SPARKHILL & GREET

Sparkhill, known locally as 'The Hill', is bounded by the River Cole, the Spark Brook, and 'Showell Green Brook' (no surviving name). It is thus a clearly defined geographical area; but because historically it has never had an existence separate in any respect from its immediate environs, the story of some of these must be included herein.

They are the districts of Showell Green, Wake Green, Greet, and Tyseley, the last two of which are of greatest importance and antiquity, and the forgotten ones, Spark and Mawles Greens, Greet Common, and Shaftmoor.

For information about districts west of Stoney Lane, Belle Walk, and Billesley Lane, see my booklets 'Moseley' and 'Bygone Balsall Heath'. For districts north of Spark Brook see 'Bordesley & Deritend' essay in the larger 'Manors of Aston Parish'.

The area east and south of that covered herein is discussed in 'Acocks Green & All Around' and the collection of articles called 'Hall Green & Hereabout'. Various aspects of local historical geography are dealt with in 'The Manor of Yardley', development during the last century being comprehensively treated in 'The Urbanisation of Yardley'.

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