Bentley Heath
Encyclopedia
Bentley Heath is a village in the West Midlands
borough of Solihull
, England
.
and the South of the M42
which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Bentley Heath and its neighbours of Knowle
and Dorridge
from the greater urban area of Birmingham
. It falls in the Meriden Gap
and historically was part of Warwickshire
. It is 125 metres (400 ft) above sea-level, located in the Midlands Plateau
.
Widnay Manor came into the ownership of the Holbech family in the reign of Elizabeth I. No one landlord owned the land of Bentley Heath as the estate was split up in 1738; in the mid-19th century the main landowners were Thomas Haydon, Lady Noel Byron and Ann Musgrove.
Around 1850, the Great Western Railway was built, splitting the estate in two. The Muntz
family bought some of the land in the latter part of the 19th century.
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
borough of Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Location
Bentley Heath is to the East of the M40M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
and the South of the M42
M42 motorway
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Bentley Heath and its neighbours of Knowle
Knowle
Knowle is a large village a few miles southeast of the town of Solihull, UK. Knowle lies within the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands...
and Dorridge
Dorridge
Dorridge is a village in the West Midlands borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 7800.-Location:Dorridge is to the East of the M40 and the South of the M42 which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Dorridge and its neighbours of Knowle and Bentley Heath from...
from the greater urban area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. It falls in the Meriden Gap
Meriden Gap
The Meriden Gap is a mostly rural area located in the West Midlands between Solihull and Coventry. It serves as a green belt which separates the latter from the large West Midlands conurbation, which includes Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The 'Gap' takes its name from the village central to the...
and historically was part of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. It is 125 metres (400 ft) above sea-level, located in the Midlands Plateau
Midlands Plateau
The Midlands Plateau is a plateau covering approximately 3,200 km² in the Midlands of England, bounded by the Rivers Severn, Avon and Trent....
.
Features of the Village
There is a relatively large amount of green space to be found in Bentley Heath, with the park, Bentley Heath School fields and various small greens dotted around the residential roads. In the village itself is the aforementioned C of E school, a butchers, a co-operative store, a winter sports shop, a post office and a newspaper shop. There are two hair salons in the village centre and a GvR pillar box situated under a large oak tree next to the bus stop.Earliest existence
It is likely that the Heath was first inhabited in Anglo Saxon times. The Domesday Book records the land as belonging to Turchil of Warwick. After changing hands a number of times, the most famous Lord of the Manor was Lord Byron after whose wife Lady Byron Lane in Knowle is named. Widney Manor is referred to back in the reign of Henry III. Bentley Heath was first mentioned in its own right in 1280 where reference was made to the "Heath at Benteley".Widnay Manor came into the ownership of the Holbech family in the reign of Elizabeth I. No one landlord owned the land of Bentley Heath as the estate was split up in 1738; in the mid-19th century the main landowners were Thomas Haydon, Lady Noel Byron and Ann Musgrove.
Around 1850, the Great Western Railway was built, splitting the estate in two. The Muntz
Muntz
- Muntz :* George Frederic Muntz , Industrialist and MP from Birmingham, England.** Muntz metal, an alloy which he invented.** Philip Henry Muntz, his brother, also an MP.** Sir Philip Muntz, 1st Baronet, his son....
family bought some of the land in the latter part of the 19th century.