Bartley Green
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Bartley Green is a residential suburban area and
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
in
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, south west of the city centre. The ward is part of the
Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham Edgbaston is a constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Preet Gill, a Labour and Co-operative MP. The most high-profile MP for the constituency was former Prime Minister Neville Chamber ...
constituency and is represented in parliament by
Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated Labour Co-op; cy, Llafur a'r Blaid Gydweithredol) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party. Candidat ...
MP
Preet Gill Preet Kaur Gill (Punjabi: ਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਗਿੱਲ, born 21 November 1972) is a British politician serving as Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development since 2020. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, she h ...
.


History

Bartley Green was first noted in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086 as ''Berchelai''. This means either the birch tree wood or the clearing in the birch trees (from the Old English "beorc leah"). Bartley Green was in the possession of the manor of Weoley. Bartley Green was again mentioned in 1657, however, this time it was under its current name. Most of the land occupied by Bartley Reservoir was in the parish of
Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...
, Birmingham, originally in
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
. It was transferred to
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
when Northfield became part of Birmingham in November 1911. Bartley Green became more built up after the end of the
Second World War 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 opposin ...
in 1945, with a mix of private and council housing being built. The Athol Farm
council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...
was a notable development by the city council during the 1960s, and included five tower blocks; however all of these have now been demolished. However, the south-west end of the reservoir overlapped into the parish of
Frankley Frankley is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire. The modern Frankley estate is part of the New Frankley civil parish in Birmingham, and has been part of the city since 1995. The parish has a population of 122. History Frankley is li ...
, in Worcestershire (
Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...
and
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
, from 1974). In April 1995, part of Frankley (including the south-west part of Bartley Reservoir) was transferred to Birmingham and became part of the
West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
county. The parish church is St. Michael and All Angels.


Geography

Located to the east is the Weoley ward, to the south is
Frankley Frankley is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire. The modern Frankley estate is part of the New Frankley civil parish in Birmingham, and has been part of the city since 1995. The parish has a population of 122. History Frankley is li ...
and to the west is the county of
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
as well as Halesowen and Illey, part of Dudley MBC. To the north is Quinton and
Woodgate Valley Country Park Woodgate Valley Country Park is a country park within the Bartley Green and Quinton districts of Birmingham. It is the third largest Birmingham Country Park after Sutton Park and Lickey Hills Country Park. The park is maintained as a wildlife h ...
. Bartley Reservoir, a reservoir for drinking water, is used by Bartley Sailing Club and nearby schools and clubs for sailing and canoeing.


Politics

Bartley Green has been part of the
Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham Edgbaston is a constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Preet Gill, a Labour and Co-operative MP. The most high-profile MP for the constituency was former Prime Minister Neville Chamber ...
constituency since 1997, having previously been in the neighbouring Birmingham Northfield Constituency. Since its inclusion, the Labour Party have held the seat in every general election, which is currently represented by Labour MP
Preet Gill Preet Kaur Gill (Punjabi: ਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਗਿੱਲ, born 21 November 1972) is a British politician serving as Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development since 2020. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, she h ...
since June 2017, and previously by
Gisela Stuart Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (''née'' Gschaider; born 26 November 1955) is a British-German politician and life peer who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Edgbaston from 1997 to 2017. A former member of the La ...
who held the seat since 1997, replacing
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Dame
Jill Knight Joan Christabel Jill Knight, Baroness Knight of Collingtree, (; 9 July 1923 – 6 April 2022) was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Edgbaston from 1966 to 1997. ...
in the year of
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
's landslide victory. Edgbaston has had a female Member of Parliament since 1953, longer than any other UK constituency. Bartley Green has been a safe Conservative ward at
Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom ...
level in recent years, with all three serving Councillors – John Lines, Vivienne Barton and Bruce Lines (son of John) – representing the party. Labour candidates had won the ward on several occasions in the 1980s and early 1990s but never held all three seats at once. The most recent election in which it was won by Labour was in 1995. Councillor John Lines was
Lord Mayor of Birmingham This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of Birmingham in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham has had a mayor (and elected council) since 1838. The office was raised to the dignity of lord mayor when Queen Victoria issued letters pa ...
in 2012/13. The ward has adopted a Ward Support Officer, with the current holder of the status being Tina Willetts.


Demography

The 2001 Population Census found that 25,473 people lived in Bartley Green with a population density of 2,807 people per km2 compared with 3,649 people per km2 for Birmingham. Bartley Green has an area of 7.8 km2/ 885.6 hectares. The ward had a female proportion of 53.2%, above the city average of 51.6% and the national average of 51.3%. The male population represented 46.8% of the population total. The ward is not an ethnically diverse area as 9.6% (2,446) of the ward's population represent ethnic minorities, compared with 29.6% for Birmingham. 6.2% of the population was born outside the United Kingdom, below the national average of 9.3%. The White British ethnic group was the largest at 87%, equal to that of the national average. Black Caribbean was the second largest at 3%. 73.5% of the population stated themselves as Christian, above the national average of 71.7%. 14.6% stated they were of no religion, equal to that of the national average. 98.8% of the population lived in households, above the city and national averages of 98.3% and 98.2% respectively. 1.2% lived in communal establishments. A total of 11,160 households in the ward are occupied, resulting in an average of 2.3 people living in each house. This is below the city average of 2.5 and the national average of 2.4. 49.9% of the occupied households are occupied by the owner, below the city average of 60.4%. 37.3% of the occupied households are rented from Birmingham City Council, above the city average of 19.4%. 394 households were stated as being vacant. The most common form of housing in the ward is terraced housing, with 35% of all houses being terraced. 32.6% of houses were stated as being semi-detached. A high proportion of the housing stock in the ward was constructed after 1945 (98.8%) compared with a city average of 67.4%. Much of the housing is now in poor condition. The ward currently ranks in the top 7% in terms of deprivation on Government indices. 16.9% were of a pensionable age, compared with 16.7% for the city and 18.4% for the country. 60.1% of the population was of a working age, above the city average at 59.8% and below the national average of 61.5%. The largest age group was 25–44 at 27.3%. 10.2% of the population is unemployed, of which 36.5% are in long term unemployment. 18.1% of the Bartley Green working population worked in the manufacturing sector. The largest employer organisation in the ward was identified by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce as Birmingham Accord Ltd., a construction firm that employs approximately 600 people.


Notable people

Bartley Reservoir is the place where
Bill Oddie William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinto ...
did a lot of his early birdwatching, and features in his books (notably Bill Oddie's ''Gone Birding'') and television programmes. His first ever published article, for the West Midland Bird Club's annual report, was about the birds of the reservoir. Kelli Dayton (also known as Kelli Ali) is a female vocalist most recognised for being the lead singer for the trip-hop group Sneaker Pimps, grew up in Bartley Green. Jane Bunford, the tallest person ever to have lived in the United Kingdom, who reached a height of , lived in Bartley Green until her death at her home on 1 April 1922. Her hair also measured .


Sport and recreation

Bartley Green has produced sportsmen and women including Fliss Johnson, a former pupil of Woodgate Primary School, who became the English Ladies Amateur Golf Champion in May 2005 and won the BBC Midlands Sports Woman of the Year Award. Bartley Green F.C. were a successful
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in the ward and past members of the Midland Combination Premier Division. There are at least five amateur football teams in the area; Bartley Revolution FC, Bartley Green Blades, Angels F.C., Bartley Green Falcons and the Rea Valley Colts. Bartley Green Leisure Centre is the local leisure centre. The Judo club based in Bartley Green meets at the nearby Shenley Court Community Leisure Centre in
Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...
.
Woodgate Valley Country Park Woodgate Valley Country Park is a country park within the Bartley Green and Quinton districts of Birmingham. It is the third largest Birmingham Country Park after Sutton Park and Lickey Hills Country Park. The park is maintained as a wildlife h ...
is a park on the cusp of Bartley Green and Quinton, and features a city farm and café.


Schools and education

Bartley Green National School opened in 1840 as a Sunday school. The site was subsequently enlarged and the school rebuilt in 1871. By 1872, there were two departments for mixed and infant children. A new infants school opened in 1881 on a site to the north of the church. The school was reorganised in 1931 into a single department for junior mixed and infant children aged 5 – 9½ years. Children aged 9½ and over were transferred to Bartley Green Council School. In 1951, the school was again reorganised for infant children only. It closed in 1954 on the opening of St. Michael's C.E. Primary School. The last headteacher of the primary school, Lily C. Treadwell, was transferred to St. Michael's C.E. Primary School to become its first headteacher.''Records of the ecclesiastical parish of St Michael and All Angels, Bartley Green'', St Michael and All Angels Parish – Birmingham City Archives (acquired in 1984) Bartley Green Council School opened in 1914 replacing Woodgate Council School. It was reorganised in 1931 for Senior Mixed and again in 1951 for Junior Mixed. The school closed in 1953 when the pupils transferred to Woodgate County Primary School.


Primary schools

There are eight primary schools located within the Bartley Green ward. As part of the Bartley Green Action Plan, all primary schools were given
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
facilities. Woodgate Junior and Infant School, Kitwell Junior and Infant School, St. Michael's C.E. Junior and Infant School and St. Peter's R.C. School all had golf courses constructed within their school grounds for the pupils.


Secondary schools

Bartley Green School was granted technology status in 2000 and has 848 pupils on roll. 61% of pupils are boys and 12.3% of pupils come from ethnic minorities. Half of these pupils from ethnic minorities are from the Black Caribbean ethnic group. A survey conducted by the Department of Applied Social Studies and Social Research in 1998, concluded that "52.4% of pupils at Bartley Green School live in 40% of the Birmingham Enumeration Districts with the highest proportion of the population dependent on income support. Around half of the pupils at the school live in the Bartley Green ward, and 22.9% live in the Weoley and Longbridge wards. All of these wards have urban deprivation scores considerably above the Birmingham average, which itself is far higher than the national average." Hillcrest School was opened as Bartley Green Grammar School for Girls on 7 September 1954. The
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
was set up around the end of the 1950s. The school was renamed Hillcrest School in September 1983 and dropped its
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
status. During an uncertain period, it faced closure during the 1980s. However, it remained open following a campaign by the school and has since become one of the most successful schools in Birmingham. Boys were allowed to join the sixth form during the 1980s.
King Edward VI Five Ways King Edward VI Five Ways (KEFW) is a highly selective co-educational state grammar school for ages 11–18 in Bartley Green, Birmingham, England. One of the seven establishments of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI, it is a volu ...
moved to the area from Five Ways in 1958, however, retained the name. Having introduced girls in the years following 1998, today Five Ways is the largest co-educational state grammar school in the West Midlands and one of the top five co-educational grammar schools nationally.


University

* Newman University


References


External links


Birmingham City Council: Bartley Green WardFollow Bartley Green on Twitter2001 Census information: Ward profiles1884 Ordnance Survey map of Bartley Green
* {{Wards of Birmingham Wards of Birmingham, West Midlands Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands