Billesley is a
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 ...
within the
council constituency and
parliamentary constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
of
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harborne ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is south of the city centre and includes the area of Billesley and much of
Yardley Wood
Yardley may refer to:
People Surname
* Bruce Yardley (1947–2019), Australian cricketer
* David Yardley (1929–2014), British legal scholar and public servant
* Doyle Yardley (1913–1946), American military officer
*Eric Yardley (born 1990), A ...
as well as the Hollybank Road area of
Kings Heath
Kings Heath (historically, and still occasionally King's Heath) is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, four miles south of the city centre. Historically in Worcestershire, it is the next suburb south from Moseley on the A435, Alcester road.
...
. It is contiguous with the Birmingham wards of
Highter's Heath
Highter's Heath (often Highters Heath) is a district and ward lying on the southern boundary of the city of Birmingham, United Kingdom, UK.
The district of Highter's Heath lies immediately east of the Maypole, Birmingham, Maypole. The first reco ...
on the south-west,
Brandwood and Kings Heath on the west,
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...
on the north and
Hall Green South on the east. To the south-east is the Shirley West ward of
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...
.
The suburb of Billesley is the area bordered by
Billesley Common
Billesley Common is a recreational area of public open space in South Birmingham, England. It is situated along the Yardley Wood Road, between the suburbs of Moseley and Yardley Wood.
Birmingham's rugby union team, Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club ...
, Chinn Brook Meadows, The Dingles and
Swanshurst Park (although some streets within this area favour the broader B13 moniker of
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...
).
The expansion of this area began in 1921 with the commencement of construction of the Billesley Estates. Two districts began to form within Billesley; one on the former Ivy House Farm (north of Trittiford Rd) and the other on the former Billesley Farm (south of Trittiford Rd). By 1926, between 15 and 20 families were moving into Billesley each week and it became one of Birmingham's first council estates.
[''Brum and Brummies: Vol 2'', ]Carl Chinn
Carl Steven Alfred Chinn, MBE (born 6 September 1956) is an English historian, writer and broadcaster whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham. He broadcast a programme on the BBC from the mid ...
, 2001, Brewin Books ()
Etymology
The name derives from an Anglo-Saxon named Bill who established himself within the area.
-Ley means "woodland clearing" and a woodland clearing is known to have existed in Billesley north of Chinn Brook.
Demography
The
2001 Population Census found that 25,874 people were living in the area with a population density of 4,537 people per km
2 compared with 3,649 people per km
2 for Birmingham. Billesley has an area of 6.4 km
2/ 566.2 hectares. Females represented 52% of the population, compared with 51.6% for the whole of Birmingham.
Billesley is not an ethnically diverse area with ethnic minorities representing 12.3% (3,312) of the ward's population compared with 29.6% for Birmingham. 8.4% of the population was born outside of the United Kingdom, lower than the Birmingham average of 16.5% and slightly lower than the national average of 9.3%. 88.1% of the population was classed as being in the broad ethnic group of White. This is higher than the Birmingham average of 70.4% yet lower than the national average of 90.9%. The Asian ethnic group was the second largest in the ward at 6.2%, below the city average of 19.5% yet higher than the national average of 4.6%. More specifically, the White British ethnic group was the largest at 83.2% and the White Irish was the second largest at 4.2%. The predominant religion in the ward is
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, with 71.8% of the population of the ward identifying themselves as Christians. This is near to the national average of 71.9% however is greater than the city average of 59.1%. 13.8% stated that they had no religion and 7.8% did not answer the question.
27.6% of the population was noted to be in the 25-44 age group, below the Birmingham average of 28.3% and the national average of 29.3%. People of a pensionable age represented 19.3% of the ward's population, above that of 16.7% for the city. 57.2% of the population was of a working age, below the city average of 59.8%. 63% of the population had a job whilst 8.2% was unemployed, below the city average of 9.5% yet above the national average of 5%. Of the unemployed, 36.5% were in long term unemployment and 11.2% had never worked. 17.9% of those with a job, worked in the manufacturing sector. 17.1% worked in the Wholesale & Retail Trade, Vehicle Repairs sector. The largest employer for the ward is
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is a bus operator in the West Midlands that operates services in Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Solihull, as well as limited routes outside of the general area of Birmingham, su ...
who employ approximately 460 people.
Birmingham Economy: Billesley Ward Largest Employer Organisations
/ref>
The majority of housing is either inter-war or post-war build. 99% of residents live in households whilst 1% live in communal establishments. There was a total of 10,514 households that were occupied resulting in an average of 2.4 people per house, equal to that of the national average. 63.8% of occupied houses were occupied by the owner, above the city average of 60.4%. 26.3% of occupied houses were rented from Birmingham City Council. 354 were stated as being vacant. The majority of the housing in the ward was stated as being semi-detached (42.9%) whilst terraced houses were the second most common (32.4%).
References
2001 Population Census Information: Ward profiles
External links
Birmingham City Council: Billesley Ward
{{Wards of Birmingham
Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands
Wards of Birmingham, West Midlands