Handsworth Wood

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Handsworth Wood is a loosely defined area in the north west of Birmingham, England, with a population in the region of 25,000. It is also a ward within the formal district of Perry Barr. Located within the metropolitan county of the West Midlands since 1974, it was previously a part of the county of Staffordshire. Handsworth Wood is regarded by estate agents as "upmarket" in comparison to the neighbouring district of Handsworth, but is disadvantaged by its extra distance from Birmingham city centre. Local amenities include: King Edward VI Handsworth Girl's Grammar School and Handsworth Grammar School, Soho Road, St. Mary's Church, Handsworth and Handsworth Park.

Birmingham historian Dr.Carl Chinn noted that during WW2 the boundary between Handsworth and Handsworth Wood marked the line between being safe and unsafe from bombing, with Handsworth Wood being an official evacuation zone. (ref: Carl Chinn (1996) Brum Undaunted: Birmingham During the Blitz, Birmingham Library Services)

There is a Birmingham City electoral ward called Handsworth Wood [1] comprising part of Handsworth and nearly all of Handsworth Wood made up of distinct cultures and built environments - the once salubrious Victorian suburb, now "inner-city" Handsworth, consisting of some of the finest Victorian houses in the city, increasingly being refurbished to complement the £9 million restoration of Handsworth Park, and Handsworth Wood dominated by characteristically suburban pre-war semi-detached and detached properties.

The BBC's obesity reduction challenge, Fat Nation, was filmed in Handsworth Wood.

It is home to the University of Central England's 'Hamstead campus'.