Kings Heath

Kings Heath is a suburb of Birmingham, England, three miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley on the Alcester Road.

History

Kings Heath came into being as a village in the 18th century with the improvements to the Alcester to Birmingham road acting as a catalyst for new houses and farms. Prior to this the area was largely uninhabited wasteland run by the Royal Borough of Kings Norton.

On 28 July, 2005, Kings Heath was hit by a major (by British standards) tornado which damaged several shops on the High Street and All Saints' church. It then went on to damage many houses in Balsall Heath. There were no fatalities.

The High Street has also suffered from flash floods on occasions, with up to a foot of water depth although recently installed underground reservoirs at the junction of Station Road and the High Street aim to combat this problem.

The streets running off the high street are dominated by pre-1919 terraced, owner occupied housing. Due to the desirability of the area and the quality of local schools Kings Heath is steadily becoming gentrified, with houses becoming increasingly unaffordable for local people. However, at the same time the High Street is going into decline, with major chains being replaced by charity shops and lower quality retailers.

A number of independent shops have taken advantage of relatively cheaper rents in the side roads off the High Street and recently there has been an influx of boutiques and even the start of an (organic) cafe culture. In 2008 the businesses agreed to a Business Improvement District, which top-slices a proportion of their local business taxes to go directly into improvements and promotion of the area.

No-one can seem to agree whether Kings Heath should be called a 'village' or a 'town' centre. Nevertheless, whatever it is called the main juncion at the heart of this centre is now being developed to form a new public square, surrounded by community facilities, and this will become a venue for the monthly Farmers Market and other events.

Education

Kings Heath is also home to several schools including King Edward VI Camp Hill school and Bishop Challoner RC School.

Features

The central shopping area runs along the High Street and Alcester Road, and the shops include branches of national chain stores, supermarkets, electrical retailers, and opticians. There are also a number of pubs and churches and schools on and around the High Street.

Kings Heath contains two parks: Kings Heath Park and Highbury Park, the former being famous as the setting of popular BBC television programme "Gardeners' World". Kings Heath Park also features a Victorian-styled tea room and is the venue for the annual Gardener's Weekend Show, which comes under the Royal Horticultural Society and is one of the top regional events for gardening enthusiasts to show off their vegetables and floral displays etc. The park has 'green flag' status. Highbury park (on the border with Moseley) is adjacent to the Highbury Hall, which used to be a residence of Joseph Chamberlain.

ee also

*Moseley and Kings Heath ward

External links

* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ Birmingham City Council]
* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=3034&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=163 History of Kings Heath]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.asp?sheetid=10125&ox=2349&oy=2425&zm=4 1884 Ordnance Survey map of King's Heath]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.asp?sheetid=9257&ox=1400&oy=1275&zm=2&czm=2&x=189&y=177 1887 Ordnance Survey map of King's Heath]