Witton is an inner city area 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, in the
metropolitan county
The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, with populations between 1 and 3 million. They were created in 1974 and are each di ...
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 ...
. It was within the ancient parish of
Aston
Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre.
History
Aston wa ...
in the
Hemlingford
Hemlingford Hundred was one of the four hundreds that the English county of Warwickshire was divided into, along with Kington, Knightlow and Barlichway. It was recorded in the Domesday Book under the name of Coleshill.
At the time of the Domes ...
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...
of the
historic county of
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 ...
. It is known as the home of
Aston Villa Football Club
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
at
Villa Park
Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...
.
History
According to
William Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.
Life
Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Coleshi ...
, Witton was the property of a man named Staunchel (also spelled Stannachetel
[British History Online: Manors]
/ref>) before being seized by William Fitz-Ansculf following the Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
. Staunchel became the tenant of Fitz-Ansculf, valued at twenty shillings per annum 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 ...
. It was named in the Domesday Book as Witone. It was afterwards vested in the Crown. In 1240, King Henry III granted it to Andrew de Wicton, indicating that the name of the area had changed to Wicton. Andrew grew cautious of William de Pyrie, his neighbour who owned Perry
Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...
and brought action against him for infringing his property. The dispute was settled by the Sheriffs of Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
and 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 ...
by the King's request.
In 1290 Witton became the property of William Dixley and then the property of Richard de Pyrie in 1340. A route through Witton towards Oscott was mentioned around 1460, crossing the River Tame at 'le Foulford', where Witton Bridge was later built. In 1559, the Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation c ...
purchased to of moor called Wichalmore in Witton.
In 1426 Thomas East of Hay Hall in Yardley sold it to John Bond of Ward End
Ward End is an area of Birmingham, England. It covers the area between Saltley, Hodge Hill and Stechford and includes Ward End Park, a public park that has been open for over 100 years.
Ward End territory
Pelham in Ward End joins with Alum ...
of whose descendants William Booth purchased it in 1620. An heiress of Booth brought it by marriage to Allestree of Yardley. In 1730 Witton contained 22 farms and three cottages, apart from Witton Hall at the north-west end of Brookvale Park
Brookvale Park is located in the Stockland Green Ward of Erdington Constituency in England. The park surrounds Brookvale Park Lake. Within the park there is a bowling green, tennis courts, a children's play area and sailing club. Many local reside ...
. It was bought by John Wyrley son of Peter Birch in the 18th century and then sold by his descendant, George Birch of Hamstead in the 19th century to the Earl of Dartmouth. See Wyrley-Birch in Kingstanding ward.
Witton Hall probably rebuilt by Allestree was in the manor of Witton and it still stands at the junction of Brookvale Road and George Road. By 1850 it was being used as a private school and c. 1907 was acquired by the Aston Board of Guardians as an elderly home. It continued to be such under the Birmingham Corporation in 1959. The buildings have been extended both before and after 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 ...
but the original house is represented by a tall, square, three-storey tall block dating from around 1730. Internally, a panelled room and the original staircase have survived.
On 13 June 1902 Birmingham Industrial School opened on Witton Lane. It moved from Penn Street in Deritend
Deritend is a historic area of Birmingham, England, built around a crossing point of the River Rea. It is first mentioned in 1276. Today Deritend is usually considered to be part of Digbeth.
History
Deritend was a crossing point of the River R ...
, where it was called Penn Street Industrial School. The school had room for 60 boys and opened on 30 January 1869. The new school in Witton had room for 80 boys. It closed on 14 June 1905.
In 1907 All Souls' Church on Wenlock Road was consecrated. It was built using red brick with stone dressings in the Gothic style to a design by Philip Chatwin. When opened, it had a chancel, nave, east and west aisles, and a low central tower with a pyramidal roof. In 1926, a parish was assigned out of Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
, Birchfield, and St. Peter and St. Paul, Aston. The living was declared a vicarage, in the gift of the Vicar of Holy Trinity, Birchfield, for the first turn only and then of the bishop.
On 28 June 1934 Hugo Hirst
Hugo Hirst, 1st Baron Hirst (26 November 1863 – 22 January 1943), known as Sir Hugo Hirst, Bt, between 1925 and 1934, was a German-born British industrialist.
Born near Munich, Hugo Hirsch became a naturalized British subject in 1883 and change ...
was made 1st Baron Hirst, of Witton. He was the only person to have this title, which was made extinct on 22 January 1943 upon Hugo's death.
Industry
Like the rest of Birmingham, Witton was heavily industrialised. The area was the base of industrial company IMI plc
IMI plc (), formerly Imperial Metal Industries, is a British-based engineering company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
The company was founded b ...
. The company was responsible for construction a conveyor
A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transport of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow ...
next to Witton Brook and dredging the brook in from 1922 to 1929. The conveyor was dismantled in 1943. On 13 November 1929, a waste lime main pipe installed by IMI became dislodged at Lovett's point and slid six to twelve feet downstream. In 2003, IMI moved from the Witton site to new headquarters close to Birmingham Airport
Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Borou ...
.
The General Electric Co. Ltd. (GEC) established a very large engineering works in Witton in 1901. The General Electric Company acquired land at Witton in 1899, and in 1901 began building its large factory together with houses for its workers.[British History Online: Growth of the City]
/ref> At one time, the company was employing 18,000 people on the site. By 1927, London Aluminium was employing 400 people at its works in Witton.[British History Online: Economic and Social History – Industry and Trade, 1880–1960]
/ref>
Places of interest
Other notable features of Witton are Witton Cemetery
Witton Cemetery (), which opened in Witton in 1863 as Birmingham City Cemetery, is the largest cemetery in Birmingham, England. Covering an area of , it once had three chapels; however, two of these were demolished in 1980. The cemetery would ...
, Witton Lakes, the River Tame, the remains of Witton Hall and Witton railway station. The Birmingham Bulldogs
Birmingham RLFC are a rugby league team based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. They play in the Midlands Premier division of the Rugby League Conference.
History
''Birmingham Bulldogs'' were founded in 1989. The club's first season was in 1989â ...
rugby team's training ground is also based on Moor Lane in Witton. Witton Centre is the shopping area for Witton, featuring independent traders. Refurbishment of the shops was carried out in the 1980s under the City Council's Inner City Partnership Programme, although by the late 1990s, shops were beginning to show signs of need of further investment. The quality of the environment in Witton is poor with heavy traffic flows, poor parking and servicing arrangements. There are a number of buildings here which reflect the Victorian and Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
legacy of Aston, with the Aston Hotel possibly the most well-known local landmark. In some cases, however, the character and architectural quality of these buildings has been disrupted by modern signage and shop front design.
Flooding
On 15 June 2007, parts of Witton were flooded as a result of heavy rainfall causing the River Tame to burst its banks. Residents of 300 homes in the Brookvale Road area were sent advice by the city council on dealing with the clean-up and cost of the floods. Parts of the area were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Residents were encouraged to evacuate to Great Barr Leisure Centre, in Great Barr
Great Barr is now a large and loosely defined area to the north-west of Birmingham, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as Perry Barr, which is still the name of an adjacent Birmi ...
where 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 (e ...
was staffing a rest centre. The majority of people chose to remain at home. Roads affected were Brookvale Road, Tame Road, Deykin Avenue and Brantley Road. The river threatened to flood for a second time when the water level rose to within eight inches (203 mm) of the top of the river bank.
Families return to begin the big clean-up
' – Birmingham Mail
The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire ...
, 23 July 2007 (Retrieved 5 August 2007)
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 52.51953, N, 1.88501, W, region:GB-BIR_source:enwiki-osgb36(SP079913), display=title
Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands