Saltley is an inner-city 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, east of the city centre. The area is part of the
Washwood Heath 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 (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, England#Districts, formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ...
ward. It is part of the
Ladywood constituency
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
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. As water became a key resource, the family moved their residence to
Hams Hall for better access to the
River Tame. When the
English Civil War
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
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 they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...
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. The co ...
, 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. Lord Norton oversaw the then-modern late–19th century layout of square-set streets and well-spaced houses, which after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
was viewed as a slum.
St Peter's College was both a teacher training college and school, which was developed from 1852. The school closed in 1941 after destruction by a Luftwaffe bomb, while the college closed in 1978 to become part of
Aston University
Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston'' for post-nominals) is a public university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first College of a ...
. 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, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
(mostly from Pakistan and Bangladesh) who have formed a strong community over the last half-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 Peter's 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 ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
human artefact to be found in the
English Midlands
The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshi ...
.
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
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
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 ...
8A/8C, 14, 94 and 95.
Saltley was served by
Saltley railway station between 1854 and 1968.
See also
*
Saltley Academy
*
Saltley Gate Peace Group
*
St Saviour's Church, Saltley
References
{{Areas of Birmingham
Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands