Bournbrook

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name = Bournbrook
latitude = 52.44685
longitude = -1.9278
population =
metropolitan_borough = Birmingham
metropolitan_county = West Midlands
region = West Midlands
constituency_westminster= Birmingham Selly Oak
post_town = BIRMINGHAM
postcode_district = B29
postcode_area = B
dial_code = 0121
os_grid_reference =
static_

static_image_caption=View of Bournbrook High Street (A38 Bristol Road) looking north towards Edgbaston

Bournbrook is an area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area is in the Selly Oak local council ward and also comes under the Selly Oak local council constituency.

The suburb of Bournbrook is bordered by Selly Oak to the south, Selly Park to the east, and Edgbaston to the north and west. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the Birmingham Cross-City Railway Line run along the southern boundary of the area.

Much of Bournbrook was developed for industrial housing from the late 19th century, mostly in terraces of small dwellings. Located adjacent to the main campus of the University of Birmingham the area has become the principal area of private housing for students at the university, with university students representing as much as 76% of the population of Bournbrook and 29% of the total population of the Selly Oak ward as a whole. [ Population statistics for Bournbrook and Selly Oak (cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=5941140&c=B29+6DP&d=14&e=16&g=372373&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1210368980312&enc=1|title= 2001 Census: Neighbourhood Statistics)]

Etymology

The name comes from the Bourn Brook which flows along the northern boundary of the area (Bournville is named after a different Bourn).

Population and services

Due to the large concentration of students in Bournbrook, the area has retained many of its pubs, such as the "Gun Barrels", the "Bristol Pear", "TC's", "The Soak" and the "Goose at the Old Varsity Tavern", called the "Bournbrook Hotel" until the 1980s. There are also numerous eateries along the Bristol Road (A38), such as "Woodstock", "Mud Cafe", "Adam's Place" and the "Selly Sausage". Adam's Place was awarded "Best Takeway Service" in the area following a recent student poll in "Redbrick" (The University of Birmingham Student Newspaper). Bournbrook also has a very high concentration of curry houses, largely run by Bengali immigrants.

Industry in the Bournbrook area has included gunmaking, boxmaking and motor cycle manufacture. The Ariel cycle factory was in Dale Road, and the Westley Richards is still in Grange Road.

St Wulstan's, the Anglican church of Bournbrook, was consecrated on 6th and 7th October 1906. Its commemorative foundation stone declares that it was built 'To the Glory of God and for the benefit of the People of Bournbrook'. [St Wulstan's Church, Bournbrook: Jubilee Day Programme (1956)] It became a separate parish in 1911.

The Tiverton Pool and Fitness Centre originally opened in Bournbrook on January 28, 1906 as Tiverton Road Public Baths. They were built by King's Norton and Northfield District Council and included two swimming baths, one with a gallery for spectators, a children's bath and private baths for men and women. The larger swimming pool would be floored over in the winter months and the floorspace was used for gymnastics. In 1911, it was taken over by Birmingham Baths Committee. More recently it has been converted into a health centre and now includes a "Pulse Point" gym as well as sunbeds and a sauna whilst retaining the swimming pool, the children's pool which is used as a smaller instruction pool and pool spectator seating facilities.

Both Bournbrook and Selly Oak are served by Selly Oak railway station on the Cross-City Line, providing services to the Birmingham New Street, Lichfield Trent Valley and Redditch stations. The former Bristol Road tram route and its depots were replaced by buses in 1952.

Notable residents

Bournbrook's most famous son is probably the popular tenor David Hughes, who was born Geoffrey Paddison (1929-1972).

ee also

*Selly Oak – a neighbouring area to Bournbrook, with which it is often confused.

References

Bibliography

* ISBN 0-7044-0912-7 [Despite the title this book also covers Bournbrook]

External links

* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.asp?sheetid=10116&ox=1814&oy=2928&zm=2 1890 Ordnance Survey 25" map of Bournbrook]
* [http://www.porterce.me.uk/wulstan/history.htm History of St Wulstan’s Parish Church, Bournbrook]
* [http://www.parishmouse.com/bournbrook_bennetts_business_directory_1899 A transcript of Bennett's 1899 Business Directory covering Bournbrook]
* [http://members.optushome.com.au/virgospace/familyhistory/powell-hoban.html History of a Bournbrook Family]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/loose_grip_99/tags/bournbrook/ Some evocative photographs of Bournbrook taken in 1974]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/apenguincalledelvis/tags/bournbrook/ Present day photos of Bournbrook (a good compassion with those of 1974)]
* [http://www.leisure.birmingham.gov.uk/sites/Tiverton/tiverton.htm Tiverton Pool and Fitness Centre (formerly Tiverton Road Public Baths)]
* [http://www.lynnejones.org.uk/studentification.htm Article on ‘Studentification’ in Bournbrook from Selly Oak M.P. Lynne Jones’ webpages]
* [http://www.bcen.net/sellyoak Selly Oak Community Network pages]
* [http://www.birminghamb29.com/ Birmingham, B29]
*Coord|52|26.811|N|1|55.668|W