- Bickenhill
infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 52.43745
longitude= -1.72488
population= 6,583
official_name= Bickenhill
metropolitan_borough= Solihull
region= West Midlands
metropolitan_county= West Midlands
constituency_westminster= Meriden
post_town= SOLIHULL
postcode_district = B92
postcode_area= B
dial_code=
os_grid_reference= SP188822
london_distance=Bickenhill is a village,
civil parish and ward in theMetropolitan Borough of Solihull , West Midlands,England , on the fringes of theWest Midlands conurbation .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 ofBirmingham . Bickenhill increased in area in 1932 under the Warwickshire Review Order when a portion of the Elmdon parish was added to Bickenhill.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, theNational Exhibition Centre , and the National Motorcycle Museum. 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. The A45 is referred to locally as the Coventry Road.
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 [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/airportdebate/page.cfm?objectid=13730803&method=full&siteid=50002] .
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 three councillors to the metropolitan borough council, these are (as of April 2006) Alan Martin (Conservative Party), Jim Ryan (Independent) and Bob Sleigh (Conservative). In January 2008, Jim Ryan announced that he would seek election in the May 2008 council elections as a Conservative candidate.
External links
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42651 British History Online - The History of Bickenhill]
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