| William Hutton perambulated the bounds of Birmingham in 1780 : part
of his survey follows, with modern names bracketted. '….. a narrow
lane (Bell Barn Road) crossing the old Bromsgrove Road (Wheeleys Lane)
and up (Islington Row) to the turnpike at the Five Ways, in the road
to Halesowen (Hagley Road) down the lane (formerly Ladywood Road,
now Middleway) towards Ladywood, cross the Icknield Street (Monument
Road) a stone's cast from the Observatory .... to the (west) extremity
of Rotton Park'…. Hutton was mistaken in thinking that Chad Road,
Monument Road and its northward exten-sion to Hockley were part of
the Roman road that is visible north and south of Birming-ham. Icknield
Street, a misplaced misnomer, was thenceforward used as the name of
the lane from Spring Hill to Hockley Brook. |
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