Kingstanding

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Kingstanding
latitude= 52.548
longitude= -1.873
map_type= West Midlands
population = 24,945 (2001 Population Census)
population_density = 57.6 per ha
metropolitan_borough= Birmingham
metropolitan_county= West Midlands
region= West Midlands
constituency_westminster= Birmingham Erdington
post_town= BIRMINGHAM
postcode_district = B44
postcode_area= B
dial_code= 0121
os_grid_reference= SP085945
Ambulance= West Midlands Ambulance Service
static_

static_image_caption= Witton Lakes, a leisure amenity for Erdington and Kingstanding

Kingstanding is an area in north Birmingham, England.

It gives its name to a ward in the Erdington formal district. Kingstanding ward includes the areas; Perry Common, St. Mary's College, Witton Lakes and parts of Kingstanding Circle, Wyrley Birch and New Oscott. The other part of Kingstanding falls under the Oscott ward.

Kingstanding houses a covered drinking water reservoir, Perry Barr Reservoir, on the site of the former Perry Barr Farm.

Kingstanding is served by two libraries; [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/kingstandinglibrary Kingstanding Library] and [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/perrycommonlibrary Perry Common Library] .

History

The name of the area is supposedly derived from the occasion when the Stuart King Charles I reviewed his troops in the area on October 18 1642 during the English Civil War, after his stay at nearby Aston Hall. The first references to Kingstanding were as King's Standing.

The area was largely rural until the 1930s, when a large housing estate was built. The first of the estates was completed in 1934. [cite book|author=Helen Elizabeth Meller|title=Towns, Plans and Society in Modern Britain|year=1997|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=052157644X] It was during the 1930s and 1940s that most of the current housing was built. Most of the houses in Kingstanding were built as council houses with the majority being located in the north of the area. In 1935, an Odeon cinema, designed by Cecil Clavering, [cite book|author=Jane Turner|title=The Dictionary of Art|year=1996|publisher=Grove|isbn=1884446000] was opened in the area. [cite book|author=Anne Massey|title=Hollywood Beyond the Screen: Design and Material Culture|year=2000|publisher=Berg Publishers|isbn=1859733212] On June 6, 1964, Kingstanding Library opened. It had an area of convert|1000|sqft|m2|abbr=on and was identified as being liable to mining subsidence. [cite book|author=Library Association|title=The Library Association Record|year=1964|publisher=Library Association]

Kingstanding is featured in the novel "The Last Viking" by Dr Ron Dawson. The author grew up at number 79 Parkeston Crescent, and used the estate and its many characters as the backcloth to his Birmingham based novel. [ [http://www.thelastviking.co.uk The Last Viking] ]

Politics

The Kingstanding ward was the scene of political controversy in May 2006 when it initially appeared its voters had elected a British National Party candidate, Sharon Ebanks, to Birmingham City Council - the first BNP candidate ever to be elected in Birmingham. However, it was announced by the Returning Officer shortly after the declaration that a counting error had taken place and, following a High Court recount, Ebanks was removed as Councillor on July 26 2006 and replaced by Labour candidate Catherine Grundy. [" [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/news/tm_objectid=17458820%26method=full%26siteid=50002-name_page.html End of the road for BNP seat battle] " - Birmingham Mail (July 27 2006)] The other councillors are Zoe Hopkins and Peter Kane, both of the Labour party.

Kingstanding has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being John Mole.

Kingstanding is also the HQ of the 23 Special Air Service Regiment.

Population

Kingstanding had a population 25,702 at the time of the 2001 Population Census. It has a population density of 5,410 people per km² compared with 3,649 people per km² for Birmingham. It has a small ethnic minority population with ethnic minorities representing 10.6% (2,724) of the ward's population as opposed to 29.6% for Birmingham. White British is the largest ethnic population living in Kingstanding.

College High School

Situated in Kingstanding is the College High School – a Specialist Arts School. For many years the school was plagued by bad pupil behaviour and low GCSE pass rates. These aspects were improved upon in 2005 following the appointment of head teacher Mrs Kim Popratnjak. However, an OFSTED report published in January 2007 by Her Majesty's Inspectors, after a monitoring visit, proclaimed: "... that at this time, the school is making inadequate progress in addressing the issues for improvement". Her Majesty's Inspectors continue to monitor the school. [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=300054&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\\school\\103\\scc_103488_20070112.pdf] The school's difficulties were exacerbated with the publication of the 2007 GCSE results which showed that 84% of pupils failed to gain the benchmark 5 A*-C GCSEs including Maths and English. [ [http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_07.pl?No=3304083&Mode=Z&Type=SC&Phase=1&Year=07&Base=b&Num=330 The College High Specialist Arts School ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/kingstanding Birmingham City Council: Kingstanding Ward]