Tyseley

Tyseley is a district in the southern half of the city of Birmingham, England, near the Coventry Road and the districts of Small Heath and Yardley. It is located near the Grand Union Canal.

Etymology

Tyseley means "Tyssa's clearing" with "-ley" meaning woodland clearing. ["The History of Greater Birmingham - down to 1830", Victor Skipp, 1987, V. H. T. Skipp (ISBN 0-9506998-0-2)]

Education

The local comprehensive secondary school (on Reddings Lane) is Yardleys School, which was newly constructed on the site of a former brick works. The school moved from its previous split site location in 2001.

Industry

Tyseley was once a thriving industrial area with thousands of people working in the area for major companies such as TI Reynolds (formally Reynolds Tubes) and Corona. Other companies also based in the area in the past include King Dick Tools, Girling Brakes, MEB Electrical, Excelsior Motorcycles, Harmo Exhausts, Wilmot Breedon and also the factory where Co-Operative Society (CWS) toys, motorcycles, prams and bicycles were made. They marketed their toys as 'Tyesley Toys'. The area contains many Victorian buildings that housed many manual workers reflecting the heritage of the area and the city. There is now a large incineration plant, the Tyseley Energy from Waste Plant, which burns rubbish and in the process produces electricity for the National Grid.

Much of Tyseley remains industrial, with many companies, including Klaxon, SCC, Western Pegasus Limited and Bakelite Limited, basing themselves there. One of the local attractions is the Tyseley Locomotive Works, located inside a large railway depot.

Transport

Tyseley railway station is in the district. The 36, 37 and 38 bus services, operated by National Express West Midlands, also serve the Tyseley area.

Railway use

Tyseley was a predominant junction for the GWR Mainline between Birmingham and London, boasting steam sheds, coach maintenance sidings, and a large freight yard. Tyseley is on the Chiltern Main Line between London and Birmingham.

BR

Due to BR Rationalization, the old GWR steam depot was almost fully demolished, leaving few buildings; which have been taken over and now form Tyseley Locomotive Works. The junction status was also reduced by the uplifting of the mainline between Honeybourne and Stratford-Upon-Avon. The Coach sidings a were converted for and are still used for the storage and servicing of DMU's, primarily 150 and 170 units, and it is also home to Chiltern Railways Birmingham depot, storing Class 168 and Class 165 DMU's. These units are predominantly for the London Midland (ex Central Trains) commuter services for Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shirley and Dorridge. The freight yard has since had most of its track removed, and what little track is left is overgrown and abandoned.

Modern times

Due to increased demand, Tyseley has had extensive track layout modification, to allow all four platforms use (previously, only 3 and 4 were used). Work has also commenced on upgrading the Solihull line by adding a third track.

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/attractions/tyseley_locomotive/tyseley_locomotive.shtml Tyseley Locomotive Works]
* [http://www.westpeg.com Western Pegasus]
* [http://www.yardleys.bham.org.uk/ Yardleys School]
* [http://www.madeinbirmingham.org/ Made in Birmingham - Birmingham's Industrial History Web Site]