Kings Heath
Encyclopedia
Kings Heath is a suburb of Birmingham
, England
, five miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley
on the Alcester Road
.
to Birmingham road acting as a catalyst for new houses and farms. Prior to this the area was largely uninhabited wasteland run by the Royal Borough of Kings Norton
.
On 28 July 2005, Kings Heath was hit by a major (by English standards) tornado
which damaged several shops on the High Street and All Saints' Church. The tornado then went on to damage many houses in Balsall Heath
. There were no fatalities.
The High Street has also suffered from flash floods on occasions, sometimes up to a foot of water in depth, although recently installed underground reservoirs at the junction of Station Road and the High Street aim to combat this problem.
The streets running off the high street are dominated by pre-1919 terraced, owner occupied housing. Due to the desirability of the area and the quality of local schools Kings Heath is steadily becoming gentrified, with houses becoming increasingly unaffordable for local people.
A number of independent shops have taken advantage of relatively cheaper rents in the side roads off the High Street and recently there has been an influx of boutiques and even the start of an (organic) cafe culture. In 2008 the businesses agreed to a Business Improvement District, which top-slices a proportion of their local business taxes to go directly into improvements and promotion of the area.
The locals still refer to Kings Heath as a 'village' even though it has been part of Birmingham for over a century. Its centre at the Vicarage Road junction is now being developed to form a public square, surrounded by community facilities, and will become a venue for the monthly Farmers Market and other events.
school and Bishop Challoner Catholic College.
The central shopping area runs along the High Street and Alcester Road, and the shops include branches of national chain store
s, supermarket
s, electrical retailers, and opticians. There are also a number of pubs and churches and school
s on and around the High Street.
Kings Heath contains two parks: Kings Heath Park
and Highbury Park, the former being famous as the setting of popular BBC
television
programme Gardeners' World
. Kings Heath Park also features a Victorian
-styled tea room and is the venue for the annual Gardener's Weekend Show, which comes under the Royal Horticultural Society and is one of the top regional events for gardening enthusiasts to show off their vegetables and floral displays etc. The park has 'green flag' status. Highbury park (on the border with Moseley) is adjacent to the Highbury Hall
, which used to be a residence of Joseph Chamberlain
.
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...
, 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...
, five miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, two miles south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants...
on the Alcester Road
A435 road
The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester .-Birmingham to Alcester:...
.
History
Kings Heath came into being as a village in the 18th century with the improvements to the AlcesterAlcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
to Birmingham road acting as a catalyst for new houses and farms. Prior to this the area was largely uninhabited wasteland run by the Royal Borough of Kings Norton
Kings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
.
On 28 July 2005, Kings Heath was hit by a major (by English standards) tornado
Birmingham Tornado (UK)
The Birmingham Tornado was one of the strongest tornadoes recorded in the United Kingdom in nearly 30 years, occurring on 28 July 2005 in the suburbs of Birmingham. It formed on a day when strong tornadoes were expected to develop across the Midlands and eastern England...
which damaged several shops on the High Street and All Saints' Church. The tornado then went on to damage many houses in Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath is a working class, inner-city area of Birmingham, England. It is home to a diverse cultural mix of people and the location of the Balti Triangle.-History:...
. There were no fatalities.
The High Street has also suffered from flash floods on occasions, sometimes up to a foot of water in depth, although recently installed underground reservoirs at the junction of Station Road and the High Street aim to combat this problem.
The streets running off the high street are dominated by pre-1919 terraced, owner occupied housing. Due to the desirability of the area and the quality of local schools Kings Heath is steadily becoming gentrified, with houses becoming increasingly unaffordable for local people.
A number of independent shops have taken advantage of relatively cheaper rents in the side roads off the High Street and recently there has been an influx of boutiques and even the start of an (organic) cafe culture. In 2008 the businesses agreed to a Business Improvement District, which top-slices a proportion of their local business taxes to go directly into improvements and promotion of the area.
The locals still refer to Kings Heath as a 'village' even though it has been part of Birmingham for over a century. Its centre at the Vicarage Road junction is now being developed to form a public square, surrounded by community facilities, and will become a venue for the monthly Farmers Market and other events.
Education
Kings Heath is also home to several schools including Kings Heath Boys' School, Wheelers Lane Technology College, King Edward VI Camp HillKing Edward VI Camp Hill
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys is a grammar school in Kings Heath, Birmingham for ages of 11 to 18 . One of the seven establishments of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI, it is a voluntary aided school, with admission by selective exam...
school and Bishop Challoner Catholic College.
Features
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
s, supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, electrical retailers, and opticians. There are also a number of pubs and churches and school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s on and around the High Street.
Kings Heath contains two parks: Kings Heath Park
Kings Heath Park
Kings Heath Park is a Green Flag status, park in the Kings Heath district of Birmingham, England, managed by Birmingham City Council.For a time, the park was used as the setting of popular BBC television programme Gardeners' World.- History :...
and Highbury Park, the former being famous as the setting of popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programme Gardeners' World
Gardeners' World
Gardeners' World is a long-running BBC television programme about gardening that continues to this day. Its first episode was filmed in 1968, presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. The magazine BBC Gardeners' World is a tie-in to the programme. Most of its episodes have...
. Kings Heath Park also features a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
-styled tea room and is the venue for the annual Gardener's Weekend Show, which comes under the Royal Horticultural Society and is one of the top regional events for gardening enthusiasts to show off their vegetables and floral displays etc. The park has 'green flag' status. Highbury park (on the border with Moseley) is adjacent to the Highbury Hall
Highbury, Birmingham
Highbury, also known as Highbury Hall, now a Grade II* listed building, was commissioned as his Birmingham residence by Joseph Chamberlain in 1878, two years after he became Member of Parliament for Birmingham. It received its name from the Highbury area of London, where Chamberlain lived as a child...
, which used to be a residence of Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
.