Ashted (alternatively spelt ''Ashstead'' and ''Ashtead'') is an area of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, within the
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of
Nechells
Nechells is a district ward in central Birmingham, England, whose population in 2011 was 33,957. It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centr ...
. The area is located approximately north-east of Birmingham City Centre near to the city's Eastside district, and forms the western extremity of
Duddeston
Duddeston is an inner-city area of the Nechells ward of central Birmingham, England. It was part of the Birmingham Duddeston constituency until that ceased to exist in 1950.
Etymology
The name ''Duddeston'' comes from ''Dud's Town'', with Dud be ...
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
John Ash, who leased the property from Sir Lester Holte and in 1771 built a grand house surrounded by fields, gardens and orchards. He never occupied the house, selling the lease to John Brooke, a Birmingham attorney. Brooke laid out streets and divided the property into parcels with the intention of bringing wealth to the area; many affluent entrepreneurs were living in Birmingham during the Industrial Revolution. In 1791, after Brooke added a cupola, Dr. Ash's house was opened as the church of St James the Less. The Ashted Barracks were erected next to the church in 1791 following the Priestley Riots. In 1809, the church passed into a trust and was consecrated in 1810.
Thirty-eight years later, in 1848, Samuel Lewis's ''Topographical Dictionary of England'' counted the population as approximately 25,000, and stated that the settlement's proximity to the city centre gave huge advantage to trade and industry.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the status of the area dropped and it became a high-density
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
area, with many
slums
A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily in ...
.
The church was demolished in 1956, having sustained heavy bombing during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
The Middleway
The A4540 is a ring road in Birmingham, England, also known as the Middle Ring Road, or the Middleway. It runs around the centre ( St Philip's Cathedral) of the city at a distance of approximately . Birmingham City Centre is the area within ...
at Ashted, located between
Dartmouth Circus
The A38(M), commonly known as the Aston Expressway, is a motorway in Birmingham, England. It is long and was opened on 24 May 1972.Garrison Circus.
Ashted Tunnel on the
Digbeth Branch Canal
The Digbeth Branch Canal in Birmingham, England is a short canal which links the mainline of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at Aston Junction and the Grand Union Canal at Digbeth Junction (or historically, at the adjacent Warwick Bar) in ...