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Hamstead

Overview Hamstead

Hamstead is an area in the Perry Barr ward and Handsworth Wood ward in north-west Birmingham, roughly three miles from the city centre. The name is a corruption of "ham stede" which means homestead in old English. The surrounding areas are Handsworth Wood, Perry Barr, Perry Beeches and Great Barr.

The area, which straddles the Tame Valley, remained rural until Hamstead Railway Station opened in 1862 and Hamstead Colliery in 1876. The coal was shipped along the Tame Valley Canal which was cut through Hamstead in the 1840's. The canal and railway spawned further industrial development and a working-class community, Hamstead Village, gradually evolved.

 The process of urbanisation accelerated in the 1930's after the demolition of Hamstead Hall and the construction of private, mainly semi-detached, homes on Hamstead Mill and Cherry Orchard farms. The colliery, which closed in 1965, was redeveloped as a housing estate.

Demographics, Housing and Politics in Hamstead

 The area of Hamstead on the east side of the Birmingham-Walsall Railway is in the Perry Barr ward and the area to the west is in the Handsworth Wood ward.

This website contains information about demographics, housing and politics in the Perry Barr ward and demographics, housing and politics in the Handsworth Wood ward.

Accident Blackspots in Hamstead

Ferndale Avenue

An elderly man died after he was hit by a vehicle on Ferndale Avenue at 8am on Wednesday 16/02/11 (News Archive 18/02/11)

Crime/Sudden Death in Hamstead

Two men raided the Good Cheer Convenience store on Dorrington Road at 9.30pm on Wednesday 4th May 2011; the thieves, who are possibly in their late teens, ripped a cash register from the shop counter; this was the second robbery at the Good Cheer in less than two months (News Headlines 04/06/11).

Robberies Brum 2011

Dead Body Found at House on Rocky Lane

The police were called to a house near the junction of Rocky Lane and Dorrington Road after the body of a dead man was discovered at around 8pm on Wednesday 11th May 2011; there were no suspicious circumstances (News Headlines 12/05/11).

Shopkeeper Pistol-Whipped at Good Cheer on Dorrington Road

Masked robbers pistol-whipped a 58-year-old shop assistant at the Good Cheer on Dorrington Road at approximately 9.15pm on Sunday 27/03/11 (News Archive 31/03/11)

Robberies Brum 2011

The corpse of an elderly man was found beneath the A4041 in the Tame Valley Canal on the 30th July 2010 (News Archive 30/07/10).

A pedestrian was shot in the stomach on the Old Walsall Road at 11pm on Tuesday 8th June 2010: he appears to have been the victim of a drive-by shooting (News Archive 09/06/10).

Crime in Birmingham

Three men robbed the Total service station on Hamstead Road at approximately 7.15pm on Monday 22/02/10 (News Archive 05/03/10).

An elderly woman was beaten by burglars upon answering her door on Appleton Avenue at around 9pm on Friday 19/02/10 (News Archive 23/02/10).

Crime in Birmingham

Fire & Firefighting in Hamstead

Candle Fire at Semi on Yateley Avenue

Firefighters attended a blaze caused by an unattended candle at a semi on Yateley Avenue at roughly 7am on Saturday 26/06/10 (News Archive 27/06/10).

Fire & Firefighting in Birmingham

Canals in Hamstead

Tame Valley Canal

The Tame Valley Canal runs through Hamstead. It passes Hamstead Wharf, near Goose Farm Bridge and the former site of the Hamstead Colliery where a monument commemorates 25 miners and 1 rescue worker who died after the mine shaft collapsed in 1908.

Hamstead Wharf is roughly 250 metres west of the Spouthouse Lane Aqueduct, which carries the canal above Spouthouse Lane, and 600 metres west of the Piercy Aqueduct, which carries it across the Old Walsall Road.

The Freeth Bridge, a footbridge in the Tower Hill area, is located on the east side of the Old Walsall Road where the canal runs broadly parallel to Dyas Avenue.

 Canals  Tame Valley Canal

Health Services in Hamstead

Hamstead Surgery

168 Hamstead Road B20 2QR - 0121 523 7500 - Map

Health Centres & GP Surgeries in Brum

Tanhouse Avenue Clinic

Tanhouse Avenue B43 5AS - 0121 359 9009 - Map

Health Centres & GP Surgeries in Brum

Tower Hill Medical Centre

25 Tower Hill B42 1LG - 0345 111 1315 - Map

Health Centres & GP Surgeries in Brum

Industry in Hamstead

Hamstead contains a belt of warehouses and workshops that straddle the Birmingham to Walsall Railway Line. These include the Hamstead Industrial Estate (map) off the Old Walsall Road

Factories in Hamstead

Elkington Brothers

Elkington Brothers on Baltimore Road is an engineering firm serving the automotive industry. It has an estimated workforce of less than 50.

Baltimore Road B42 1DD   0121 358 2431   Map

Factories in Brum    Elkington Brothers Website

LAP Electrical

LAP Electrical, formerly part of Lucas Automotive, is an independent company that makes automotive components on the Hamstead Industrial Estate; it employs an estimated workforce of 100.

Old Walsall Road B42 1EA   0121 357 4205   Map

Factories in Brum   LAP Electrical Website

R Platnauer

R Platnauer, which employs an estimated workforce of 100, manufactures jewellery on the Hamstead Industrial Estate.

Austin Way B42 1DU   0121 357 4267   Map

Factories in Brum   R Platnauer Website

Churches in Hamstead

St Bernard's C of E

St Bernard's (1962) is an Anglican church on Broome Avenue.

Broome Avenue B43 5AL - 0121 358 1286 - Map

Churches in Birmingham - St Bernard's Website

St Paul's C of E

St Paul's (1892) on the Walsall Road is an Anglican church in the Gothic style.

Walsall Road B42 1ES - 0121 357 8941 - Map

Churches in Birmingham - St Paul's Website

Mosques in Hamstead

Masjid-e-Aisha

This mosque is a converted pub on Hamstead Hill with an estimated capacity of 350 worshippers including women.

45 Hamstead Hill B20 1BU - 0121 356 6001 - Map

Mosques in Birmingham

Pubs in Hamstead

 Beaufort Arms

The Beaufort Arms on the Old Walsall Road is a traditional community pub that screens live sport, holds quizzes & discos, and has a pool table and 120-capacity function room.

42-46 Old Walsall Road B42 1NP   0121 010 8565   Map

Pubs in Birmingham

The Red Admiral pub is located on Gorse Farm Road.

Gorse Farm Road B43 5LR   0121 347 7492   Map

Pubs in Birmingham

Bus Routes through Hamstead

Hamstead is served by the following bus routes: 16, 424, 651, 654, 654A

Railways in Hamstead

Birmingham and Walsall Line

The Birmingham and Walsall Line runs through the Hamstead Industrial Estate and past Hamstead Railway Station which lies in a cutting beneath the Old Walsall Road (B4124).

The station has two platforms and a waiting room; it lacks a car park or taxi rank but bus routes 16 and 654 pass nearby; the annual passenger footfall is around 68,000.