Witton is an inner city area in Birmingham, England, in the metropolitan county of the West Midlands. It was within the ancient parish of Aston in the Hemlingford hundred of the historic county of Warwickshire. [1] It is known as the home of Aston Villa Football Club at Villa Park.
According to William Dugdale, Witton was the property of a man named Staunchel (also spelled Stannachetel [2] ) before being seized by William Fitz-Ansculf following the Norman conquest of England. Staunchel became the tenant of Fitz-Ansculf, valued at twenty shillings per annum in the Domesday Book. 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 and brought action against him for infringing his property. The dispute was settled by the Sheriffs of Staffordshire and Warwickshire by the King's request. [3]
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. [4] In 1559, the Earl of Warwick purchased to 80 acres (32 ha) of moor called Wichalmore in Witton. [5]
In 1426 Thomas East of Hay Hall in Yardley sold it to John Bond of Ward End 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. [6] It was bought by John Wyrley son of Peter Birch in the 18th century and then sold by his descendant, [7] George Birch of Hamstead in the 19th century [3] to the Earl of Dartmouth. See Wyrley-Birch in Kingstanding ward.
| Year | Population figure |
|---|---|
| 1841 | 157 |
| 1851 | 160 |
| 1861 | 126 |
| 1871 | 217 |
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 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. [2]
On 13 June 1902 Birmingham Industrial School opened on Witton Lane. It moved from Penn Street in Deritend, 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. [8]
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, 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. [9]
On 28 June 1934 Hugo Hirst 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.
Like the rest of Birmingham, Witton was heavily industrialised. The area was the base of industrial company IMI plc. The company was responsible for construction a conveyor 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. [10] In 2003, IMI moved from the Witton site to new headquarters close to Birmingham Airport. [11]
The General Electric Co. Ltd. (GEC) acquired land at Witton in 1899 and established an engineering works in 1901. [12] together with houses for its workers. [6] By the time of Edward, Prince of Wales visit on 12 June 1923, the factory site extended to 130 acres (53 ha). The main engineering works and administration block fronted Electric Avenue; adjoining were works for switchgear, standard motors, small motors and fans, batteries, moulded insulation and lamp black, and at the rear a foundry producing castings. The main factory made the turbo-alternators for the Nechells A power station. Across the Tame Valley canal were extensive playing fields for employees' sports teams, allotments and the "Magnet" social club with its theatre and dancing hall, billiards room, gymnasium and boxing ring. [13] At one time,[ when? ] the company was employing 18,000 people on the site. [14] By 1927, London Aluminium was employing 400 people at its works in Witton. [14]
Other notable features of Witton are Witton Cemetery, Witton Lakes, the River Tame, the remains of Witton Hall and Witton railway station. The Birmingham Bulldogs rugby team's training ground is also based on Moor Lane in Witton. [15] 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 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. [16]
On 15 June 2007, parts of Witton were flooded as a result of heavy rainfall causing the River Tame to burst its banks. [17] 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. [18] Parts of the area were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Residents were encouraged to evacuate to Great Barr Leisure Centre, in Great Barr where Birmingham City Council 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. [19] 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. [20]
West Midlands is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the larger West Midlands region of England. A landlocked county, it is bordered by Staffordshire to the north and west, Worcestershire to the south, and is surrounded by Warwickshire to the east. The largest settlement is the city of Birmingham.
Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre.
Aldridge is a town and civil parish in the Walsall borough, West Midlands, England. It is historically a village that was part of Staffordshire until 1974. The town is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Brownhills, 5 miles (8 km) from Walsall, 6 miles (9.7 km) from Sutton Coldfield and 7 miles (11 km) from Lichfield. The town is also the second-largest town in the Walsall Borough.
The River Tame is a river in the West Midlands of England, and one of the principal tributaries of the River Trent. The Tame is about 95 km (59 mi) long from the source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e. the Tame and its main tributaries, is about 285 km (177 mi).
Birmingham has seen 1400 years of growth, during which time it has evolved from a small 7th century Anglo Saxon hamlet on the edge of the Forest of Arden at the fringe of the early Mercia into a major city. A combination of immigration, innovation and civic pride helped to bring about major social and economic reforms and create the Industrial Revolution, inspiring the growth of similar cities across the world.
Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,640. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations and has hosted sixteen England internationals at senior level, the first in 1899 and the most recent in 2005. Villa Park has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals, more than any other stadium, and it is the 10th largest in England.
Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located 5 miles (8 km) northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutton Coldfield. It was also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The former council district consisted of the ward of Erdington as well as Tyburn, Stockland Green and Kingstanding, although all of Kingstanding and most of both Tyburn and Stockland Green wards lie outside the historical boundaries of Erdington. Stockland Green was formerly part of Aston, Kingstanding part of Perry Barr, and Tyburn partially split between Aston and Hodge Hill. Erdington (ward) was part of the Sutton Coldfield constituency before 1974.
Perry Barr is a suburban area in north Birmingham, England. It is also the name of a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Birmingham Perry Barr is also a parliamentary constituency; its Member of Parliament is Khalid Mahmood.
Digbeth is an area of central Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into apartments, retail premises, offices and arts facilities. The district is considered to be Birmingham's 'Creative Quarter'.
Stockland Green is an area of Birmingham, England.
The Chase Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs from its southern terminus, Birmingham New Street, to Walsall, and then Rugeley Trent Valley in Staffordshire, where it joins the Trent Valley line. The name of the line refers to Cannock Chase which it runs through at its northern end.
Sport has always been important in Birmingham, England, from the hundreds of diverse grass-roots sports clubs to internationally famous teams, associations and venues.
Bordesley is an area of Birmingham, England, 1.2 miles (2 km) south east of the city centre straddling the Watery Lane Middleway ring road. It should not be confused with nearby Bordesley Green. 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 houses and redevelopment in the 1980s and 90s. Bordesley is the real life setting of the BBC series Peaky Blinders, and home to Birmingham City Football Club's ground, St Andrew's.
Witton railway station serves the Witton area of the city of Birmingham, England. It is situated on the Chase Line, part of the former Grand Junction Railway which opened in 1837. The line was electrified in 1966, as part of the London Midland Region's electrification programme; the line from Coventry to Walsall was energised on 15 August 1966. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains.
The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul in Witton Lane, Aston, Birmingham, England, is a parish church in the Church of England.
This article is intended to show a timeline of events in the History of Birmingham, England, with a particular focus on the events, people or places that are covered in Wikipedia articles.
Rushall Junction is the southern limit of the Rushall Canal where it meets the Tame Valley Canal in the West Midlands, England. It opened in 1847, when the Rushall Canal was built to create connections between the Birmingham Canal Navigations system and the Wyrley and Essington Canal, following the amalgamation of the two companies in 1840.
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 residents and groups take an active interest in the park and the lake.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
