Edgbaston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edgbaston is an area and ward in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee.
Edgbaston means "village of a man called Ecgbald", from the Old English personal name + tun "farm". The personal name Ecgbald means "bold sword" (literally "bold edge"). The name was recorded as Celboldistane in 1139, wrongly suggesting that Old English stān "stone, rock" is the final element of the name.
Edgbaston had a reputation for being the most 'well to do' part of Birmingham. In the 19th century the town was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family who refused to allow factories or warehouses to be built in Edgbaston, thus making it attractive for the upper class. However, while the southern part of the suburb remains ostensibly affluent, the northern part is, nowadays, more typical of an inner city area, with a significant proportion of multi-occupancy rented housing. Also there is a small red light district there.
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[edit] Population
The United Kingdom Census 2001 found that 20,286 people were living in Edgbaston. Edgbaston has an above average percentage for ethnic minorities with ethnic minorities representing 31.6% (6,403) of the population as opposed to 29.6% for Birmingham. Edgbaston was home to a significant Orthodox Jewish Community.
[edit] Sport
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is based in Edgbaston (Edgbaston historically being part of Warwickshire), at the Edgbaston Stadium. As well as hosting regular county matches the ground often plays host to the England cricket team during one day internationals and test matches. In 2006 there were rumours that the team would move to a new stadium which would be shared with Birmingham City F.C.. However there are now plans for an extensive re-development of the ground, and no share with the football club.
The area also boasts a world class tennis venue in The Edgbaston Priory Club. The DFS Classic for female players has been held there every year since 1982 and some of the world's top players make appearances. The tournament is part of the WTA Tour and wins count towards world rankings. There is also a fine members-only golf course which offers good views over the south part of the suburb.
[edit] Places of interest
The church of the Birmingham Oratory, on Hagley Road, was built in 1907 in the Baroque style as a memorial to John Henry Cardinal Newman, who founded the English Oratory here. Its dome is a prominent landmark. J. R. R. Tolkien lived in Edgbaston during his teenage years, and the two towers of Edgbaston, Perrott's Folly and the Waterworks Tower, both close to the Oratory are said to have provided inspiration for part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy of books. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which is located on the university campus is a purpose built gallery which contains a wide range of art from the masters to Picasso. Entrance to this acclaimed gallery is free. Edgbaston Reservoir, formerly known as Rotton Park, provides a header supply for the Birmingham Canal Navigations and is an important inner city leisure amenity. For those interested in botany there are not one but two public gardens. These are the nationally recognised Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the lesser known but still notable Birmingham University Botanical Gardens. Adjoining the university gardens is Edgbaston Pool (not to be confused with the reservoir) which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Edgbaston contains the only Grade I listed domestic building in Birmingham, notably one of the Arts & Crafts houses in Yateley Road, designed by Herbert Tudor Buckland, and built for his own use.
[edit] Politics
Birmingham Edgbaston is a constituency, and its Member of Parliament (MP) is Labour's Gisela Stuart.
The Edgbaston ward of Birmingham City Council elected three Conservative councillors in 2004 and re-elected one of the three, Fergus Robinson, in 2006. Another Edgbaston councillor, Deirdre Alden, unsuccessfully challenged Gisela Stuart MP for the Edgbaston constituency in the 2005 general election and has been re-selected as Conservative PPC in the seat for the next election. Of the other wards of the Edgbaston constituency, Harborne and Bartley Green are each represented by three Conservative councillors, while Quinton is represented by two Conservatives and one Labour councillor.
The ward has sent a female candidate to parliament for the past 54 years. In the next election both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party candidates will be female, making it almost certain that this trend will continue. The most notable MP from the ward was Neville Chamberlain. The area has adopted a ward support officer with the holder of the status being Tony Bailey.
[edit] Education
Since beginning of the twentieth century Edgbaston has been home to the main campus of the University of Birmingham and to King Edward's School and King Edward VI High School for Girls. Due to this there are several university halls of residence in the area. It is also the home of Queen's College, an ecumenical theological college. At the centre of the university can be found the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, one of Edgbaston and Birmingham's most distinctive (and tallest) buildings. Younger children are not forgotten several nursery schools in the area.
[edit] Transport and amenities
Two railway stations serve the area. The first, University station, is found in south Edgbaston just west of the university. The second is Five Ways railway station is just north of the ward on the city's inner ring road. Both stations are on the Redditch to Birmingham New Street line and their are up to four trains an hour. Between these two stations used to another one, Somerset Road. However this was closed and demolished some years ago. The A38 runs through the ward and is one of the main traffic arteries of the city reaching out to the south east of the city and beyond from the city centre and Birmingham New Street. Along this route buses frequently stop (up to once every five minutes). There are several other bus routes throughout. The Birmingham and Worcester Canal runs through the area connecting the city centre with the River Severn at Worcester. This was dug and opened in the 1790s and is used mainly for leisure and recreational purposes these days.
The area is served by Balsall Heath library which is run by Birmingham City Council and the University of Birmingham library which members of the public can join for a small fee. There are a number medical facilities in the area two of the most well known being the University Medical Centre and the Calthorpe Clinic. Two hospitals are nearby, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Selly Oak Hospital.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Oratory Website
- Edgbaston Community Network pages
- St Augustine's Church Website
- Edgbaston ward pages on Birmingham.gov.uk
[edit] Publications
- Canon Doctor Terry Slater, 2002, Edgbaston Past, Phillimore, Chichester
| Council constituencies in Birmingham: |
| Edgbaston | Erdington | Hall Green | Hodge Hill | Ladywood | Northfield | Perry Barr | Selly Oak | Sutton Coldfield | Yardley |
| Settlements on the A38, Worcester to Birmingham | edit | |
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Heading north: Worcester | Droitwich Spa | Wychbold | Bromsgrove | Lickey End | Rubery | Longbridge | Northfield | Selly Oak | Edgbaston | Birmingham |
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