Plants Brook
Encyclopedia
Plants Brook is a stream in Erdington
and Sutton Coldfield
, West Midlands
, England
.
area of Sutton Park
where it flows as a small trickle to Blackroot Pool in Sutton Park, which has been formed as a result of the damming of the stream. It then flows south east to a pool near Wyndley Leisure Centre. Water is channelled from this pool to Wyndley Leisure Centre where there was a now-demolished water mill. The stream then goes under ground, below Sutton Coldfield
town centre before resurfacing along Queen Street on the edge of the town centre. Here it is channelled to follow the edge of the road before flowing beneath it at a bend where it flows from north east to south east. It continues flowing in this direction, past Plantsbrook School
, which receives its name from the stream, and turns north east at Sutton Coldfield Town F.C.
's training ground, underneath Ebrook Road, named after the former name of the stream. It meanders through a housing estate and underneath a railway viaduct
and enters New Hall Valley Country Park
from its north.
From here it is channelled southwards past the New Hall Estate
, New Hall Manor
and New Hall mill. Prior to it being channelled, it flowed alongside New Hall Manor to New Hall Mill, where it powered the machinery. The stream is split into two streams, parallel to each other as it approaches Wylde Green Road. Up until 1967, the Wylde Green Road was crossed by a ford
formed by Plants Brook. Alongside this, John Vesey
, Bishop of Exeter
, constructed one of his 51 cottages known as the Fordkeeper's House. This provided security to those travelling along the Wylde Green Road.
It continues to flow south through the country park in New Hall Valley
, and underneath Penns Bridge. It flows to the east of Walmley Golf Club and provides water to 'The Dam', a long pool at Penns Hall
. This southwards pattern is gradually lost as it flows around the boundary of Pypes Hayes Golf Course. Here it begins to flow south east, and once it reaches Eachelhurst Road, it is flowing east.
A bridge was built over the stream at Eachelhurst Road and a parting in a housing estate indicates the course of the stream, despite being underground. It resurfaces soon after into several small pools, which were formerly reservoir
s. The area was designated nature reserve
status in March 1991, as Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve
, and covers an area of 24.96 acres (101,009.6 m²).
A small trickle from the reservoirs provides water to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
.
, it provided a major source of water for the residents.
To the affluent members of society living in Sutton Coldfield, it was contested over. Landowners were very restrictive in letting others use the stream. One such person was William Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
. However, in 1288, he allowed Thomas de Arden, owner of Peddimore Hall
, to fish in the stream on Beauchamp's land.
A survey of the stream was conducted by the Applied Hydrobiology Section of Aston University
in 1972, into the wildlife of the stream. The results showed that it was relatively unpolluted and was well aerated. The soft acid waters supported various species such as crayfish
, nymph
s, stoneflies, mayflies
and fresh water shrimps. Minnow
s were also found to be living in the stretch of water between Blackroot Pool and Town Gate.
Erdington
Erdington is a suburb northeast of Birmingham city centre, England and bordering Sutton Coldfield. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
and Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, West Midlands
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...
, 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...
.
Course of the stream
The source is in the StreetlyStreetly
Streetly is an area which lies mainly in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, England around 8 miles to the north of Birmingham. Streetly lies on the border of Birmingham and Walsall and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is adjacent to Aldridge, Sutton Coldfield, Great Barr and Four...
area of Sutton Park
Sutton Park
Sutton Park, in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and the largest outside a capital city; it is larger than Richmond Park in London....
where it flows as a small trickle to Blackroot Pool in Sutton Park, which has been formed as a result of the damming of the stream. It then flows south east to a pool near Wyndley Leisure Centre. Water is channelled from this pool to Wyndley Leisure Centre where there was a now-demolished water mill. The stream then goes under ground, below Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
town centre before resurfacing along Queen Street on the edge of the town centre. Here it is channelled to follow the edge of the road before flowing beneath it at a bend where it flows from north east to south east. It continues flowing in this direction, past Plantsbrook School
Plantsbrook School
Plantsbrook School, formerly Riland Bedford, is a secondary school and Sixth Form College in Sutton Coldfield, on Upper Holland Road, North Birmingham, England....
, which receives its name from the stream, and turns north east at Sutton Coldfield Town F.C.
Sutton Coldfield Town F.C.
Sutton Coldfield Town F.C. are a football club based in Sutton Coldfield, England. They were formed in 1879 and currently play in the Northern Premier League First Division South ....
's training ground, underneath Ebrook Road, named after the former name of the stream. It meanders through a housing estate and underneath a railway viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
and enters New Hall Valley Country Park
New Hall Valley Country Park
New Hall Valley Country Park is a country park located in New Hall Valley between Walmley and Wylde Green in the Sutton Coldfield area of north Birmingham. It is the first new country park in the UK for over a decade...
from its north.
From here it is channelled southwards past the New Hall Estate
New Hall Estate
The New Hall Estate is the older of the two major housing estates named after New Hall Manor in the West Midlands in England. It was built in the 1970s and is a maze of roads. The construction of the estate was considered one of the most complicated housing projects of the decade in England due to...
, New Hall Manor
New Hall Manor
New Hall Manor is a medieval manor house, now used as a hotel, located in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England.It is claimed to be one of the oldest inhabited moated houses in Britain, dating from the 13th century when the Earl of Warwick built a hunting lodge on the site...
and New Hall mill. Prior to it being channelled, it flowed alongside New Hall Manor to New Hall Mill, where it powered the machinery. The stream is split into two streams, parallel to each other as it approaches Wylde Green Road. Up until 1967, the Wylde Green Road was crossed by a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
formed by Plants Brook. Alongside this, John Vesey
John Vesey
John Vesey or Veysey was an English bishop.-Life:He was born John Harman, probably about 1462, the son of a yeoman farmer, in a farmhouse now known as Moor Hall Farm, Sutton Coldfield...
, Bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
, constructed one of his 51 cottages known as the Fordkeeper's House. This provided security to those travelling along the Wylde Green Road.
It continues to flow south through the country park in New Hall Valley
New Hall Valley
New Hall Valley lies between Walmley and Maney in the Sutton Coldfield area to the north of Birmingham.In 2005, much of the valley was designated part of the New Hall Valley Country Park. The Plants Brook stream runs through the valley, and consequently it contains a substantial amount of wetland...
, and underneath Penns Bridge. It flows to the east of Walmley Golf Club and provides water to 'The Dam', a long pool at Penns Hall
Penns Hall
Penns Hall is a hotel and country club operated by Ramada International on Penns Lane, Walmley, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade B locally listed building.- History :...
. This southwards pattern is gradually lost as it flows around the boundary of Pypes Hayes Golf Course. Here it begins to flow south east, and once it reaches Eachelhurst Road, it is flowing east.
A bridge was built over the stream at Eachelhurst Road and a parting in a housing estate indicates the course of the stream, despite being underground. It resurfaces soon after into several small pools, which were formerly reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s. The area was designated nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
status in March 1991, as Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve
Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve
Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve is a nature reserve on the Plants Brook in Birmingham, England, consisting of open water, wetland, woodland and meadow. It is located on Eachelhurst Road, on the border of the Pype Hayes and Walmley districts....
, and covers an area of 24.96 acres (101,009.6 m²).
A small trickle from the reservoirs provides water to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is a canal of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in the West Midlands of England. Its purpose was to provide a link between the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and thereby connect Birmingham to London via the Oxford Canal....
.
History
The course of the river has changed very little during its known history. When Sutton Coldfield was a separate district to BirminghamBirmingham
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 provided a major source of water for the residents.
To the affluent members of society living in Sutton Coldfield, it was contested over. Landowners were very restrictive in letting others use the stream. One such person was William Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
. However, in 1288, he allowed Thomas de Arden, owner of Peddimore Hall
Peddimore Hall
Peddimore Hall is a manor house in the Walmley area of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade II listed building. It is now in use as a private residence....
, to fish in the stream on Beauchamp's land.
A survey of the stream was conducted by the Applied Hydrobiology Section of Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
in 1972, into the wildlife of the stream. The results showed that it was relatively unpolluted and was well aerated. The soft acid waters supported various species such as crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
, nymph
Nymph
A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
s, stoneflies, mayflies
Mayfly
Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera . They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies...
and fresh water shrimps. Minnow
Minnow
Minnow is a general term used to refer to small freshwater and saltwater fish, especially those used as bait fish or for fishing bait. More specifically, it refers to small freshwater fish of the carp family.-True minnows:...
s were also found to be living in the stretch of water between Blackroot Pool and Town Gate.
Features on the course
| Point | Coordinates |
|---|---|
| Blackroot Pool | 52.5726°N 1.8428°W |
| Pool at Wyndley | 52.5631°N 1.8313°W |
| Queen Street | 52.5605°N 1.8229°W |
| Ebrook Road bridge | 52.5572°N 1.8166°W |
| New Hall Valley Country Park | 52.5566°N 1.8135°W |
| Fordkeeper's Cottage | 52.5473°N 1.8082°W |
| Penns Bridge | 52.5422°N 1.8076°W |
| The Dam | 52.5392°N 1.8089°W |
| Pype Hayes Golf Course | 52.5323°N 1.8055°W |
| Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve | 52.5277°N 1.7961°W |