Saltley is an inner-city area of

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 We ...

, east of the city centre. The area is part of the

Washwood Heath Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England. Washwood Heath covers the areas of Birmingham that lie between Nechells, Bordesley Green, Stechfo ...

ward, and was previously part of the

Nechells Nechells is a district ward in central Birmingham, England, whose population in 2011 was 33,957. It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city cent ...

ward. It is part of the Ladywood

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 ...

in the city.

History

Saltley was originally an unverified parish within the estate of the Adderley family and their descendants, who had built their original residence Saltley Hall on the site of what is now

Adderley Park Adderley Park is an area in the east of Birmingham, England. Charles Adderley MP donated of land to create the park, which he managed privately from 1855 to 1864. The park was opened to the public on 30 August 1856. At the park's entrance were ...

. As water became a key resource, the family moved their residence to

Hams Hall Hams Hall is a place near Lea Marston in North Warwickshire, England, named after the former Hams Hall manor house. A power station at Hams Hall was constructed and operated in the late 1920s; a further two power stations began generating el ...

for better access to the River Tame. When the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

occurred, the Adderleys like most gentry chose to support the Royalist cause, and paid heavy fines afterwards for being on the losing side. In 1845 railway carriage makers Joseph Wright and Sons relocated from London to a factory built on

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

lands in Saltley; the company eventually became

Metro-Cammell Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. Purchased ...

, who remained in Saltley until 1962. As Birmingham developed as an industrial location, Saltley became an overspill area for workers, although still owned by the Adderley family. Charles Bowyer Adderley (later 1st Baron Norton) in 1855 donated land for the development of Adderley Park, as well as churches. It was Lord Norton who oversaw the then modern layout of the square-set streets and well spaced houses of the late 19th century, later seen as slum development post

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. St Peter's College was both a teacher training college and school, which was developed from 1852. The school closed in 1941 post destruction by a Luftwaffe bomb, while the college closed in 1978 to become part of Aston University. The building today encompasses houses, meeting rooms and council facilities.

Geography

Present day

Saltley is a largely business area with a high level of outlets in a densely populated area. Saltley begins at the Saltley Viaduct, marked with the Saltley Gate, a local landmark, at the entrance to Alum Rock Road and Washwood Heath Road. There are many older houses from around the turn of the 20th century still in existence around Saltley. During the 1950s and 1960s, many of these houses were bought by immigrants from the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the C ...

(mostly from Pakistan and Bangladesh) who have formed a strong ethnic community over the last half a century. The neighbourhood is home to mainly terraced properties and some new housing projects, trade and Christian and Muslim places of worship. Situated in the area are a number of primary schools and St. Peter's College. (St Peters College is no longer used as a college but the site is used for sheltered housing, small business offices, such as CSV Environment, and a small playing field). Recreation includes the Wheel's Adventure Park and smaller domestic parks. The area was host to an annual parade, known as the Saltley Festival. The future of Wheel's Adventure Park is under threat as a result of a proposed major redevelopment to construct a sports village and City of Birmingham Stadium. The proposal for the City of Birmingham Stadium has fallen through.

Places of interest

Adderley Street was the site of the 1890 discovery of the Saltley Handaxe, the first

paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός '' palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

human artefact to be found in the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the ...

. Saltley Gate Coke Depot was the site of the Battle of Saltley Gate, one of the largest mass pickets during the 1970s. On Thursday 10 February 1972 30,000 Birmingham engineers walked out on strike. They struck to deliver solidarity to striking miners. Up to 15,000 then marched to join 2,000 miners who were picketing Saltley Coke Depot. The blockade forced the police, who had kept the depot open all week, to close the gates. The victory at Saltley was the turning point in the miners' strike. Militant picketing involving tens of thousands of miners had shut down power stations, docks and coke and coal depots. Power cuts forced the Tory government to call a state of emergency. After seven weeks the government was defeated.

Transport

Saltley is served by the Adderley Park railway station on the Birmingham New street to Coventry railway line and just half a mile up the road in Duddeston the Duddeston Station on the cross city line. Bus routes into the area include the 8A/8C, 14, 55 and 94. Saltley was served by Saltley railway station between 1854 and 1968.

References