Kingshurst is a post-war housing estate and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in the
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region ...
, in the
West Midlands. It lies about east 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. ...
city centre.
Smith's Wood borders it to the north and east,
Fordbridge to the south and the
Shard End area of Birmingham to the west.
History
The name Kingshurst comes from having previously been a Royal Manor, and "hurst" meaning wood. The earliest record of Kingshurst is in documents from the late 13th and early 14th centuries, when it is referred to as part of the Manor of
Coleshill. Tenant farming was administered from here and
Simon de Montford
Sir Simon Montford (died circa 30 January 1495) was an English Lord of several manors, who was executed for treason.
Simon Montford was the son and heir of Sir Baldwin Montfort, Knt, of Coleshill Manor, Warwickshire (1410-c1458) by his spouse Jo ...
of Coleshill was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
nobleman who built a moated manor house near Kingshurst. The Hall had its own park and farmlands.
The Mountfords 1332-1618
Kingshurst took on an independent existence from Coleshill with the arrival of the Mountfords. It is unclear how Kingshurst came into their possession although it is probable that they bought the area around 1332 from the Clintons, who were then Lords of the Manor at Coleshill. What is certain is that they were in possession by about 1352.
The end of Kingshurst Hall
The last proprietor of Kingshurst Hall, Walter Townsend, lacked the means to prevent the house from falling into a state of disrepair. All plans to salvage it came to nothing, due to a lack of funds. In 1960, Walter was moved to a house in
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east; also Sutton Coldfield to the east and ...
and in 1962 the hall was demolished.
The remains of the
moat of Kingshurst Hall are still visible today.
Yorkswood
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, much of the woodland in Kingshurst was cut down to help with the war effort. The Birmingham and District Association of
Boy Scouts were able to buy a patch of land at a bargain price and set up a permanent camp there. This land was halfway between Kingshurst and
Shard End. It was called Yorkswood and opened in 1923. There were five camp fields, covering an area of . The total site was over . The site benefited from permanent washhouses and latrines, a swimming-pool, a training centre and headquarters, guesthouse, warden’s hut and other huts. A small brook from a fresh water spring ran past the camp and Cock Sparrow Farm was about away to provide fresh milk.
The entrance to the camp was flanked by a series of griffin statues. These had come from the roof of Lewis's Department Store on
Corporation Street in Birmingham when it was being renovated. After the camp closed in 1972, they were placed on the housing estate (Kendrick Avenue and nearby roads) built upon the site of the camp.
Kingshurst today
Kingshurst is now a mainly residential area. Built as an overspill housing estate in the early 1950s for the City of Birmingham, it became part of the
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region ...
in 1974.
There are three
primary schools
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
, Kingshurst, St. Anthonys and Yorkswood, a library and a small shopping area. The
Anglican church is dedicated to St Barnabas and is situated off Church Close, the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church is dedicated to St Anthony, the
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
Church situated in Gilson Way and there is an evangelical church
Kingshurst Evangelical Church (KEC Church)situated on Cooks Lane corner with Forth Drive, which is much involved within Kingshurst Community. The nearest secondary schools are
Smith's Wood Academy, across the Chester Road in Smith's Wood, the
CTC Kingshurst Academy, and
John Henry Newman Catholic College
John Henry Newman Catholic College (JHNCC), formerly ''Archbishop Grimshaw School'', is an English secondary school in the Fordbridge area of Solihull, although it lies in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Soli ...
which are off Cooks Lane. There is a small local park off Gilson Way/Marston Drive next to a main shopping area. The children's play area is the main facility with the freedom to play outdoor games and activities.
According to the
2001 census, Kingshurst has a population of 8,126.
Notable residents
Gary Shaw, the former
Aston Villa footballer, was born at a house on Meriden Drive in January 1961 and lived there until the 1980s, by which time he was established as a key player at Villa.
Rapper
Lady Leshurr
Melesha Katrina O'Garro (born 15 December 1987), known professionally as Lady Leshurr (), is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. She is known for her ''Queen's Speech'' series of freestyles, the fourth of which became popular i ...
was born and raised in Kingshurst.
Mike Kendall Famous
sleuth
Sleuth may refer to:
* Detective
*Sleuth, collective noun for a group of bears
Computing
* The Sleuth Kit, a collection of forensic analysis software
*SLEUTH assembler language for the UNIVAC 1107
Entertainment and media
*Cloo
Cloo (stylized ...
and
traveller attended Kingshurst Boys School in the
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War ...
. Reportedly his ideal travel destination is
Vindication Island
Vindication Island ( es, Isla Vindicación) is a small uninhabited island in the South Sandwich Islands. It lies about from Candlemas Island, separated by the Nelson Channel. The island is mostly ice free.
Geography
This small island is part of ...
, although he has not yet been.
Parish council
Kingshurst has a
parish council, to which it elects 12 members every four years.
Kingshurst Parish Council
/ref>
References
External links
Map of Kingshurst
City Technology College
North Solihull Regeneration website
{{authority control
Areas of the West Midlands (county)
Civil parishes in the West Midlands (county)
Solihull