California, Birmingham

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Coordinates: 52°26′34″N 1°58′11″W / 52.4429°N 1.9697°W / 52.4429; -1.9697
California
California

 California shown within the West Midlands
Metropolitan borough Birmingham
Metropolitan county West Midlands
Region West Midlands
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BIRMINGHAM
Postcode district B29 & B32
Dialling code 0121
Police West Midlands
Fire West Midlands
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
UK Parliament Birmingham Edgbaston
List of places
UK
England
West Midlands

California is small suburban area of Birmingham, England. It lies within Bartley Ward and the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency and is located on the edge of Woodgate Valley Country Park.

History

Originally located in the parish of Northfield and part of Worcestershire the settlement of California takes its name from the California Inn build by Isaac Flavell[1] on the junction of Barnes Hill and Alwold Road. Flavell bought Stonehouse farm and the surrounding land in 1842,[2] and set up a brick building business. There are tales that the name of the California Inn was taken from the state of California where Flavell had earlier made "something of a fortune" in the California Gold Rush.[3] But the Gold Rush did not start until 1848, and records show that Flavell was established in business well before that, with operations at Gas Street, as well as the Stonehouse site. The village became well known for its brick making which was helped by the presence of the Dudley No. 2 Canal which ran through the area, the eastern portal of the Lapal Tunnel was also located in California. The area became part of Birmingham in 1911 along with Northfield.

Modern suburb

Today, California is a largely residential area centred around the junction of Barnes Hill (the B4121) and Stonehouse Way. It is bounded to the west by Woodgate Valley Country park and to its east by the Bournbrook which forms the boundary with Harborne, this also originally formed the boundary between Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The area is home to Hillcrest School and Woodgate Fire Station. Nearby places include Harborne, Bartley Green and Weoley Castle.

Geography

Neighbouring areas
Quinton Ridgeacre Harborne
Woodgate Valley Edgbaston
   California  
Bartley Green Weoley Castle Selly Oak

Transport

California lies along the B4121 which runs from Cotteridge to Quinton. The area is linked to Birmingham City Centre by National Express West Midlands routes 22, 23 and 29. The 29 also links the area to Weoley Castle and Northfield while the 22 and 23 provide links to Bartley Green. Diamond Bus service 39 links the area to Quinton.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ McKenna (1988), Birmingham Place Names, p. 7.
  2. ↑ Chinn (1999), One Thousand Years of Brum, p. 33.
  3. ↑ Chinn (1999), One Thousand Years of Brum, p. 33.

Bibliography

  • Chinn, Carl (1999), One Thousand Years of Brum, (Birmingham Evening Mail, Birmingham), ISBN 0-9534316-5-7 
  • McKenna, Joseph (1988), Birmingham Place Names, (Birmingham Public Libraries, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham), ISBN 0-7093-0150-2 

External links

Flag of Birmingham Areas of Birmingham
Suburbs
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