Stechford, Birmingham
Encyclopedia
Stechford is an area of Birmingham
, England, situated about five miles east of the city centre, bordering Ward End
, Yardley, Hodge Hill
and Kitts Green
.
's church and Blakesley Hall
, both a stone's throw outside Stechford in Yardley. The name Stechford is apparently a reference to the Stich or Stitch, a local tributary of the River Cole, although the Stitch is now entirely under culverts. A ford over the Cole is first referenced in 1249. The name Stechford was unknown until the construction of Stechford Station in 1844, and it has been conjectured that it was simply a railway misspelling. The name Stycheforde is attested since 1400. The common misspelling Stetchford is not an acceptable variant.
Old Stechford appears to have been mainly a cluster of buildings around the railway station. Until 1900, most of the area was still farmland. Some station houses are still present and remain along the main road. However, development on this area was considered difficult due to the steep gradient of the land nearby which can clearly be seen. This resulted in buildings built on the slope having to have stilt
s located underneath the ground floor. In some buildings, these are clearly visible.
For most of the 20th century Stechford was its own parliamentary constituency, represented by Roy Jenkins
, Labour
for 27 years from 1950, although it has been alleged in parliament that he never lived there. When Jenkins stepped down to become a European Commissioner in 1977, the seat was won by Conservative Andrew MacKay, and Jenkins's future partners, the Liberal Party
were leapfrogged by the British National Front
, whose candidate Andrew Brons
obtained third place. The National Front and its successor British National Party
have continued to target the area. In 1983, the Stechford constituency was broken up into Birmingham Hodge Hill and Birmingham Yardley.
Ward of the Yardley Constituency. As of 2005, the councillors are Neil Eustace, Carol Jones and Barbara Jackson, and the MP is John Hemming
(all Liberal Democrats
). Until 2005, the constituency was held by Estelle Morris
(Labour
), who was Secretary of State for Education in Tony Blair
's Labour administration. The ward councillors work closely with an advisory board of local people, which has led to the creation of a playground area next to the Cascades, the provision of security gates on many access alleys, and improvements to street lighting.
Politician Enoch Powell
was born at Flaxley Lane, Stechford, in 1912. He moved to Kings Norton
in 1918 and would later go on to be a classical scholar, poet, youngest Brigadier in the British Army when he fought in the Second World War, and politician. He is best known for his Rivers of Blood speech
in 1968.
. Another is Stechford Retail Park.
Stechford has a long-standing row of shops along Station Road, with a lesser group of shops on Albert Road. Main shopping centres are connected by the Outer Circle (A4040) and the number 11 Bus. Nearby shopping areas are the Fox & Goose
in Ward End and The Yew Tree in Yardley.
The local railway station is Stechford railway station
. On 28 February 1967, Stechford station was the scene of a train collision
which killed nine people and injuring 16. Opposite the station is The Stechford Club
which was founded in 1907. Houses in the area are mainly council houses or old Victorian
houses built around the station.
, on Victoria Road, All Saints
(Anglican) on Albert Road, and Corpus Christi
(Catholic
) on Albert Road. The churches hold an annual Remembrance Day
service at the Five Ways War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday
, early November, which is attended by about 200 people.
, the Birmingham to London railway, and the Birmingham Outer Circle (A4040
).
All of the land around the Cole is flood plain, which means that Stechford has a wide swathe of green, semi-wild vegetation. It is still possible to canoe
from Stechford to Water Orton
. The Cole and the green area around it, are being restored through the Kingfisher Project
.
The project also takes in Stechford Fairground, which is home to two funfairs each year. The area around the River Cole is now green belt
land which prevents developers from constructing on the site.
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, situated about five miles east of the city centre, bordering Ward End
Ward End
Ward End is an area of Birmingham, England. It covers the area between Saltley, Hodge Hill and Stechford and includes Ward End Park, a public park that has been open for over 100 years.-Ward End territory:...
, Yardley, Hodge Hill
Hodge Hill
Hodge Hill is an area seven km east of Birmingham city centre, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee....
and Kitts Green
Kitts Green
Kitts Green is an area of Birmingham, England which is situated on the borders of Stechford, Ward End, Shard End, Lea Village and the Meadway. The original green which belonged to 'Mr Kitts' is located opposite St Richards Church near Lea Hall railway station....
.
History
Stechford's history is unclear. Its oldest components are Station Road (known as Stoney Lane since Norman times) and Flaxleye Farm, first referenced in 1218. The farm itself no longer remains, however there is a farmhouse at 143 Flaxley Road, although the oldest parts of the current building cannot be older than the 17th century. The closest buildings of historical importance are St EdburghEdburga
*Saint Edburga of Bicester*Saint Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet *Saint Edburga of Repton*Saint Edburga of Winchester, daughter of King Edward the Elder*Eadburh of Mercia*Eadburg, mother of Queen Ealhswith...
's church and Blakesley Hall
Blakesley Hall
Blakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. It is one of the oldest buildings in Birmingham and is a typical example of Tudor architecture with the use of darkened timber and wattle-and-daub infill, with an external lime render which is painted white...
, both a stone's throw outside Stechford in Yardley. The name Stechford is apparently a reference to the Stich or Stitch, a local tributary of the River Cole, although the Stitch is now entirely under culverts. A ford over the Cole is first referenced in 1249. The name Stechford was unknown until the construction of Stechford Station in 1844, and it has been conjectured that it was simply a railway misspelling. The name Stycheforde is attested since 1400. The common misspelling Stetchford is not an acceptable variant.
Old Stechford appears to have been mainly a cluster of buildings around the railway station. Until 1900, most of the area was still farmland. Some station houses are still present and remain along the main road. However, development on this area was considered difficult due to the steep gradient of the land nearby which can clearly be seen. This resulted in buildings built on the slope having to have stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s located underneath the ground floor. In some buildings, these are clearly visible.
For most of the 20th century Stechford was its own parliamentary constituency, represented by Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
for 27 years from 1950, although it has been alleged in parliament that he never lived there. When Jenkins stepped down to become a European Commissioner in 1977, the seat was won by Conservative Andrew MacKay, and Jenkins's future partners, the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
were leapfrogged by the British National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
, whose candidate Andrew Brons
Andrew Brons
Andrew Henry William Brons is a British politician. Long active in far right politics in Britain, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the British National Party at the 2009 European Parliament election...
obtained third place. The National Front and its successor British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
have continued to target the area. In 1983, the Stechford constituency was broken up into Birmingham Hodge Hill and Birmingham Yardley.
Politics
Stechford is part of the Stechford and Yardley NorthStechford and Yardley North
Stechford and Yardley North is one of the 40 electoral wards in Birmingham, England.Stechford and Yardley North is one of the four wards that make up the council constituency of Yardley...
Ward of the Yardley Constituency. As of 2005, the councillors are Neil Eustace, Carol Jones and Barbara Jackson, and the MP is John Hemming
John Hemming (politician)
John Alexander Melvin Hemming is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley and Group Chair of the Liberal Democrats on the city council of Birmingham, England....
(all Liberal Democrats
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...
). Until 2005, the constituency was held by Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005, and served briefly in the Cabinet as Education Secretary.-Early life:...
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
), who was Secretary of State for Education in Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's Labour administration. The ward councillors work closely with an advisory board of local people, which has led to the creation of a playground area next to the Cascades, the provision of security gates on many access alleys, and improvements to street lighting.
Politician Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
was born at Flaxley Lane, Stechford, in 1912. He moved to Kings Norton
Kings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
in 1918 and would later go on to be a classical scholar, poet, youngest Brigadier in the British Army when he fought in the Second World War, and politician. He is best known for his Rivers of Blood speech
Rivers of Blood speech
The "Rivers of Blood" speech was a speech criticising Commonwealth immigration, as well as proposed anti-discrimination legislation in the United Kingdom made on 20 April 1968 by Enoch Powell , the Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West...
in 1968.
Attractions
Stechford has a popular swimming baths and many restaurants. Local attractions in the area include the Stechford Cascades, a swimming pool with a large slide and other machines which involve water. It was opened on 20 June 1962 and had a major refurbishment which was completed on 21 September 1991 celebrated with the reopening by former swimmer Nick GillinghamNick Gillingham
Nicholas Gillingham is a former swimmer from Great Britain, who participated in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. In August 1989, he tied the existing world record in the long-course 200 m breaststroke, only to co-hold it for 1-day before the other co-holder, Mike...
. Another is Stechford Retail Park.
Stechford has a long-standing row of shops along Station Road, with a lesser group of shops on Albert Road. Main shopping centres are connected by the Outer Circle (A4040) and the number 11 Bus. Nearby shopping areas are the Fox & Goose
Fox & Goose
The Fox & Goose is a shopping district in Ward End, Birmingham, England, at the eastern end of Washwood Heath Road. It is named after the public house there...
in Ward End and The Yew Tree in Yardley.
The local railway station is Stechford railway station
Stechford railway station
Stechford railway station serves the Stechford area of Birmingham, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland. It lies at the junction between the Birmingham to Coventry line, and the predominantly freight-only Stechford-Aston spur...
. On 28 February 1967, Stechford station was the scene of a train collision
Stechford rail crash
The Stechford rail crash occurred on 28 February 1967 at Stechford railway station in the area of Stechford in Birmingham, England.A Class 24 diesel locomotive had arrived at Stechford sidings with a ballast train. This was due to return to Nuneaton and so the locomotive needed to be run round the...
which killed nine people and injuring 16. Opposite the station is The Stechford Club
The Stechford Club
The Stechford Club is a private members club in Stechford, Birmingham. It was established in 1907 and past members of the club include World snooker champion Joe Davis.-History:...
which was founded in 1907. Houses in the area are mainly council houses or old Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
houses built around the station.
Churches
Stechford has three churches. Stechford BaptistStechford Baptist
Stechford Baptist Church is a small Baptist church in Stechford East Birmingham UK, notable for a 40 year history of combating racism and promoting community cohesion in a UK urban-deprived setting...
, on Victoria Road, All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
(Anglican) on Albert Road, and Corpus Christi
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
(Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
) on Albert Road. The churches hold an annual Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
service at the Five Ways War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
, early November, which is attended by about 200 people.
Geography
The district is cut across by the River ColeRiver 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...
, the Birmingham to London railway, and the Birmingham Outer Circle (A4040
A4040 road
The A4040 is the Outer Ring Road in Birmingham, England. It is the route followed by the Birmingham Outer Circle bus route. It was formed mainly of redesignated old roads, unlike Birmingham's inner and middle ring road , which were mostly purpose built.Places along the route include:* Perry Barr*...
).
All of the land around the Cole is flood plain, which means that Stechford has a wide swathe of green, semi-wild vegetation. It is still possible to canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
from Stechford to Water Orton
Water Orton
Water Orton is a village near the River Tame in the North Warwickshire borough of Warwickshire in England. It is located between Castle Bromwich and Coleshill, and borders the West Midlands metropolitan county boundary to the north, west and south. At the last census in 2001, the population was...
. The Cole and the green area around it, are being restored through the Kingfisher Project
Project Kingfisher
Kingfisher Country Park is a country park in Britain. It is situated in South Birmingham, West Midlands. Initially designated as Project Kingfisher by Birmingham City Council, the park was formally declared a country park in July 2004...
.
The project also takes in Stechford Fairground, which is home to two funfairs each year. The area around the River Cole is now green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land which prevents developers from constructing on the site.
Healthcare
- National Health ServiceNational Health ServiceThe National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
care is provided by East and North Birmingham Primary Care Trust - Heartlands Hospital is a major local employer