Rotton Park

2.1. Map 1a

2.2. Map 1b

When a few years ago district signs were erected on City Road, Rotton Park was placed north of Portland Road and 'Edgbaston' near St. Germain's church hall. Neither was sited quite correctly. On the larger gable-ends of the George Dixon School are two cartouches, one bearing the letters CBEC, for City of Birmingham Educa-tion Committee, and the date 1905, the other RPSS which stand for Rotton Park Secondary School, which was the first name of the building. This was both histori-cally and geographically appropriate, because the schools straddle the common bound-ary of Birmingham and Edgbaston as did Rotton Park.

It is the story of the western areas of those two ancient manors that will be told herein. However it will often be necessary to look farther afield, to observe the regional prospect, if the changes in our districts are to be understood. My concern is historical geography, showing how the local landscape has been altered throughout many centuries. In revising this essay twelve years after the first writing, I have enlarged some chapters and brought others up to date, but have not extended the area of study. For districts to north and east, see my booklets 'Round Dudley Road' and 'Ladywood', both 1978. The story of the schools is told in 'George Dixon the Man and the Schools', 1969.