Sparkhill

Sparkhill is an area of Birmingham, England, situated between Springfield, Hall Green and Sparkbrook.

Etymology

Sparkhill takes its name from Spark Brook, a small stream that flows from Moseley to the River Cole in Small Heath. It was, as the name suggests, a hill that was situated alongside the stream. The majority of the stream is underground.

History

Sparkhill existed as a rural area with its main industry being agriculture until the 1890s. In the Middle Ages, the Sparke family farmed in the area.

Development of the area began in the 1850s as a result of the Industrial Revolution which was causing Birmingham to expand. In the 1850s, a small area of land was bought by a building society and sold to separate developers who constructed residential properties for the working class. The working class who owned a property were entitled to vote and a campaigner for the working class vote was Joseph Sturge, a Birmingham manufacturer. As a result of his campaigning, a newly created street in the area was named after him. The architecture of the houses was varied due to the different developers. A centre began to develop for the area with its own pub, "The Cherry Arbour".

In the late 1880s, developments appeared all over Sparkhill with creation of long, straight streets forming a uniform pattern. The new houses were terraced with their own back garden, coal shed and lavatory. For the wealthy middle class, larger houses were constructed in a plot bounded by Stoney Lane, Alfred Road and Durham Road.

Sparkhill was removed from the possession of Yardley and became an area of Birmingham in 1911 as part of the "Greater Birmingham Act". Yardley also became a suburb of Birmingham in the same year. The former council house for Yardley District Council (built 1898-1902, architect Arthur Harrison) was converted into Sparkhill Library (gbmappingsmall|SP09238366) and opened on January 19, 1923. It is one of the earliest examples of double glazing windows in a public building. Other buildings constructed for the district were a police station, magistrate's court and a fire station, which were all located next to the council house. [http://www.stjohnsparkhill.org.uk St John's Church] is the local Anglican Parish Church and the home of the charity Narthex Sparkhill. It was constructed in 1889.

As a result of the nearby BSA factory being targeted, the area suffered from bombing in World War II, resulting in the loss of some houses, and their 1940s replacement (e.g., the houses at 180-190 Osborne Road). A memorial to those from the BSA works who died during WWII can be found in St John's Church.

Another old landmark in Sparkhill is the "Mermaid Inn", which has been the site of a pub since the 1600s. The current, 1930s, building was converted into a Balti restaurant in the late 20th century; however, it was severely damaged by fire in the 2000s. The building's art deco exterior decoration is by local sculptor William Bloye.

Other pubs, The Bear and The Antelope, both designed by Holland W. Hobbiss, have sculpted pub signs by William Bloye.

Immigration

In the 20th century, the area became heavily influenced by migrants who settled in the area. It has a large population of ethnic minorities, mainly of South Asian origin, which is reflected by the number of Asian eateries in the area. As a result, Sparkhill has become a main centre in the "Balti Triangle" of Birmingham.

The first wave of immigrants were of Irish descent. This has progressed to West Indian, South Asian, and more recently Somalian (mainly Muslim) peoples.

References

*"Brum and Brummies: Vol 2", "Chapter 3: The Old End" - "The Hills are Alive: Sparkhill", Carl Chinn, 2001, Brewin Books (ISBN 1-85858-202-4)
*"Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield", George T. Noszlopy, edited Jeremy Beach, 1998, ISBN 0-85323-692-5

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2006/03/29/life_in_sparkhill_feature.shtml BBC - Life in Sparkhill feature (with photos)]
* [http://www.stjohnsparkhill.org.uk St John's Church Sparkhill]
* [http://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/sparkhill.htm Virtual Brum photo gallery]
* [http://www.pupilvision.com/yearten/sparkhill.htm Pupil Vision photo gallery]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.asp?sheetid=10119&ox=1400&oy=932&zm=4&czm=4&x=238&y=125 1890 Ordnance Survey map of Sparkhill] (in top left corner)