Catshill is a village 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 H ...
about 2.5 miles north of
Bromsgrove and 10 miles south-west 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. ...
. The parish of Catshill was formed around the
Turnpike Road (A38) in 1844.
The
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of Catshill in 2011 was 6,858.
Education
Catshill is home to Catshill
First School
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types as they progress through the education system.
Terminology
In a three-tier local educ ...
and Catshill
Middle School
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
. The first school Catshill First School and Nursery is located in the centre of the village on Gibb Lane. The Middle School was built in 1939, and was converted from a
Secondary Modern
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...
to a Middle School in 1970. The village has a small library, though it is not open every day. Catshill also has a village hall in which many different learning activities take place, from karate to IT skills.
Transport
Catshill is served by regular bus services by
,
,
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, s ...
and
MRD Travel. There are routes to
Longbridge,
Halesowen
Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of West Midlands, England.
Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, the town is around from Birmingham city centre, and fro ...
,
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...
,
Bromsgrove,
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 ...
and
Droitwich
Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester.
The ...
.
With nearby access to the
M5 and
M42 motorways, Catshill is within commuting distance by car to both
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 ...
and
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. ...
and as a result the population of the village has grown in recent years.
History
In 1828 a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
chapel was opened in Little Catshill.
Catshill developed in the nineteenth century through nailmaking and by 1914 was one of the few villages in the area which produced nails.
Famous people
The poet
Alfred Edward Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
lived in Catshill.
The professional footballer Roy Hartle (Bolton Wanderers) was born here.
For more than a quarter of a century Sarah Hilda Haines was the much respected district nurse (plaque in church) who received the royal Maundy in 1980 at Worcester. Her son Roy Martin Haines, a Foundation Scholar of Bromsgrove School, became a mediaeval historian (Worcester College, Oxford) and professor at
Dalhousie University, Canada. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge, he was awarded the degrees of D.Phil.and D.Litt. of Oxford.
References
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Villages in Worcestershire