Ladywood
Encyclopedia
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. It is a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Ladywood ward and the wards of Aston
Aston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
, Nechells
Nechells
Nechells is an area in inner-city Birmingham, England, with a population of 27,969 . It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centre, which are not part of the historic district of Nechells as such...
and Soho
Soho, Birmingham
Soho is an area in north west Birmingham, approximately 2 miles from the City Centre on the A41, which until 1911 formed part of Handsworth District. Soho is also a ward within the council constituency of Ladywood...
. In June 2004, Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
conducted a city-wide "Ward Boundary Revision" to round-up the thirty-nine Birmingham wards to forty. As a result of this, Ladywood's boundaries were expanded to include Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
.
Demographics
At the time of the 2001 Population CensusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, 23,789 people were living in Ladywood. The population density was 3,330 people per km² living within its 7.1 km² boundary, compared with 3,649 people per km² for Birmingham. Nearly half of the population of Ladywood (49%) consists of ethnic minorities compared with 29.6% for Birmingham in general. The largest ethnic minority groups are Afro-Caribbean
British African-Caribbean community
The British African Caribbean communities are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were primarily indigenous to Africa...
at 13.18%, Indian
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
at 11.65%, Pakistani
Pakistani diaspora
The Pakistani diaspora, or an overseas Pakistani is a Pakistani citizen who has migrated to another country or a person of Pakistani origin who is born outside Pakistan. There are approximately 7 million Pakistanis living abroad...
at 10.64% and Mixed Race at 5.52%.
Housing and Land Use
The Ladywood ward combines areas of varying land-use, such that no generalisation is possible. There is the city centreBirmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
(the economically valuable Central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
), the affluent Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
, and Broad Street
Broad Street, Birmingham
Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...
areas which have become fashionable for "luxury apartment" living, the Lee Bank
Lee Bank
Lee Bank is an inner city area of Birmingham, England. It is part of the Edgbaston and Ladywood wards, inside the Middle Ring Road, near to the centre of Birmingham...
area (now known as Park Central
Park Central
Park Central is a large development under construction on the outskirts of Birmingham city centre in England.The Lee Bank area on which Park Central is located, had become rundown over time and required redevelopment. As a result, Crest Nicholson decided to develop the area with new mid and high...
) which has been fully redeveloped, and there is the remainder of the ward (herein: "remainder Ladywood") which is relatively economically impoverished.
Most of "remainder Ladywood" (and area now occupied by Park Central
Park Central
Park Central is a large development under construction on the outskirts of Birmingham city centre in England.The Lee Bank area on which Park Central is located, had become rundown over time and required redevelopment. As a result, Crest Nicholson decided to develop the area with new mid and high...
) was redeveloped during the 1960s, with decaying terraced slums being cleared to make way for new low-rise housing and high-rise flats. Although the newer homes were an improvement on their predecessors in terms of quality and sanitation, social problems of tower blocks resulted in much of the local area having issues with drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and many of the other problems commonly associated with inner city areas across England.
More than 20 multi-storey blocks of council flats were built around Ladywood during the 1960s and 1970s; however, six of them were demolished in the early 2000s.
More recently there has been investment in physical improvements to the area. Some tower blocks have been either demolished or improved, not least with introduction of concierge or CCTV security systems. These and other such measures may have resulted in a reduction of antisocial behaviour.
The area is served by two libraries; Spring Hill Library
Spring Hill Library
Spring Hill Library is a red brick and terracotta Victorian building in Ladywood, Birmingham, England.Designed in 1891 by Martin & Chamberlain with a clock tower on the corner of Icknield Street and Spring Hill and opened on January 7, 1893, it now stands next to a roundabout and surrounded by...
and Ladywood Library.
Politics
The ward is currently represented by three LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillors at the Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
; Sir Albert Bore
Albert Bore
Sir Albert Bore is the elected Councillor for Birmingham-Ladywood , the current Leader of the Labour Group of Birmingham City Council , former Leader of Birmingham City Council and Chair of the Economic Development portfolio...
, Kath Hartley and Carl Rice.
Ladywood Ward has adopted a "Committee Manager" and an "Interim Neighbourhood Manager". These are Kay Thomas and Sandra Lawrence respectively.
Unemployment
In July 2010, it was reported that the Parliamentary Constituency of Ladywood had the highest rate of unemployment out of all the constituencies in the United Kingdom with 10.8% claiming Jobseeker's AllowanceJobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance is a United Kingdom benefit, colloquially known as the dole . It is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and seeking work. It is part of the social security benefits system and is intended to cover living expenses while the...
. It was further reported that Ladywood had the highest rate in the UK for at least the previous 61 months (statistics produced on a month by month basis). This may be blamed on the recession, but very high unemployment rates have been a problem in Ladywood for a number of years.
Famous residents
- Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
(1783–1859). A famous American writer. Inspired to write whilst living with family in BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham 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...
.
- Alfred Joseph KnightAlfred Joseph KnightAlfred Joseph Knight VC MBE was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
(1888–1960). World War I Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
recipient.
- J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) A famous writer, known best for The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
(lived in an area of EdgbastonEdgbastonEdgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
now taken over by the extension of the Ladywood Ward boundaries).