Barnt Green
 |
'The Victoria', 2005. |
Barnt Green is a
village in
Worcestershire,
England, located immediately south of
Birmingham.
Always a
commuter settlement, the key to the development of the village is the railway. The
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway was completed in
1840. The only buildings present on a map from
1880 (see below) is
Barnt Green House (probably the oldest recorded bearer of the name
Barnt Green), the buildings at the railway station, and Sandhills Farm, which is dated from the
15th century.
The first shoots of what has come today to be known as
the village came with the construction of
The Victoria, the local
pub; originally a
temperance house. A map of
1905 shows several buildings, including 'the Vic' and many of the
terraced houses which skirt today's shops.
The vast bulk of the village is a product of the
20th century. A great deal of its development occurred between the
wars, with a few houses built between the
1940s and
1970s, and some newer redbrick development.
The area retains a
rural feel as Birmingham is concealed by hills to the north. Despite the proximity of the Birmingham
conurbation, the area still provides an environment for wildlife, including
birds,
foxes and
badgers.
Immediately above (in height) to the northwest are the
Lickey Hills Country Park and the
Victorian houses of
Lickey. Almost immediately to the north is the
Longbridge car factory and beyond that
Birmingham.
Northeast is
Cofton Hackett and the
Bittell Reservoirs, with the
Birmingham and Worcester Canal running alongside. To the east, farmland stretches from the edge of the factory right across to
Hopwood. This large block of rural land forms a part the of
greenbelt which encircles the settlement.
Southeast is the older village of
Alvechurch and beyond that
Redditch. South of the village, across the
M42 motorway, is the large stretch of farmland of Cobley and
Tardebigge which runs to the ancient seat of the Earl of Plymouth,
Hewell Grange (now a prison).
To the southwest, the
Lickey Incline, a famous stretch of railway, runs down the Bunter geological formation to
Blackwell and
Bromsgrove. The
M5 motorway lies to the West.
Barnt Green has
a station on the
Birmingham Cross-City Line. Many people still catch the train into Birmingham each morning, though the majority drive. The area is served by the
M5 and
M42 motorways, as well as the nearby
A38.
In the centre of the village is a
linear shopping street and small park. Other facilities include a sports club, a cricket club, a park and separate
Quaker,
Baptist and
Anglican churches.
St Andrew's Primary School is also based in the village.
*
The Village magazine
