Castle Bromwich

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Castle Bromwich
Warwickshire
Location
Grid reference: SP145897
Location: 52°30’18"N, 1°47’8"W
Data
Population: 11,857  (2001)
Post town: Birmingham
Postcode: B36
Dialling code: 0121
Local Government
Council: Solihull
Parliamentary
constituency: 		Meriden

Castle Bromwich is a suburban town in Warwickshire within the close conurbation grown around Birmingham. It is hedged in to west and south by contiguous townscape and in the north and east it is curbed by the sweep of the M6 motorway. To the north of Castle Bromwich beyond the M6 is the River Tame and then Castle Vale and Erdington, both within the conurbation, while north-eastward the village of Water Orton is the first village to break free.

Shard End adjoins Castle Bromwich to the south-west.

With such joining of house to house and land to land, it is impossible to say where Castle Bromwich starts and ends, but the civil parish of that name had a population of 11,857 recorded by the 2001 census. In 1861, the population was 613, which rose to just over 1,000 in the 1920s, and then the City of Birmingham strarted building its overspill estates in the parish (oddly causing a statistical drop in population only because parts of the parish were taken away), but then after the Second World War several new estates were built in Castle Bromwich, rapidly increasing its population.

Name

The name "Bromwich" is from the Old English brom wic meaning "broom village", after the yellow flowering broom shrub which grows here. It is a name found also in West Bromwich not far from here in the Staffordshire Black Country.

The prefix "Castle" is from the Norman castle which once stood here, on an ancient mound known today as "the Pimple".

History

There has been a settlement here since prehistory. Romans and Saxons have settled on this raised piece of land close to a natural ford across the river Tame. The Chester Road which runs through the village follows the line of a drovers' road called the Welsh Road, whose origins probably lie as an ancient trackway from the pre-Roman era.[1]

The Pimple

The Pimple is some 130 feet in diameter and may be a natural feature heightened by Iron Age settlers. It was strengthened by the Normans to serve as a motte for their castle, and was changed during the 1970s to make way for the A452 "Collector Road", which by-passed Castle Bromwich to the north. The "Pimple" commanded the important crossing place of the River Tame. It still remains today, somewhat reduced, sandwiched between the M6 and the Collector Road (Castle Bromwich & Chelmsley Wood bypass).

An extensive archaeological dig of the area before development made discoveries which confirmed folk tales of the area. The Pimple was the highest point of an iron-age fortification that encompassed most of Castle Bromwich. The land between the Pimple and Kyters Lane was particularly well defended by several ridge and furrow workings; indeed, Kyters Lane and Rectory Lane were built within ditches. Other ditches were excavated between Kyters Lane and the Pimple but nothing of consequence was found.

The name "Pimple" was commonly used from about the year 1915 onwards, and the story that the hill was a Saxon burial ground appeared around 1935, when the spread of dwellings from Washwood Heath began to appear over Hodge Hill. Modern houses now occupy the site and overlook the graveyard. The ridge and furrows have been completely obliterated.

There is a good view over Castle Vale (formerly Castle Bromwich Aerodrome) and the Tame valley from the top of the hill.

Modern period

During the 18th century Castle Bromwich was an important place at the junction of two turnpike roads. Chester Road, an old Roman way which ran from London to Chester, joined the Birmingham to Coleshill road near Castle Bromwich Hall. There was a toll gate at the junction of Chester Road, School Lane and Old Croft Lane, near the village green. The toll house still exists, although the massive 14-foot wide toll gate has been lost. In the 1780s stagecoaches travelling from Holyhead to London stopped in the village, as did a horse-drawn bus from Birmingham to Coleshill. There were several coaching inns and two survive today.

The Midland Railway arrived in 1842 and Castle Bromwich Station was rebuilt in 1901. Boy Scouts used to arrive here and trek the four miles to their major camp at Yorkswood in Kingshurst. The station closed in 1965 and was part-demolished in 1975.

During the 18th, and especially during the 19th centuries wealthy Birmingham businessmen built large houses in Castle Bromwich. Until 1894, the village was a hamlet in the large parish of Aston, and received its own council in 1894.

Castle Bromwich has a village green. The land for this, called Seven Acre Green, was given to the village by Viscount Newport in 1895. The War Memorial was erected in 1920 on a small island nearby. There is also another green called Whateley Green, which was the site of the village's stray animal pounds and a smithy. It had two pounds, stocks and a whipping post. Whateley Hall was nearby. The ancient duck pond was filled in during the late 1950s.

In 1931, a portion of Castle Bromwich land was sold and ceded to the City of Birmingham who built the overspill Chipperfield Road development during 1937-8. This halved the area of the parish of Castle Bromwich, from 2,742 acres to 1,239 acres.[2]

During Second World War, the occupants of Chipperfield Road pulled down an ancient white-washed farm house hoping it would deny German bomber crews a marker to the aerodrome and the adjoining factories. The Firs Estate (as it was then known) were private semi-detached houses that briefly enjoyed the benefit of the farmland and golf links. In the late 1950s further development took place. The new council housing was built adjacent to Chipperfield Road and as far as the Newport Road. The name "Firs Estate" now points to the council estate and the name originated from the fir trees that stood near a large house between Chipperfield Road and Hodge Hill Common.

The council housing was also extended up what was known locally as "The Golf Links" to meet the Stables, now known as the Comet.

Churches

  • Church of England
    • St Mary and St Margaret's Church, the original parish church
    • St Clement's Church, built in 1967
  • Baptist
  • Methodist

St Mary and St Margaret's in the west of the village is unusual as it is a "church within a church". A small wooden chapel was known on the site before 1175, but it is believed that a house of worship has existed here long before. It was replaced in the 15th century by a large half-timbered structure. The church was extensively altered between 1726 and 1731 by Sir John Bridgeman and the old timber one was encased in brick and plaster. The massive oak timbers can only be seen now in the roof. It is considered to have outstanding architectural and historic merit.

Castle Bromwich Hall

Castle Bromwich Hall

Castle Bromwich Hall is a Jacobean mansion that was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereaux, the first member of Parliament for the Borough of Tamworth. It was single storey with a plain entrance. It was bought by Orlando Bridgeman (keeper of The Great Seal) in 1657, for his son Sir John Bridgeman I. Sir John extended and improved the property in 1672, adding the second floor and a large front porch. His son, Sir John Bridgeman II, inherited in 1710. He extended the Hall and rebuilt it in local hand made bricks of clay. The Bridgmans were created Barons of Bradford in 1792 and (Earls) in 1851. A marriage also brought Weston Park into their possession, where they now still reside. The Hall was then rented out or used for other family members to live in. It is famous for having twelve windows (one for each Disciple) and four dormers above (one for each Gospel).

The garden door passed through a grapevine which was always trimmed into the form of a cross. The last family member (Lady Ida Bradford) left the Hall in 1936. It then was used for storage during Second World War. Post-war it was leased out as an apprentice training centre for GEC, and then used as offices while the outbuildings are used by other small companies. The conservation area is centred on the Hall. The Hall is reported as having tunnels linking to the former vicarage and former public house nearby.

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens which surround the Hall is the only surviving example of an 18th-century formal garden, having escaped the attentions of Capability Brown. Sir John Bridgeman II originally laid out the Hall's gardens in the style to which they have now been restored by the Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Trust. They commenced the restoration of the 10 acres to their former glory in 1985. The Gardens are open to the public and are a tourist attraction.

Other places of interest

Many of the old buildings have now been demolished and farms have disappeared to make way for new housing and roads.

The 17th century 'Park Hall Manor House' was owned by the Arden family, ancestors of William Shakespeare. The mansion was demolished in the early 1970s during construction of the M6 motorway. The hall was first mentioned in 1265, but this could have been a nearby moated timbered dwelling. A large housing estate now covers the site.

'Castle Bromwich Post Office' was the first to have a telephone outside London so that Benjamin Disraeli could keep in touch with the government. He frequently visited Castle Bromwich Hall in the 1870s, possibly to court Lady Chesterfield and Lady Bradford. Later, Queen Mary made use of the telephone when visiting Lady Ida (Lady of the Queen's Bed Chamber) at the Hall. The Post Office closed in 2004 and is now a hairdressing salon.

A drawing of 1726 shows a large structure called the 'Old Castle Hall' next to the old castle earthworks.

Chester Road used to climb up a steep hill from the river to the church, called 'Mill Hill'. Towards the bottom of the hill was a brick structure surrounding the 'Holy Well of St Lawrence'. This has now been covered by the roundabout for junction 5 of the M6.

'Castle Bromwich Mill' stood on the southern bank of the River Tame, close to the bottom of 'Mill Hill'. It was still grinding corn in 1895 and possibly later. It then became an artist's studio until it was demolished in 1956. The M6 now covers the site, which is near to 'The Firs' estate. There were several other mills in the area, some also drawing water from the Tame.

Two of the old coaching inns still exist. 'The Bradford Arms' was built in 1723 on the site of an earlier pub called 'The White Lion'. The high doors to the coach houses can still be seen. Law courts and Catholic services have been held here. It is the oldest pub in the village. 'The Coach and Horses' dated from the 18th century and stood in the front drive of the present public house. This was built in the 1920s and re-roofed in 1938 when the thatched roof caught fire. Additionally, 'The Castle' dates to the early 18th century and was the village alehouse. Later it became a general stores and then a private residence. The 17th century Georgian style 'The Bridgeman Arms Inn' is now also a private residence.

Adjacent to 'The Bridgeman Arms Inn' were several cottages, used for servants, and an estate office for the Earl of Bradford who then owned much of the land in Castle Bromwich. The first Police Station was also established here under Pc Charlie Whale, before moving to a specialist house and lock up near to the Coach and Horses. When the Kingshurst estate was built policing was from a two-man unit there, this closed down when the new Chelmsley Wood station opened. Part of the Inn was destroyed by a bomb in Second World War, while two platoons of the Home Guard were based there. A 17th-century well was found in the courtyard of the cottages. The cottages and office have now been replaced by a service road and new houses.

Harvey's Drapery Shop - was a single storey extension to the main house. Originally it was a druggist's (the only one between Birmingham and Coleshill). The visiting doctor from Coleshill arrived on horseback to take his surgery in a room in the house. Later it became a two storey extension to the house and the extended house was the home of the village electrician. It is now a private residence.

The village smithy was amongst the old cottages on the southern edge of the village green. A disused car sales site which was on the southern edge of The Green, that was being used as a drive through car wash, was demolished in September 2011 and 14 homes are currently being built on the site. The Show Home is to be opened on 14 January 2012.

Green Lane is believed to be the oldest trackway through the village. One of the ancient Ridgeways of the land, so it its said, it ran from the castle to Grimstock Hill Romano-British settlement at Coleshill. It is now mostly underneath Chelmsley Wood and the M6.

Castle Bromwich today

Castle Bromwich retains some of its village character and it is very active. There is a well used multi-function village hall called Arden Hall. The office of Castle Bromwich Parish Council is situated there, as is the local police office of the West Midlands Police. Castle Bromwich has its own dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team consisting of a sergeant, four police constables and a community support officer. The playing fields, adjacent to Arden Hall, have a sports centre which supports cricket, football, golf and tennis clubs and is now home to Bromford Lions Football Club. There are three primary, one specialist and one secondary school(s). There are two main shopping areas, several smaller ones and numerous small businesses.

Sentinel at the junction of the Chester Road and Fort Parkway

Outside links

References

  1. ↑ Duignan, William Henry (1912), Warwickshire place names, Oxford University Press, pp. 122–123, http://books.google.com/?id=zzgjAAAAMAAJ, retrieved 2009-09-02 
  2. ↑ Castle Bromwich, Warwickshire through time
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