Fordbridge is a
civil parish in England between
Kingshurst and
Chelmsley Wood in the
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the
West Midlands and also part of the
West Midlands conurbation. It is east of
Birmingham city centre. It has a town council. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 8,749. Fordbridge lies within the
historic county of
Warwickshire.
The area falls within the borders of North Solihull, parts of which are currently undergoing a £1.8 billion regeneration project. Many inhabitants of Fordbridge do not recognise it as a distinct area, instead classing it as part of the larger Chelmsley Wood Estate. The area around the eastern end of Cooks Lane is also often referred to as "Bacon's End".
Etymology
Fordbridge gets its name from the crossing over the
River Cole on Cooks Lane, which was referred to as "Ford Bridge" on 19th century
OS maps.
This name suggests this site was previously a
ford, but eventually a
bridge was built on the site of that ford, thus giving the bridge and ultimately the civil parish its name.
Education
Fordbridge lies inbetween a number of schools in the surrounding areas. Schools in and around the local area include:
Nearby Secondary Schools
*
Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst
*
John Henry Newman Catholic College
*
Grace Academy (Solihull)
* Smiths Wood Sports College
*
Park Hall Academy
Park Hall Academy (formerly Park Hall School) is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England.
Previously a community school administered by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Park Hal ...
*
The Coleshill School
The Coleshill School is a school with academy status in Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, founded in 1520.
Admissions
It is a mixed secondary school of about 1,000 pupils. In September 2004, The Coleshill School obtained its "Maths and Compu ...
*
Tile Cross Academy
Tile Cross Academy is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational secondary school located in the Tile Cross area of Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England.
Admissions
The school is ethnically diverse and contains around 700 pupils ...
Also close by in
Smith's Wood is the
Solihull College Woodlands Campus.
Primary schools
* Fordbridge Community Primary School
* St Anne's Catholic Primary School
* Bishop Wilson Church of England Nursery, Infant, and Junior School
* Kingshurst Primary School
* Saint Anthony's Catholic Primary School
* St John The Baptist RC Primary School
* Kingfisher Primary School
Transport
National Express West Midlands operate a number of buses in and around the Fordbridge area. The Cooks Lane area is served by the 94, 55 and 71 bus services while Bosworth Drive is served by the 97 and 14 routes. Close by is Chelmsley Wood shopping centre which hosts a wide range of transport options. Buses are available to and from Solihull town centre,
Coleshill,
Castle Bromwich,
Birmingham city centre,
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...
and
Birmingham Airport.
The closest railway station is
Marston Green. From there, there are trains to
Birmingham International,
Birmingham New Street, and stations in Coventry as well as services to
London Euston station
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...
.
Leisure
Fordbridge is served by North Solihull Sports Centre.
Politics
In the
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
, Fordbridge is in
the Meriden constituency. The
Conservative Party have held the seat since 1979, with the current MP being
Saqib Bhatti, although Fordbridge itself is traditionally Labour-voting area.
References
External links
{{Commons category, Fordbridge
Fordbridge Town Council
Towns in the West Midlands (county)
Solihull