Villages and Hamlets in Birmingham

There are 21 manors and sub-manors wholly within the 1974 boundaries of the City of Birmingham, and parts of 7 others. In these were villages, hamlets, and manor house sites of ancient origin, for many of which we shall look in vain today. Only Harborne, Kings Norton, Northfield, Sheldon, and Yardley retain something of their village character. (Castle Bromwich village remains outside the city). It is our good fortune that turnpike roads passed them by, and that urban development has not destroyed them as it has the rest. Birmingham's old centre has been given a page to itself: let us look very briefly at the other manors in turn.

EDGBASTON. There may once have been a village between St. Bart's Church and the open fields. Triangle formed by Arthur, Ampton, and Church roads was perhaps its green. No trace of such settlement survived into era of maps. Only hamlet-now vanished-known in Edgbaston was at Good Knaves' End (Chad Hill). Hall 1718 and later.

ASTON. Soot-blackened C15th tower of Sts. Peter & Paul still stands, rest of church is Victorian. Inn, almshouses, smithy, vicarage, and farmhouse/mansion razed this century. Tameside manor house site (north of Asda Supermarket) abandoned before erection of Holte's magnificent Aston Hall: making of its deer park probably caused demolition of cottages on green opposite church. Road-widening and Aston Expressway have obliterated even site of village. Hall dominates shrunken park.

BORDESLEY. Deritend Chapel of St. John, Bordesleians' place of worship, was in Birmingham manor. Hamlet straggled from Watery Lane up Coventry Road and down Bordesley High Street. Manor House site, if moated, was on Bordesley Brook. Georgian Hall on hillside above burnt in 1791 riots, razed when Glos. Railway cut through park in 1841.

DUDDESTON. Great moated house of Holtes stood opposite modern Ashted Hamlet pub. Demolished by I781 when moat platform became bowling green of Vauxhall Gardens then created in Reaside demesne. No village. Planned estate of Ashstead (Ashted) brought prosperous residents to manor of farms, mills, and allotments. Flats now on manor site.

NECHELLS. Bailiff's house probably stood on ridge-end overlooking Tame, Rea, and Aston Brook, where later Nechells Park Farm built. No 'pretty village' as Dugdale claimed.

SALTLEY. Moated residence of Clodeshales ('Giant's Castle' in ruin) stood at west end of Adderley Park. Neither it nor later sites of two Saltley Halls, one moated, farther north was attended by a hamlet, being isolated in Reaside demesne farm. Development began on High Street about tollgate and junction nearby. Adderley's 'Model Village' of Saltley beside Park is in half-demolished decay, presided over by St. Saviour's.

LITTLE BROMWICH. Hamlet associated with double-moated Ward End Hall and Tudor chapel nearby spread along Coleshill Turnpike. Manorial open fields separated it from Moat House and Treeford Hall. Only rebuilt chapel, well-preserved Ward End House in Park (former Slade Field) and much-extended Moat House survive.

WITTON. Of cluster of dwellings at Lower Witton near Tame Bridge and wider scatter of tipper Witton about watermills on brook, only plain Georgian Hall still stands.

ERDINGTON. Double-moated Hall at Tameside near Bromford Mill, but manor's fields and pastures on 'stony ground' farther north. Street-village grew there, acquiring own church St. Barnabas' in 1824: continued expansion therefrom and much change. Little earlier than mid-C19th remains. Tyburn Road sweeps across Hall site. Pipe Manor House moat identifiable in school playing field. Wood End House demolished beside it.

SHELDON. East and West Halls (Sheldon Hall and Kents Moat) both in north as was Mackadown, first settlement. But St. Giles's Church built near southern fields, hamlet grew about green thereby. Road-widening and churchyard extension have obliterated green. Cottages, former inn, church, school, and moated rectory remain. Mackadown and Tile Cross hamlets have disappeared, except for inn at latter.

SUTTON. Royal steward's house stood on height overlooking Wyndley Brook. Church built on far side of Fast Brook, village grew' thereabout and straggled along highway. Bishop Vesey demolished manor house, no trace survived Victorian development fostered by 1862 railway. Tudor/Stuart smithy. some Georgian mansions of Old Sutton still stand.

HARBORNE. Few old buildings-inn, former malthouse, cottages, mansion, and manor house of 1750 (Bishop's Croft) stand in seclusion near Victorian church of St. Peter with medieval tower. Street village along High Street grew into populous suburb. Many early Victorian villas and terraces survive.

HAMSTEAD. Of' watery Tameside site of Old Hamstead Hall and mill north of stone bridge nothing has survived recent landscaping. Modern estate replaced late Georgian Hall and grounds on nearby hill.

HANDSWORTH. Grove Brook separates manor house site at Park entrance on Hamstead Road from St. Mary's Church. Scattered hamlet hereabout, west of open fields, another at Birchfield to east. Nothing left of either. Moat platform carried rectory for six centuries until Park laid out in 1888.

PERRY/BARR. Site of' Barr's manor house is lost: Perry's was on Rocky Lane into this century. Perry Hall. moated Tudor/Victorian, demolished 1928. Moat used for boating. Perry Hamlet grew about old bridge on Aldridge Road, St. John's Church built there 1833. Only disused bridge and blackened church still stand. Busy centre called Perry Barr after 1836 railway station is actually in Handsworth manor across Tame.
WEOLEY/NORTIIF1ELD: SELLY. MIDDLETON. Only much-altered Stone House and rebuilt inn suggest hamlet at Weoley. Selly manor house moved a half-mile to Bournville 1912-16, Middleton Hall down by then, no hamlet about either.. Northfield Manor's overgrown moated site and converted tithe barn recently followed rest of medieval village into oblivion. St. I.awrence's towered church, spared Victorian enlargement. Stuart inn and stone pound. 1844 school and terraces survive with modern dwellings all round.
K1NGS NORTON. Royal steward's house in restored half-timbering and brick-cased manor offices beside. St. Nicholas noble church, and the C15th-16th school, are all that remain of old village. Prettified green is spared through traffic. Moseley Village has a worn church tower, vestigial green. and a mansion/geriatric unit in reduced park.

YARDLEY. Never on any highway, canal, or railway, barred now to traffic. Yardley Village is a peaceful survival. Here are buildings from four centuries, notably high-spired St. Edburgha's Church and half-timbered school. Manor house moat nearby, infilled but visible, unoccupied since 1700. Of four other hamlets in Yardley manor -- Stechford, Lea, Greet, Acocks Green -- only rebuilt inns remain.