Balsall Heath

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balsall Heath is a working class, inner-city area of Birmingham, England. It is home to a diverse cultural mix including Afro-Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Irish and English, and the home of the Balti Triangle, a collection of Asian Balti restaurants and sweet centres.

1 History
2 Notable people from Balsall Heath
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Balsall Heath, circa 1890.

Balsall Heath Baths and Library.

Balsall Heath was agricultural land between Moseley village and the city of Birmingham until the 1850's when expansion along Moseley Road joined the two. The area was originally part of the Worcestershire parish of King's Norton, and was added to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1891.

Balsall Heath initially had a reasonably affluent population, which can still be seen in the dilapidated grandeur of some of the larger houses. A train station on Brighton Road (on the Birmingham to Bristol line) led to further expansion and the end of the 19th century saw a proliferation of high-density small terraced houses. Most of these still exist and characterize the area today.

Birmingham acquired the Balsall Heath district after discussions during 1890. After the Bill was passed, Balsall Heath officially became a district of Birmingham on October 1, 1891. Balsall Heath was promised both a public baths, to be built by the City of Birmingham Baths Department, and a free library, to be constructed by the Free Libraries Committee. These promises were fulfilled and in 1895 a library was opened on Moseley Road and in 1907 Balsall Heath Baths were opened in an adjoining building. The small lake (Lady Pool on old maps) at the end of Ladypool Road was also filled-in to create a park. In 1900 the area became home to the city's College of Art.

Balsall Heath remained a respectable working-class suburb until the 1950's when street prostitution first appeared. Property values fell attracting Birmingham's poorer immigrants. By the 1970's the area was notorious for street robberies and drug dealing. Prostitutes also sat semi-naked in the windows of houses on Cheddar Road, openly touting for trade.

In 1994 local residents began to organize street patrols forcing the prostitutes and street criminals out of the area. These patrols had the qualified support of the police but were regarded as vigilantes by some.

The area subsequently enjoyed a slow revival. House prices are now similar to other inner-city areas while the crime rate is amongst the lowest. Property developers were also confident enough to convert the former Robinson's warehouse on Moseley Road into up-market flats, something that would have been incredible ten years earlier.

Balsall Heath was hit by a tornado in July 2005 which devastated many buildings around Church Road and Ladypool Road. Birmingham City Council offered loans to those who were unable to repair their properties and the area has now made a full recovery.