Hamstead is an area straddling the border 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 ...

and

Sandwell Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, between Handsworth Wood and

Great Barr Great Barr is a large and loosely defined area to the north-west of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as ...

, and adjacent to the Sandwell Valley area of

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

. Hamstead Colliery was worked from the 19th century to the 1960s, with much housing built for the miners. Today the area is still referred to as Hamstead Village. The River Tame enters Hamstead after passing through Sandwell Valley, and runs through the village before exiting into Perry Hall Park. It is the largest tributary of the

River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...

but is not navigable. After heavy rains it can overspill its banks, flooding the village. , flood alleviation works are being undertaken at Sandwell Valley, to protect Hamstead. Two brick bridges over the Tame in Hamstead are

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. St Paul's Church, Hamstead was consecrated in 1892. Its grounds include Hamstead War Memorial, commemorating local men who died in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Both church and memorial are Grade II listed. There is also a secondary School, Hamstead Hall Academy.

Transport

Hamstead brick - 2021-11- 17- Andy Mabbett

The Tame Valley Canal runs through Hamstead Village near to the old colliery site. Coal used to be transported from Hamstead Wharf near Spouthouse Lane along the canal to the

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the Canals of the United Kingdom, British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another to Birmi ...

and onwards. The area is served by Hamstead railway station on the Birmingham-Walsall Line, part of the former

Grand Junction Railway The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846. The line built by the company, which opened in 1837, linked the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to Birmingham via Warri ...

, opened in 1837. Trains run half-hourly in both directions, from 0530 until 0000 seven days a week. Trains are Operated by West Midlands Trains.

Hamstead Village

The area of Hamstead which is a part of Old Walsall Road is commonly referred to as Hamstead Village by the locals. Hamstead Village contains a variety of shops and business which run in the area, such as supermarkets and hairdressers. A Lidl shop used to be located at Hamstead Village, but has since been moved further down Old Walsall Road where a former GKN factory used to be located at, and is now revamped and much larger than the previous Lidl building, being 1,410sqm, alongside 141 parking spaces.

Notable people

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was a British-American Methodist minister who became one of the first two bishop (Methodist), bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the col ...

(1745 – 1816), one of the first two

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

in the United States. * John 'Brummie' Stokes, soldier and mountaineer, born in Hamstead in 1945.

References

Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands {{WestMidlands-geo-stub