Rednal
Encyclopedia
Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham
, West Midlands
, England
, 9 miles (14.2 kilometres) south west of Birmingham
city centre and forming part of Longbridge
parish and electoral ward.
Rednal is home to approximately 2,000 residents. The suburb is located in a triangle formed by Rubery
and the Bristol Road South to the north and north west, the former MG Rover car factory
to the south east and the Lickey Hills
and Cofton Hackett Park
just south. The popular rural Lickey Hills Country Park
is half a mile south of Rednal, with Rednal Hill being the nearest peak.
when a Neolithic hunter lost a flint arrow head on Rednal Hill. The arrow head is leaf-shaped and made of flint and is certainly over 4,000 years old. Additionally a 3,000 year old flint javelin
point was found lying on the surface by an observant Mr W. H. Laurie when the Lickey's road-widening was taking place in 1925. A flint scraping tool was found in the area near the Earl of Plymouth monument. The artifacts are on display at the Birmingham Museum.
The Romans constructed a road over the Lickeys very near to the present Rose Hill gap, before it swung north through Rednal and followed the route of the present day Bristol Road South. The road would have been used to transport salt and other goods between the Roman encampments at Worcester
and Metchley
, near where Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital
now stands. It would have also been used as a military marching route by Roman soldiers. In 1963 a Roman coin was found near Rednal Hill School by a Janet and Stephen Harris. The coin was a dupondius
struck during the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius who ruled Rome and Britain from 138 to 161. The tiny coin was struck from brass and would have been worth about the price of a loaf of bread.
In Norman times
Rednal and the Lickeys formed part of the royal manor of Bromsgrove
and were set aside as a royal hunting forest
. As well as stocking the area with deer, the Normans deliberately introduced rabbits to the area that were kept in large enclosures, or 'warrens' hence the road and place names. The word 'forest' means 'place of deer' and did not necessarily mean that the area was totally covered with trees.
Rednal was known by the Anglo-Saxon
name, Wreodan Healh the meaning of which was 'thicket nook'. Together with Kings Norton
and other sub-manors, Rednal is listed as Weredeshale in the Domesday Book
, a berewick of Bromsgrove belonging to the king. A 20th century housing estate has reinstated the name of Wreodanhale into modern usage. The name was recorded as early as 849 and is mentioned in the Cofton Lease, one of the few surviving Anglo-Saxon charter documents in the West Midlands. The charter designated land around Cofton Hackett and Rednal to be leased by Bishop Ealhun of Worcester to King Berhtwulf in AD 849.
Running along the west side of Lickey Road, between Leach Green Lane and past Edgewood Road, is a medieval hedge whose age is estimated to be over 700 years old. The Manor was sold by crown charter in 1682 to the Earl of Plymouth. The Earl lived at nearby Tardebigge
and his descendants would own the lands at Rednal, Longbridge
, Cofton Hackett
and the Lickey Hills for the next 250 years.
In 1888 the Birmingham Society for the Preservation of Open Spaces purchased Rednal Hill and handed it to the city in trust. They also arranged for Pinfield Wood and Bilberry Hill
to be leased on a peppercorn (nominal) rent. Birmingham City Council finally purchased Cofton Hill, Lickey Warren and Pinfield Wood outright in 1920. With the eventual purchase of the Rose Hill Estate from the Cadbury family
in 1923, free public access was finally restored to the entire hills.
An early provision for the small rural community was the Rednal Public Library built in 1909 by King's Norton & Northfield Urban District Council on Leach Green Lane. The site was donated by Edward Cadbury and George Cadbury Jnr and the building costs met by philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie
.
In 1924 the Birminham tram system was extended along the central reservation of the Bristol Road South to the new Rednal Terminus, with a branch to Rubery. The new tramline drew thousands of visitors from the city and all over the Black Country
to Rednal and the Lickeys at weekends and on bank holiday
s. There are records of crowds as far back as the Rose and Crown up Rose Hill on busy Sundays, as families queued for the trams to take them home. The tram lines were removed when the trams were replaced by buses in 1953. However the terminus turning circle and its extensive waiting shelter remained in situ until well into the 1960s, and it is believed that they continued in use by the buses on bank holidays. The original tram station offices are now used as an ethnic restaurant. A small development of retirement homes and a carpark were built on the site of the terminus and several short lengths of tramlines are still visible on the front gardens and pathways.
In 1917 the Austin Aero Company built an airfield right next to Rednal, just on the other side the Lickey Road and north east of Cofton Hackett Park. The airfield was used for flying aeroplanes out of the Cofton Hackett aircraft factory. Between 1939 and 1945 the factory mainly produced Hawker Hurricane
fighters, Short Stirling
four engined bombers that were flown out over Rednal.
In preparation for the Second World War deep shelter tunnels were dug alongside Rednal in 1936 to accommodate up to 15,000 people. The main tunnels were under the South Works and were also driven under the Flying Ground through the sandstone towards the Cofton Hackett aircraft factory, a task undertaken by an army of mining engineers. The tunnels were large enough to admit 3-ton lorries. The tunnels under the South Works were mainly intended to be used as air raid shelters although some machine tools were installed, allowing work to continue. The tunnels under the airfield and the Cofton factory were designed for use while assembling aero engines and even aircraft, although they did also contain a St John’s Ambulance Station
manned by first aid qualified factory workers. Used in later years for moving partially completed cars around the site, the tunnels still exist under the demolished factories and many photographs taken by 'Subterranean Britain' explorers have surfaced on the Internet.
Major housing development in Rednal only began after World War 2 with the construction of the Rednal Hall council estate where over 600 houses were added.
.
of the Labour party
since 1992.
.
The village nestles at the feet of the three hill
tops geographically comprising The Lickeys - Rednal Hill, Bilberry Hill
and Cofton Hill
- are the summits of the Lickey Ridge, a formation of hard quartzite
. Panoramic views over the city of Birmingham and surrounding countryside can be seen from the top of these hills.
The Lickey Hills area is of significant geological
interest due to the range and age of the rocks
. The stratigraphic
sequence, which is the basis for the area's diversity of landscape
and habitat
, comprises:
in 1911. Thirdly the breakup of the Earl of Plymouth's estate by auction in 1919, and lastly the extension of the Birmingham tramlines to the Rednal terminus in 1924.
These events had carried Rednal very rapidly from the rural age of the horse and cart to that of the motor car and bus, and from a community depending chiefly on farming to a delightful dormitory for people nearly all of whom now travel into central Birmingham to work. Most of the shops are in an area on the southern edge of the village that was administratively transferred from Kings Norton only in 1911.
The previous MG Rover site was purchased by St Modwen and discussions since 2006 have taken place between residents, county, district and parish councils, West Midlands Development Agency and central government officials on suitable development plans for the site. The 2008 downturn in the worldwide economy has slowed the progression of any new development. Situated where the Bristol Road meets Longbridge Lane, the Longbridge Technology Park was completed in late 2007. And in 2008 one of the two buildings is occupied but the other is still vacant.
A major development aimed to improve the Longbridge ward was the Great Park development in Rubery
by Corporate Land Developments Ltd. The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) site just off junction 4 on the M5 Motorway
has been developed into a community with offices, houses, industrial units, Empire Cinemas
, Hollywood Bowl, Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre
, Morrisons
, Gala Bingo, Greens Fitness and an area of public open space.
Children also attend St. James' RC Primary School, Leach Heath Lane.
in adjacent Rubery
. Waseley Hills High School has around 970 pupils including 123 in its sixth form college
. The school has specialist Business and Enterprise College
status.
in 1960 by a group of volunteers led by St Stephen's organist G. A. W. Jeynes.
The Catholic
church, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, is on Leach Green Lane.
Longbridge Methodist Church is on Bristol Road South
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...
, 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...
, 9 miles (14.2 kilometres) south west 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...
city centre and forming part of Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
parish and electoral ward.
Rednal is home to approximately 2,000 residents. The suburb is located in a triangle formed by Rubery
Rubery
Rubery is a village in the Bromsgrove district of Worcestershire. Part of the village forms a southern suburb of Birmingham, England in the West Midlands. The village is from Birmingham city centre....
and the Bristol Road South to the north and north west, the former MG Rover car factory
Longbridge plant
The Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
to the south east and the Lickey Hills
Lickey Hills
The Lickey Hills are a range of hills in Worcestershire, England, eleven miles to the south-west of the centre of Birmingham near the villages of Lickey and Barnt Green...
and Cofton Hackett Park
Cofton Hackett
Cofton Hackett is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of north east Worcestershire, England. It is situated 10.3 miles south west of the city centre of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...
just south. The popular rural Lickey Hills Country Park
Lickey Hills Country Park
Lickey Hills Country Park is a country park in England. It is 10.3 miles south west of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester. The 524 acre park is situated just south of Rednal and close to Barnt Green. It is half a mile east of Cofton Hackett...
is half a mile south of Rednal, with Rednal Hill being the nearest peak.
History
The first evidence of people settling in the area date back to the Stone ageStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
when a Neolithic hunter lost a flint arrow head on Rednal Hill. The arrow head is leaf-shaped and made of flint and is certainly over 4,000 years old. Additionally a 3,000 year old flint javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
point was found lying on the surface by an observant Mr W. H. Laurie when the Lickey's road-widening was taking place in 1925. A flint scraping tool was found in the area near the Earl of Plymouth monument. The artifacts are on display at the Birmingham Museum.
The Romans constructed a road over the Lickeys very near to the present Rose Hill gap, before it swung north through Rednal and followed the route of the present day Bristol Road South. The road would have been used to transport salt and other goods between the Roman encampments at Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and Metchley
Metchley Fort
Metchley Fort was a Roman fort in what is now Birmingham, England.It lies on the course of a Roman road, Icknield Street, which is now the site of the present Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston. The fort was constructed soon after the Roman invasion of Britain in...
, near where Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital or Queen Elizabeth's Hospital can refer to one of several institutions named after Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II or Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother:Australia*Queen Elizabeth Hospital, AdelaideBarbados...
now stands. It would have also been used as a military marching route by Roman soldiers. In 1963 a Roman coin was found near Rednal Hill School by a Janet and Stephen Harris. The coin was a dupondius
Dupondius
The dupondius was a brass coin used during the Roman Empire and Roman Republic valued at 2 asses ....
struck during the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius who ruled Rome and Britain from 138 to 161. The tiny coin was struck from brass and would have been worth about the price of a loaf of bread.
In Norman times
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Rednal and the Lickeys formed part of the royal manor of Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
and were set aside as a royal hunting forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
. As well as stocking the area with deer, the Normans deliberately introduced rabbits to the area that were kept in large enclosures, or 'warrens' hence the road and place names. The word 'forest' means 'place of deer' and did not necessarily mean that the area was totally covered with trees.
Rednal was known by the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
name, Wreodan Healh the meaning of which was 'thicket nook'. Together with 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:...
and other sub-manors, Rednal is listed as Weredeshale in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, a berewick of Bromsgrove belonging to the king. A 20th century housing estate has reinstated the name of Wreodanhale into modern usage. The name was recorded as early as 849 and is mentioned in the Cofton Lease, one of the few surviving Anglo-Saxon charter documents in the West Midlands. The charter designated land around Cofton Hackett and Rednal to be leased by Bishop Ealhun of Worcester to King Berhtwulf in AD 849.
Running along the west side of Lickey Road, between Leach Green Lane and past Edgewood Road, is a medieval hedge whose age is estimated to be over 700 years old. The Manor was sold by crown charter in 1682 to the Earl of Plymouth. The Earl lived at nearby Tardebigge
Tardebigge
Tardebigge is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 36 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over 220 feet over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the historic county of Worcestershire.-Toponymy:The etymology of the...
and his descendants would own the lands at Rednal, Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
, Cofton Hackett
Cofton Hackett
Cofton Hackett is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of north east Worcestershire, England. It is situated 10.3 miles south west of the city centre of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...
and the Lickey Hills for the next 250 years.
In 1888 the Birmingham Society for the Preservation of Open Spaces purchased Rednal Hill and handed it to the city in trust. They also arranged for Pinfield Wood and Bilberry Hill
Bilberry Hill
Bilberry Hill is a country park in Britain. It is one of the Lickey Hills in northern Worcestershire, 10.3 miles south west of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...
to be leased on a peppercorn (nominal) rent. Birmingham City Council finally purchased Cofton Hill, Lickey Warren and Pinfield Wood outright in 1920. With the eventual purchase of the Rose Hill Estate from the Cadbury family
Cadbury family
The Cadbury family is a prominent British family of industrialists descending from Richard Tapper Cadbury.* Richard Tapper Cadbury , who financed John** John Cadbury , family patriarch and founder of the chocolate company...
in 1923, free public access was finally restored to the entire hills.
An early provision for the small rural community was the Rednal Public Library built in 1909 by King's Norton & Northfield Urban District Council on Leach Green Lane. The site was donated by Edward Cadbury and George Cadbury Jnr and the building costs met by philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
.
In 1924 the Birminham tram system was extended along the central reservation of the Bristol Road South to the new Rednal Terminus, with a branch to Rubery. The new tramline drew thousands of visitors from the city and all over the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
to Rednal and the Lickeys at weekends and on bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
s. There are records of crowds as far back as the Rose and Crown up Rose Hill on busy Sundays, as families queued for the trams to take them home. The tram lines were removed when the trams were replaced by buses in 1953. However the terminus turning circle and its extensive waiting shelter remained in situ until well into the 1960s, and it is believed that they continued in use by the buses on bank holidays. The original tram station offices are now used as an ethnic restaurant. A small development of retirement homes and a carpark were built on the site of the terminus and several short lengths of tramlines are still visible on the front gardens and pathways.
In 1917 the Austin Aero Company built an airfield right next to Rednal, just on the other side the Lickey Road and north east of Cofton Hackett Park. The airfield was used for flying aeroplanes out of the Cofton Hackett aircraft factory. Between 1939 and 1945 the factory mainly produced Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
fighters, Short Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
four engined bombers that were flown out over Rednal.
In preparation for the Second World War deep shelter tunnels were dug alongside Rednal in 1936 to accommodate up to 15,000 people. The main tunnels were under the South Works and were also driven under the Flying Ground through the sandstone towards the Cofton Hackett aircraft factory, a task undertaken by an army of mining engineers. The tunnels were large enough to admit 3-ton lorries. The tunnels under the South Works were mainly intended to be used as air raid shelters although some machine tools were installed, allowing work to continue. The tunnels under the airfield and the Cofton factory were designed for use while assembling aero engines and even aircraft, although they did also contain a St John’s Ambulance Station
St. John Ambulance
St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
manned by first aid qualified factory workers. Used in later years for moving partially completed cars around the site, the tunnels still exist under the demolished factories and many photographs taken by 'Subterranean Britain' explorers have surfaced on the Internet.
Major housing development in Rednal only began after World War 2 with the construction of the Rednal Hall council estate where over 600 houses were added.
Historical
During the medieval period Rednal formed part of the yields of nearby Kings NortonKings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
.
Westminster
Rednal forms part of the Birmingham, Northfield constituency and is represented by Richard BurdenRichard Burden
Richard Burden is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield since 1992. Together with close friend and fellow ex-Young Liberal Peter Hain M.P., he was an enthusiastic supporter of the ill-fated Alternative Vote system in the May 2011...
of the Labour party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
since 1992.
Birmingham City Council
Rednal is part of Longbridge ward and three councillors represent Longbridge and Rednal, currently Keith Barton, Sue Barton and Ken Wood, all of the Conservative partyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Geography
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
tops geographically comprising The Lickeys - Rednal Hill, Bilberry Hill
Bilberry Hill
Bilberry Hill is a country park in Britain. It is one of the Lickey Hills in northern Worcestershire, 10.3 miles south west of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...
and Cofton Hill
Cofton Hackett
Cofton Hackett is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of north east Worcestershire, England. It is situated 10.3 miles south west of the city centre of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...
- are the summits of the Lickey Ridge, a formation of hard quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
. Panoramic views over the city of Birmingham and surrounding countryside can be seen from the top of these hills.
The Lickey Hills area is of significant geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
interest due to the range and age of the rocks
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
. The stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
sequence, which is the basis for the area's diversity of landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
and habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, comprises:
- Barnt Green rocks - PrecambrianPrecambrianThe Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
tuffTuffTuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
s and volcanicVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
gritGritGrit may refer to:* GRIT , also known as Arhgap32 or PX-RICS* Grit , a U.S. periodical founded as a newspaper in 1882* Grit , by Celtic fusion musician Martyn Bennett* Grit , by Norwegian rock band Madrugada...
s - Lickey Quartzite - a CambrianCambrianThe Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
quartziteQuartziteQuartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink... - KeeleKeeleKeele is a village and civil parish in northern Staffordshire, England. It is approximately three miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale...
Clay - a CarboniferousCarboniferousThe Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
clayClayClay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals... - ClentClent HillsThe Clent Hills lie 9⅓ miles southwest of Birmingham city centre in Clent, Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from north-west to south-east: Wychbury Hill, Clent Hill , and...
Breccia - a PermianPermianThe PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
brecciaBrecciaBreccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments.... - Bunter Pebble BedsBunter (geology)Bunter beds are sandstone deposits containing rounded pebbles, such as can notably be found in Warwickshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Devon and Dorset in England...
- bedStratumIn geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
s of TriassicTriassicThe Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
water-worn pebblePebbleA pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of 4 to 64 millimetres based on the Krumbein phi scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered to be larger than granules and smaller than cobbles . A rock made predominantly of pebbles is termed a conglomerate...
s
Economy
With the demise of the Longbridge Motor Factory there is little in the way of major employment in the immediate area. Rednal barely existed prior to the factory came into being in its current form as a result of four events. Firstly the opening of the Austin motor works at Longbridge in 1905, secondly the extension of the area of the City of Birmingham to the northern boundary of Cofton HackettCofton Hackett
Cofton Hackett is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of north east Worcestershire, England. It is situated 10.3 miles south west of the city centre of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...
in 1911. Thirdly the breakup of the Earl of Plymouth's estate by auction in 1919, and lastly the extension of the Birmingham tramlines to the Rednal terminus in 1924.
These events had carried Rednal very rapidly from the rural age of the horse and cart to that of the motor car and bus, and from a community depending chiefly on farming to a delightful dormitory for people nearly all of whom now travel into central Birmingham to work. Most of the shops are in an area on the southern edge of the village that was administratively transferred from Kings Norton only in 1911.
The previous MG Rover site was purchased by St Modwen and discussions since 2006 have taken place between residents, county, district and parish councils, West Midlands Development Agency and central government officials on suitable development plans for the site. The 2008 downturn in the worldwide economy has slowed the progression of any new development. Situated where the Bristol Road meets Longbridge Lane, the Longbridge Technology Park was completed in late 2007. And in 2008 one of the two buildings is occupied but the other is still vacant.
A major development aimed to improve the Longbridge ward was the Great Park development in Rubery
Rubery
Rubery is a village in the Bromsgrove district of Worcestershire. Part of the village forms a southern suburb of Birmingham, England in the West Midlands. The village is from Birmingham city centre....
by Corporate Land Developments Ltd. The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) site just off junction 4 on the M5 Motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
has been developed into a community with offices, houses, industrial units, Empire Cinemas
Empire Cinemas
Empire Cinemas Limited is a multiplex cinema chain in the UK. There are 17 Empire Cinemas with 141 screens in total, including the flagship Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London which hosts various film premières and first-runs.-Ownership & Management:...
, Hollywood Bowl, Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre
Brewers Fayre
Brewers Fayre is a chain of around 125 licensed family and casual dining pub restaurants in the United Kingdom, owned by Whitbread.They are known for serving traditional British pub food, including gammon and steak & ale pie which are among the most popular choices. Nearly all Brewers Fayres are...
, Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, Gala Bingo, Greens Fitness and an area of public open space.
Primary and junior
Most younger children attend Rednal Hill Junior School on Irwin Avenue or the nearby Lickey Hills Primary School on the Old Birmingham Road, with its teaching staff of 40. The school provides nursery and primary facilities for approximately 440 children aged between 3 to 11.Children also attend St. James' RC Primary School, Leach Heath Lane.
Secondary
There is no secondary school in Rednal and most older children attend either Colmers Farm School and Sports College or Waseley Hills High SchoolWaseley Hills High School and Sixth Form Centre
Waseley Hills High School and Sixth Form Centre is a mixed secondary and further education school in the town of Rubery. on the border of the county of Worcestershire and the city of Birmingham, England, at the base of the Waseley Hills Country Park....
in adjacent Rubery
Rubery
Rubery is a village in the Bromsgrove district of Worcestershire. Part of the village forms a southern suburb of Birmingham, England in the West Midlands. The village is from Birmingham city centre....
. Waseley Hills High School has around 970 pupils including 123 in its sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
. The school has specialist Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
status.
Religious sites
The Anglican church of St Stephen's on Edgewood Road was built to serve the community of Rednal and dedicated in 1951. It was granted its own parish from parts of Rubery parish in 1957. The original building was designed as both church and parish hall, however, a new church hall was constructed in 1961. The 450 pipe organ was moved from St John's Methodist Church in Selly OakSelly Oak
Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south...
in 1960 by a group of volunteers led by St Stephen's organist G. A. W. Jeynes.
The Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, is on Leach Green Lane.
Longbridge Methodist Church is on Bristol Road South
Notable people
- The body of Cardinal Newman was buried in the small Roman Catholic cemetery at Rednal, by the Oratory country house. Attempts to move his body to Birmingham Oratory, near Birmingham's city centre, as he is being considered for canonisation, failed due to the absence of any mortal remains.
- Author of The HobbitThe HobbitThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
and 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...
, J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
lived at Fern Cottage in Rednal at the age of 12, when his mother died there in 1904. He wandered widely around the Lickeys and later recalled:
- In his novel The Rotters' ClubThe Rotters' ClubThe Rotters' Club may refer to:* The Rotters' Club , a 1975 album by the Canterbury scene band Hatfield and the North* The Rotters' Club , a 2001 novel by Jonathan Coe...
, author Jonathan CoeJonathan CoeJonathan Coe is an English novelist and writer. His work has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire. For example, What a Carve Up! reworks the plot of an old 1960s spoof horror film of the same name...
uses 1970s southwest Birmingham as a background, including scenes set in and around Rednal, and in particular in Cofton Park; and a major plot line takes place at the Longbridge Motor Works.