Bordesley, West Midlands
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Bordesley is an area 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, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, England, south east of the city centre straddling the Watery Lane Middleway ring road. It should not be confused with nearby
Bordesley Green Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles east of the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is in the Bordesley Green Ward which also covers some of Small Heath and Little Bromwich. Borde ...
. Commercial premises dominate to the west of the ring road, but much of this area is to be redeveloped. Blocks of residential apartments are planned and set for completion from the mid-2020s onwards. The largely residential area east of the ring road was renamed Bordesley Village following large scale clearance of
back-to-back house Back-to-backs are a form of terraced houses in the United Kingdom, built from the late 18th century through to the early 20th century in various forms. Many thousands of these dwellings were built during the Industrial Revolution for the urbanisat ...
s and redevelopment in the 1980s and 90s. Bordesley is the real life setting of the BBC series ''
Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...
'', and home to Birmingham City Football Club's ground, St Andrew's.


History

In
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
''Bord's leah'' means 'Bord's clearing'. ''Bord'' may indicate 'boards' or 'planks', a place in the forest clearing where timber products could be obtained, but it is also a male personal name. Here, perhaps as early as the 7th century, Bord found or made a clearing in the forest to grow his crops and tend his stock. This content is available under th
Attribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales (CC BY 2.0 UK) Licence
/ref> The name shares its origin with neighbouring
Balsall Heath Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle. History The name is first found as Bordeshale in 1275, which is derived from the ...
, first recorded as Bordeshale, derived from ''Bord's healh'' meaning 'Bord's heath' or 'Bord's nook'. During the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, from as early as 850, the manor was held by the ancestors of the
Grindlay family The Grindlay family (Old English: ompound (linguistics), compound''Grēne''/''Grynde'' + ''Leāh''/''Leā'') is an Anglo-Scottish people, Scottish knightly family of medieval origin. The family now has two primary branches, one in the Engli ...
. Following the
Norman Conquest 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, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
overlordship passed to the
feudal barons A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely bee ...
of
Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...
, but the family retained the manor as
vassals A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
for another 400 years until the mid 1500s. By 1226, Bordesley was held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
by the overlords of the other manors in
Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...
parish and by the second half of the 13th century it was the centre of a
court leet The court leet was a historical court baron (a type of manorial court) of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts. Etymo ...
for the neighbouring vills. In 1291 it was certified as containing 61 acres of demesne, with meadows in Bordesley and in
Duddeston Duddeston is an inner-city area of the Nechells ward of central Birmingham, England. It was part of the Birmingham Duddeston constituency until that ceased to exist in 1950. Etymology The name ''Duddeston'' comes from ''Dud's Town'', with Dud be ...
and Overton (Water Orton); there were 4 freeholders, each with a
messuage In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien. A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contracts ...
and a half-yardland, and 78 others without houses holding land newly brought under cultivation, and 16 customary tenants holding 6½ yardlands; the total value was £27 12s. 2d. In 1390 a settlement joined the manors of Bordesley and Haybarn, henceforward usually linked together. Thereafter the manor passed through the same ownership and divisions as the overlordship of the other manors in Aston parish. It appears to have been acquired by Sir Charles Holte by 1706 (see
Holte Baronets The Holte Baronetcy, of Aston in the County of Warwick, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 25 November 1611 for Sir Thomas Holte, of Aston Hall, then in Warwickshire. He was High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1599 and had ...
), and to have descended with Aston, being in the hands of a later Sir Charles Holte in 1770. Bordesley was a
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
and
chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
in the parish and union of
Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...
, part of the Hemlingford
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
in the county of
Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
. The hamlet consisted of a few scattered dwelling-houses, such as Stratford Place, still standing at Camp Hill and the Old Crown in Deritend both of which are of timber frame-work and plaster, with projecting upper stories, although those of Stratford Place have since been under-filled in brick.


Bordesley Hall

The Georgian house known as Bordesley Hall, which stood in a park of 6 acres south of the Coventry Road near its junction with Bordesley High Street, was the successor to pre-existing a medieval
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
. The first series
Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...
map places the hall in the area of Albert and Bolton Roads, this location being supported by the image of the ruins drawn by P H Witon Jnr in 1791 which places it on an elevated site. Built in 1767 for the manufacturer and banker
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...
, to replace an existing manor house, it passed on his death in 1785, to his son John Taylor, and was burnt down during the Priestley Riots. Taylor claimed £12,670 as damages and was paid £9,902 but Hutton records that "the real loss of Mr Taylor amounted to upwards £22,600," or approximately £2.4 million today (2017). It is reported that the house was rebuilt but sold off in 1840 for housing developments. However, Charles Pye writing of his visit to Birmingham in 1818 states that ''"having crossed the Warwick canal, the ruins of Bordesley house are in full view; they having continued in that state ever since the year 1791, when the house was demolished by an infuriated mob. The land by which it is surrounded has been parcelled out, and advertised to be let for building."''


19th century development

Land had been developed along Bordesley High Street to the junction of the Coventry and Stratford roads and along the Stratford road as far as Highgate Park by 1810 and subsequently, in 1838, Bordesley became a suburb of Birmingham, and so developed through its trade, manufactures, and public institutions. By 1841 the population of Deritend and Bordesley had passed 18,000, by 1871 it had reached almost 50,000 and by 1901 was recorded as 110,968. Bordesley had become urbanised with numbered courts, back to back houses and manufacturies.


Schools

Garrison Lane School opened in 1873 providing places for 867 juniors and infants. The school closed in 1959. The buildings were grade II listed on 8 July 1982. Ada Street Board School opened in 1885 with accommodation for over 1,000 boys and girls of all ages. The school was remodelled in 1928 and 1932 into three departments for senior boys, junior mixed and infant children. The name of the school was changed to Ada Road Council School circa 1935 and again to St Andrew's County Primary School in 1954. The school is now known as Bordesley Village Primary School. The older school buildings are graded B on Birmingham's local list having been designated an important part of the city's heritage due to their architectural significance. Tilton Road Board School opened in 1891 and was enlarged in 1906 and 1912. Its County Primary School closed in 1973 and its Girls County Secondary School four years later. The school buildings have been converted into the Darul Barakaat Mosque, inaugurated by
Mirza Masroor Ahmad Mirza Masroor Ahmad (; born 15 September 1950) is the current and fifth leader of the Ahmadiyya, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His official title within the movement is Ahmadiyya Caliphate, Fifth Caliph of the Messiah (, ''khalīfatul masīh al- ...
the fifth caliph or spiritual leader of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...
in 2004.


Industry

Arthur L F Carr Ltd established the Artillery Street Paint and Varnish Works, Bordesley in 1910 on a triangular site bordered by a railway and the Grand Union Canal. The company's name was changed to Carr Paints Ltd in 1953. The works were closed in 1995, demolished and replaced by housing. The "Universe Works" of rope makers John & Edwin Wright Limited was established on a strip of land between Garrison Street and the railway. An entry in Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham (1885) states ''ropemaking is a trade carried on in many places, but there are few establishments that can equal the Universe Works in Garrison Lane ''(sic)'', where, in addition to hundreds of tons of twine and cord, there are manufactured all sorts of wire and hemp ropes for colliery and other purposes, ocean telegraph cables included.'' The rope works has gone but the site much altered is still in commercial use. The Whitworth Works of Charles H Pugh Ltd on Tilton Road was built next to a former brickworks and the Tilton Road Board School.
ATCO Atco or ATCO may refer to: Businesses * ATCO, a Canadian diversified company involved in manufacturing, utilities, energy and technologies ** ATCO Electric, a subsidiary of the above company * Atco (British mower company), a mower manufacturing com ...
lawnmowers and the short-lived ATCO Safety Trainer midget car were made there. The premises were substantially destroyed by fire on 5 November 1981. The site is now known as the Whitworth Industrial Park.


Geography

Elevation Land to the city side of the Middleway and at Garrison Lane Park is on the
River Rea The River Rea (pronounced "ray") is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. It is the river on which Birmingham was founded by the Beorma tribe in the 7th century. Name The name of the Rea derives from a root found in many I ...
plain at about above sea level. The land rises to the east at Kingston Hill Park, reaching at St. Andrew's football ground. Transport infrastructure The A4540 Birmingham Middleway divides Bordesley. Since 1 June 2021 the parts of Bordesley within the ring road have been in the Birmingham Clean Air Zone. The A45 Small Heath Highway and B4128 Coventry Road meet the Middleway at Bordesley Circus. The Watery Lane Middleway runs from Bordesley Circus to Garrison Circus where Garrison Lane and Great Barr Street meet. The Grand Union Canal enters Bordesley from the south east, rising through the flight of six Camp Hill locks to Bordesley Junction. Access to the towpath is on Coventry Road. At the junction, the Digbeth Branch runs north west to cross the River Rea whilst the main line cuts through Bordesley Village. Towpath access points integrate the village and canal. The
Chiltern Main Line The Chiltern Main Line is a railway line which links London () and Birmingham (Birmingham Moor Street railway station, Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill railway station, Snow Hill) on a route via High Wycombe, Bicester, Banbury, Leamington ...
railway from Moor Street station to Bordesley station runs along the
blue brick Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The term ''blue'' generally des ...
Bordesley Viaduct parallel with Digbeth, High Street, Deritend and High Street, Bordesley. The Duddeston Viaduct branches off at Adderley Street but the line was never completed. It has been mooted that the Duddeston Viaduct may be transformed into a 'skypark'. The Bordesley Junction to Tyseley Line joins the Camp Hill Line at Bordesley Junction and passes the rear of the Gil Merrick Stand, St Andrew's stadium in a cutting. The Camp Hill Line continues as the St Andrew's Junction to Grand Junction Curve and runs north of Garrison Street to cross the Lawley Street Viaduct.


Governance

On 1 December 2017 Bordesley became part of the new
Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local authority for the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropo ...
electoral ward of Bordesley and Highgate. Bordesley is in the Birmingham, Ladywood UK Parliament constituency.


Public transport

Bordesley is served by
Bordesley railway station Bordesley railway station is a small railway station serving the area of Bordesley, West Midlands, Bordesley in Birmingham, England located between Birmingham Moor Street railway station, Birmingham Moor Street and Small Heath railway station, ...
, which primarily caters for football fans travelling to Birmingham City's St Andrew's football ground on match days. There is no regular train service from the station.
National Express West Midlands National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is bus operator in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. It is a subsidiary of Mobico Group (formerly National Express Group) and is the largest bus operator in the region, as well as one of ...
buses pass through Bordesley en route to Birmingham city centre. Service no. 97 to/from
Chelmsley Wood Chelmsley Wood, sometimes called just Chelmsley, is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, with a population of 12,453. It is located near Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre ...
has stops along Great Barr Street and Garrison Lane. Routes no. 17 to/from Tile Cross and no. 60 to/from Cranes Park, Sheldon stop on High Street, Bordesley and Coventry Road


Parks and recreation

St. Andrew's stadium has been the home of Birmingham City Football Club since 1906. Garrison Lane Park, laid out circa 1905 as Callowfields Recreation Ground, is off Garrison Circus, a junction on The Middleway or Middle Ring Road. London Plane trees are a feature of the park. A children's play area is close to the Witton Street entrance. Kingston Hill Park to the west of Birmingham City's St. Andrew's ground was opened by Birmingham City Council as Kingston Hill Road Recreation Ground in 1928 on the site of a former brickworks. A central mound is topped by stones in the manner of a small prehistoric
stone circle A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being ...
. A children's play area is near to the Kingston Road entrance. Birmingham Wheels Park, a community motorsport facility is nearby
Bordesley Green Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles east of the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is in the Bordesley Green Ward which also covers some of Small Heath and Little Bromwich. Borde ...
.


Future development plans

A large part of Bordesley west of the ring road is to be transformed as part of an extended Digbeth city centre quarter. Most of the industrial/commercial buildings in Adderley Street, Liverpool Street, Upper Trinity Street and New Bond Street are to be demolished to make way for blocks of apartments. The Central Birmingham National Express bus garage on Adderley Street and Liverpool Street built for the Birmingham Corporation Tramways & Omnibus Department in 1936 was sold to developers in January 2019. Part of the site backs on to the Grand Union Canal at Bordesley Junction. Outline planning permission was granted in December 2020 for up to 1,250 residential homes and 950 student apartments in multi-storey blocks. Development plans show that most of the bus depot's Liverpool Street facade, designed by the architectural firm of Crouch, Butler & Savage, is to be retained but that the Adderley Street frontage will be demolished. In July 2021, planning approval was obtained for a mixed-use redevelopment site of off Upper Trinity Street. The plans are for 8 apartment blocks, including a 32 storey tower, a hotel and a park. The locally listed electricity supply station designed by Frank Barlow Osborn is not part of the development site. In November 2021, plans were approved for 750 dwellings alongside the Grand Union Canal in New Bond Street. New Bond Street's road surface of small setts is one of the few original surviving examples in the area.


Notable residents

* Rev. Richard William Enraght, Vicar of
Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley is a Grade II listed former Church of England parish church at Camp Hill, Bordesley, Birmingham, England. History An example of a Commissioners' church the church was built between 1820 and 1822 by the architec ...
, 1874–1883 * The musician Dave Morgan, musician, born in Bordesley * Billy Kimber, head of the Birmingham Boys


Notes and references

Notes: References: {{Authority control Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands