Bickenhill
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  Map sources for Bickenhill at grid reference SP188822
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Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.
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[edit] History
The parish dates back to 1086 when it was owned by Edward the Confessor by Alward and then by Turchil. The descendants of Turchil, the Arden family, settled in the area and adopted the surname de Bickenhill however under different spellings. The name developed into de Bickenhill in the 13th century. In 1295, Alice de Langley gave herself the title Lady of Bickenhill. A manor then developed in Bickenhill and by the 15th century, there were two manors. It is believed that both manors shared rights by the end of the century. The manors were no longer existing by the end of the 16th century.
The parish was rural during the 19th century however began to develop in the early 20th century into a populous area.
Many changes to the area were made during the 1800s. Solihull received a detached part of the parish known as Lyndon Quarter in 1874. This was renamed Olton and became a suburb of Birmingham. Bickenhill increased in area in 1932 under the Warwickshire Review Order when a portion of the Elmdon parish was added to Bickenhill.
[edit] Parish
According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 6,583. The parish covers the village of Bickenhill itself and the town of Marston Green. Also located within the parish are Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council maintain a waste recycling centre in the parish.
The parish is crossed by two major roads: the M42 and the A45, referred to locally as the Coventry Road.
[edit] Village
The village of Bickenhill is located south of the A45 road (whereas the rest of the parish is located north of the A45). The Norman Church near the village of Bickenhill dates from 1140. The name 'Bickenhill' derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'projecting hill'. The majority of the older houses in Bickenhill village are Georgian and Victorian.
A substantial proportion of Bickenhill currently stands under threat of demolition due to the proposed development of a second runway at Birmingham International Airport [1].
[edit] Government
The two main local authorities responsible for the upkeep of the parish are Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Bickenhill Parish Council. The Parish Council is responsible for maintaining facilities such as churchyards, cemeteries and parks in the parish and its offices are located at a park near Marston Green.
Bickenhill ward elects 3 councillors to the metropolitan borough council, these are (as of April 2006) Alan Martin (Conservative Party), Jim Ryan (Independent) and Bob Sleigh (Conservative).
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