Hall Green
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Hall Green, Wolverhampton or Hall Green, Sandwell
Hall Green is an area and ward in south Birmingham
, England
. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Historically it was part of the county of Worcestershire
.
, Sparkbrook
and Springfield
; the current Member of Parliament
for the constituency is Roger Godsiff
, of the Labour Party. Hall Green ward is currently represented by two Liberal Democrat
councillors on Birmingham City Council
; Paula Smith and Michael Wilkes, who is also the current Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Sam Burden is Hall Greens first elected Labour Councillor in the 2011 May elections.
Hall Green has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Talbinder Kaur.
found that there were 25,921 people living in Hall Green with a population density of 4,867 people per km², this compares with 3,649 people per km² for Birmingham. Hall Green is below average, when compared to Birmingham in general, in the percentage of population represented by ethnic minorities with the figure for Hall Green being 25.4% (6,580) and the figure for Birmingham being 29.6%.
Housing is largely inter-war (mainly semi-detached) and pleasantly laid out with tree-lined roads and green spaces. There are still a good number of independent locally run shops.
stadium and race course situated on York Road called Hall Green Stadium
, though this is technically just across the border in neighbouring Acocks Green
. The stadium has won the BGRB Midlands and Western Region Racecourse of the Year 2003 award for the fourth consecutive year.
Hall Green was also home to Moor Green F.C.
, but the club is now known as Solihull Moors after a merger with Solihull Borough due to an arson attack in 2005 on the Moorlands stadium.
The area is served by Hall Green Library, which was opened in 1962.
The Shire Country Park
runs past Sarehole Mill
and along the course of the River Cole
to Small Heath
. Millstream Way passes through the park. Wildlife present at the country park include otters and water voles and many types of birds. The old village of Sarehole
(now on the border of Hall Green and Moseley
) is where J. R. R. Tolkien
lived as a child and gained inspiration for the Hobbit's home "The Shire".
, formerly the Job Marston Chapel, which was built in 1704 and is believed to have been designed by Sir William Wilson
. The chancel and transepts were added in 1860. The brick building consists of an exterior with a stone entablature and balustrade supported by Doric pilasters and the window architraves are of moulded stone. At the west end is a tower with an octagonal upper storey with a copper cupola. The interior of the nave is covered by a coved plaster ceiling. It is the earliest classical church to survive within the city boundary.
Other historic buildings in Hall Green include Sarehole Mill
, one of only two watermills in the city.
Highfield House is another historical building. It was built in 1850, making it the oldest house and the third oldest building in Hall Green. It was the farm house for Highfield Farm. The house was built in Georgian style with beautiful Neo-Classical features. It also retains the original sash windows. The demolition of the locally listed building has been proposed by developers, who want to build homes on the surrounding land. The ground floor of the house still has its wooden shutters fitted to the inside of each window frame which were closed and secured at night. The present day use for these shutters was to keep the house warm at night as they were very effective for excluding draughts but their original purpose was one of fortification against attack. When the house was built many isolated houses were a target for burglars, brigands and armed assault. In March 2008, in the face of much public opposition, petitions, articles in local newspapers and items on radio stations, Birmingham City Council's Planning Committee approved plans for its demolition and the building of four houses and six apartments.
As well as this is Petersfield Court, an Art Deco
housing block containing 14 flats, built in 1937. Built out of brick, it has rounded corner windows, made possible by the introduction of reinforced concrete. Later examples of architecture include the original Hall Green Technical College on the Stratford Road. It was designed by S. T. Walker and Partners in association with Alwyn Sheppard Fidler
, the City architect for Birmingham. Built in 1958, it consists of a reinforced concrete framed classroom and an administration block clad with cedar boards and aluminium windows. Boarding was rarely used on educational buildings of this size at the time.
A private development named "The Hamlet" was built between 1883 and 1893. It consists of fourteen villas on Hamlet and Fox Hollies Roads, along with the Friends Meeting House on the Stratford Road. The architectural style of these brick and tile properties is typified by massive chimneys and timbers, leaded casements, and bracketed bays. It is believed that initially all the properties carried a moulded plaque bearing the initials 'MS' along with the date of construction but few of these plaques now remain. Whilst there is not a definite explanation for the 'MS' monogram, the most likely interpretation is that they stand for Marian Severne whose families land they were built on.
is on the Birmingham to Stratford Line
. It opened in 1908.
Hall Green is served by several bus routes, mainly the 6 which runs from Birmingham to Solihull along the Stratford Road, and the Outer Circle
(11A/11C) which serves School Road and Sarehole Mill. Other services that operate in Hall Green include the 3/3A (Birmingham-Solihull/Acocks Green), 31 (Birmingham-Shirley), 40 (The Baldwin-York Road) and 76 (Q.E Hospital-Solihull) which all stop at Robin Hood Island, the 5 (Birmingham-Solihull) and S4 (The Baldwin-Solihull) which stop at The Baldwin, and the X20 (Birmingham-Stratford) which also operates along the Stratford Road.
, who lived at 41 Southam Road until the age of three (the house contains a plaque commemorating this), deputy leader of Birmingham city council Paul Tilsley
, racing commentator Murray Walker
, who was born at 214 Reddings Lane (which is now a dentist), Nigel Mansell
, who though born in Upton-upon-Severn
spent most of his childhood and early adult years in the area and most famously J. R. R. Tolkien
, who lived near Sarehole Mill
, Birmingham's only working water mill. Sarehole Mill is a tourist attraction, powered by the River Cole
, that is open to visitors during the summer months and has several locations nearby that are supposedly the inspiration behind scenes in The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings
. The area of Hall Green was not developed at the time when Tolkien lived there (1896–1900).
Hall Green is an area and ward in south 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...
. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Historically it was part of the county of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
Politics
Hall Green is part of the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham, Hall Green, which also includes the wards of Moseley and Kings HeathMoseley and Kings Heath
Moseley and Kings Heath is a ward within the constituency of Hall Green, covering the Moseley and Kings Heath areas of Birmingham, England.-Politics:...
, Sparkbrook
Sparkbrook
Sparkbrook is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, England. It is one of the four wards forming the Hall Green formal district within Birmingham City Council.-Etymology:...
and Springfield
Springfield, Birmingham
Springfield is a ward in south east Birmingham, England, created in 2004 from much of the old Sparkhill ward. It is a part of the formal district of Hall Green.-Places of interest:...
; the current Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the constituency is Roger Godsiff
Roger Godsiff
Roger Duncan Godsiff is a British Labour politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath from 1992 to 2010, when he became Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green.-Early life:...
, of the Labour Party. Hall Green ward is currently represented by two Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
councillors on Birmingham City Council
Government of Birmingham
Birminghamshown within West MidlandsThis page is about the Government of Birmingham, England.-Civic history:Most of Birmingham was historically a part of Warwickshire, though the modern city also includes villages and towns historically in Staffordshire or Worcestershire.Until the 1760s, Birmingham...
; Paula Smith and Michael Wilkes, who is also the current Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Sam Burden is Hall Greens first elected Labour Councillor in the 2011 May elections.
Hall Green has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Talbinder Kaur.
Demographics
The 2001 Population CensusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
found that there were 25,921 people living in Hall Green with a population density of 4,867 people per km², this compares with 3,649 people per km² for Birmingham. Hall Green is below average, when compared to Birmingham in general, in the percentage of population represented by ethnic minorities with the figure for Hall Green being 25.4% (6,580) and the figure for Birmingham being 29.6%.
Housing is largely inter-war (mainly semi-detached) and pleasantly laid out with tree-lined roads and green spaces. There are still a good number of independent locally run shops.
Places of interest
There is a popular Greyhound racingGreyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
stadium and race course situated on York Road called Hall Green Stadium
Hall Green Stadium
Hall Green Stadium is a greyhound racing stadium located in the Birmingham suburb of Acocks Green, just over the border from Hall Green itself. Opened in August 1927 it was the first greyhound track to be built in the city. It hosted speedway between 1928 and 1938...
, though this is technically just across the border in neighbouring Acocks Green
Acocks Green
Acocks Green is an area and ward of south Birmingham, England. It is named after the Acock family who built a large house in the area in 1370. Acocks Green is one of the four wards making up Yardley formal district...
. The stadium has won the BGRB Midlands and Western Region Racecourse of the Year 2003 award for the fourth consecutive year.
Hall Green was also home to Moor Green F.C.
Moor Green F.C.
Moor Green F.C. was a non-league association football team originally from the Hall Green area of south Birmingham but later based in the town of Solihull, West Midlands, England...
, but the club is now known as Solihull Moors after a merger with Solihull Borough due to an arson attack in 2005 on the Moorlands stadium.
The area is served by Hall Green Library, which was opened in 1962.
The Shire Country Park
Shire Country Park
The Shire Country Park is a country park in the south of Birmingham, England.It is named for Tolkien's ShireIt includes Sarehole Mill, Moseley Bog and parts of the River Cole.-External links:**...
runs past Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham City Council. It is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.Built in 1542 on...
and along the course of the River Cole
River Cole, West Midlands
The River Cole is a river in the English Midlands. It rises in Redhill, near Kings Norton, South of Birmingham. After flowing through Birmingham, it passes Coleshill, to which it gave its name. It joins the River Blythe, of which it is a tributary, near Ladywalk, shortly before the Blythe meets...
to Small Heath
Small Heath, Birmingham
Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
. Millstream Way passes through the park. Wildlife present at the country park include otters and water voles and many types of birds. The old village of Sarehole
Sarehole
Sarehole is an area in Hall Green, Birmingham, England . Sarehole, a name no longer used in addresses, was a hamlet which gave its name to a farm and a mill. It extended from the ford at Green Lane, southwards for about a mile, along the River Cole to the Dingles...
(now on the border of Hall Green and Moseley
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, two miles south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants...
) is where J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
lived as a child and gained inspiration for the Hobbit's home "The Shire".
Architecture
On School Road is the Church of the AscensionChurch of the Ascension, Hall Green
The Church of the Ascension is a Church of England parish church in the Hall Green area of Birmingham, England.-History:...
, formerly the Job Marston Chapel, which was built in 1704 and is believed to have been designed by Sir William Wilson
William Wilson (architect)
Sir William Wilson was an English architect, builder and sculptor.Born in 1641 in Leicester, he was the son of a baker. In his early life, it is believed that he served an apprenticeship with a statuary mason. It is also claimed that he studied under Sir Christopher Wren at Oxford University where...
. The chancel and transepts were added in 1860. The brick building consists of an exterior with a stone entablature and balustrade supported by Doric pilasters and the window architraves are of moulded stone. At the west end is a tower with an octagonal upper storey with a copper cupola. The interior of the nave is covered by a coved plaster ceiling. It is the earliest classical church to survive within the city boundary.
Other historic buildings in Hall Green include Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham City Council. It is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.Built in 1542 on...
, one of only two watermills in the city.
Highfield House is another historical building. It was built in 1850, making it the oldest house and the third oldest building in Hall Green. It was the farm house for Highfield Farm. The house was built in Georgian style with beautiful Neo-Classical features. It also retains the original sash windows. The demolition of the locally listed building has been proposed by developers, who want to build homes on the surrounding land. The ground floor of the house still has its wooden shutters fitted to the inside of each window frame which were closed and secured at night. The present day use for these shutters was to keep the house warm at night as they were very effective for excluding draughts but their original purpose was one of fortification against attack. When the house was built many isolated houses were a target for burglars, brigands and armed assault. In March 2008, in the face of much public opposition, petitions, articles in local newspapers and items on radio stations, Birmingham City Council's Planning Committee approved plans for its demolition and the building of four houses and six apartments.
As well as this is Petersfield Court, an Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
housing block containing 14 flats, built in 1937. Built out of brick, it has rounded corner windows, made possible by the introduction of reinforced concrete. Later examples of architecture include the original Hall Green Technical College on the Stratford Road. It was designed by S. T. Walker and Partners in association with Alwyn Sheppard Fidler
Alwyn Sheppard Fidler
Alwyn Gwilyn Sheppard Fidler CBE was a Welsh architect and town planner who was chief architect for the new town of Crawley from 1947 to 1952 and City Architect of Birmingham from 1952 to 1964....
, the City architect for Birmingham. Built in 1958, it consists of a reinforced concrete framed classroom and an administration block clad with cedar boards and aluminium windows. Boarding was rarely used on educational buildings of this size at the time.
A private development named "The Hamlet" was built between 1883 and 1893. It consists of fourteen villas on Hamlet and Fox Hollies Roads, along with the Friends Meeting House on the Stratford Road. The architectural style of these brick and tile properties is typified by massive chimneys and timbers, leaded casements, and bracketed bays. It is believed that initially all the properties carried a moulded plaque bearing the initials 'MS' along with the date of construction but few of these plaques now remain. Whilst there is not a definite explanation for the 'MS' monogram, the most likely interpretation is that they stand for Marian Severne whose families land they were built on.
Education
Hall Green has St Ambrose Barlow, Robin Hood School, Yorkmead School, Hall Green Infants, Juniors and Secondary Schools, Lakey Lane Junior and Infants, and Chilcote Primary School.Transport
Hall Green railway stationHall Green railway station
Hall Green railway station serves the Hall Green area of Birmingham in the West Midlands of England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-Services:...
is on the Birmingham to Stratford Line
Birmingham to Stratford Line
The Birmingham to Stratford Line, also known as the North Warwickshire Line is a commuter railway line predominantly in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom...
. It opened in 1908.
Hall Green is served by several bus routes, mainly the 6 which runs from Birmingham to Solihull along the Stratford Road, and the Outer Circle
Birmingham Outer Circle
The Birmingham Outer Circle is a roughly circular, 27 mile bus route in Birmingham, England . It mainly follows the city's outer ring road, the A4040 with some small deviations to serve some rail stations and shopping areas. Buses on the Outer Circle are numbered 11C on the clockwise journey and...
(11A/11C) which serves School Road and Sarehole Mill. Other services that operate in Hall Green include the 3/3A (Birmingham-Solihull/Acocks Green), 31 (Birmingham-Shirley), 40 (The Baldwin-York Road) and 76 (Q.E Hospital-Solihull) which all stop at Robin Hood Island, the 5 (Birmingham-Solihull) and S4 (The Baldwin-Solihull) which stop at The Baldwin, and the X20 (Birmingham-Stratford) which also operates along the Stratford Road.
Famous residents
Hall Green has been a home to comedian Tony HancockTony Hancock
Anthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...
, who lived at 41 Southam Road until the age of three (the house contains a plaque commemorating this), deputy leader of Birmingham city council Paul Tilsley
Paul Tilsley
Councillor Paul Tilsley MBE is deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and the senior Liberal Democrat in the council's ruling Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition. He was previously Lord Mayor of Birmingham, in 1993-4....
, racing commentator Murray Walker
Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
, who was born at 214 Reddings Lane (which is now a dentist), Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
, who though born in Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn is a small town and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England, on the River Severn. According to the national census 2001 it had a population of 2,859. Located from Malvern, the bridge at Upton is the only one across the river Severn between Worcester...
spent most of his childhood and early adult years in the area and most famously J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, who lived near Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill is a Grade II listed water mill on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. It is now run as a museum by the Birmingham City Council. It is one of only two working water mills in Birmingham, with the other being New Hall Mill in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield.Built in 1542 on...
, Birmingham's only working water mill. Sarehole Mill is a tourist attraction, powered by the River Cole
River Cole, West Midlands
The River Cole is a river in the English Midlands. It rises in Redhill, near Kings Norton, South of Birmingham. After flowing through Birmingham, it passes Coleshill, to which it gave its name. It joins the River Blythe, of which it is a tributary, near Ladywalk, shortly before the Blythe meets...
, that is open to visitors during the summer months and has several locations nearby that are supposedly the inspiration behind scenes in The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
. The area of Hall Green was not developed at the time when Tolkien lived there (1896–1900).