner and Alston families, after whom nearby Alston Road is named. William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
lived in Elmdon for some time after his marriage to Barbara Spooner
Barbara Spooner Wilberforce
Barbara Ann Wilberforce was the spouse of abolitionist and MP William Wilberforce...
, and has the church's Wilberforce Hall named after him.
Local legend has it that the ancient elm on top of the 'elm-don', now in Elmdon Park, was planted by Thomas Beckett. Its sister tree, which once demarcated the farthest extent of the Elmdon estate, is several miles away at the junction of Lode Lane and Solihull By-Pass / Seven Star Road on the outskirts of Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
town centre. The northern suburbs of Solihull as far as the Coventry Road, and the entire Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
factory, are built on land once part of the estate. Much of this land was sold for development and agriculture in 1920, and the rest in 1930. The hall and its much-depleted grounds remained.
In 1944 the hall itself was sold to Solihull Council, who initially used it to house the Home Guard, demolishing it in 1956. Two stone eagles which once topped the gateposts at the gatehouse on the Coventry Road were removed by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
to decorate an airbase. In its final years the hall was dilapidated, a favourite haunt for local children. The council turned the land into Elmdon Park and a handful of private residences.
Elmdon Airport opened on land north of the Coventry Road in 1939, but was taken over and closed to civilian use by the Royal Air Force almost immediately, due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It re-opened after the war, and eventually became Birmingham Airport. The construction of the runways necessitated the closure of Elmdon Lane between the village and Marston Green to the north, and the demolition of Elmdon village itself. Two dwellings remain of the original settlement at the crossroads, though maps still show this point as the centre of Elmdon. The term these days largely refers to the church and park, so the focus of the parish has effectively returned to its pre-turnpike location.
Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
, on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, and the National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
, are adjacent to the airport and on the border between Elmdon and Bickenhill
Bickenhill
Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.-History:...
. Due to the extensive development of this area, very little remains of the original infrastructure, and the Airport-NEC complex can be seen as a self-contained small town.
Some versions of the airport's expansion plan call for the demolition of what remains of Elmdon, the church and the dwellings around it, as well as Bickenhill church, and the enclosure of more than half of Elmdon Park, to allow for a third runway. This, however, is at the ambitious end of the scale, and is unlikely to be implemented. More likely is the extension of the existing north-south runway (the only one currently in use) over the Coventry Road (in tunnel) onto Bickenhill's Castle Hills Farm (already airport land).
Solihull Moors Football Club
Solihull Moors F.C.
Solihull Moors F.C. is an English football club, founded in 2007 by the merger of Moor Green and Solihull Borough.The club plays its games at Damson Park, Solihull and competes in the Conference North.-History:...
has its stadium, Damson Park
Damson Park
Damson Park is a stadium in Damson Parkway, Solihull, West Midlands, England. It was the traditional home of Solihull Borough F.C. before they merged to become Solihull Moors. They currently share Damson Park with Birmingham and Solihull Bees and also have an agreement that allows Birmingham City...
, in Elmdon, adjacent to the Land Rover factory and Elmdon Park. Plans for a rail link from the factory to the West Coast Mainline were scrapped when Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar.