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Ladywood Area
Ladywood is an area of west Birmingham in the Ladywood ward, one mile from the city centre. The surrounding areas are Calthorpe, Rotton Park, Five Ways, Hockley, Winson Green, the Convention Quarter and the Jewellery Quarter.
Ladywood was once natural woodland owned by the mediaeval Priory of Saint Thomas whose chapel was dedicated to Our Lady.
By the time James Brindley cut Birmingham's first canal through Ladywood in the 1760's, the woodland had been cleared and the priory dissolved.
Brindley's Canal, which linked Birmingham to Wolverhampton, includes the Icknield Loop in Ladywood, which was straightened by Thomas Telford in the 1820's, who also dug the Edgbaston Reservoir, a canal-feeder which is actually in Ladywood.
In the 1830's, George Stephenson built the Grand Junction Railway alongside Telford's improved canal. These two routes created an industrial corridor that was accompanied by back-to-back terraced courts.
These slums were cleared in the 1960's and replaced by high-density council estates with a large number of low-rise flats and residential towers. Some of this housing has recently been improved through the insertion of more green spaces and a greater proportion of detached and semi-detached homes, some of which are privately owned.
Dhamma Talaka
The Dhamma-Talaka Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist Viahara on Osler Street on the eastern shore of Edgbaston Reservoir; the name Dhamma-Talaka means "reservoir of truth".
The Pagoda, which opened in 1998, features an oriental dome and sacred tower (stupa or caitya); the entrance is guarded by two stone lions.
The interior contains relics, scriptures, a marble Buddha on a golden throne and 28 Buddhas on the dome of the inner ceiling.
The Pagoda is modelled on the Shwedagon Pagoda at Myanmar in Burma; it is a shrine for Buddhist ritual, a venue for teaching Buddhism and a Sanctuary where visitors may experience peace & tranquillity; a Buddhist monastery opened alongside the Pagoda in 2002.
T 0121 454 6591 Address: 29-31 Osler Street B16 9EU
Birmingham Buddhist Viahara Website
Demographics, Politics and Housing in the Ladywood Area
This website contains information about demographics, politics and housing in the Ladywod council ward including the area of Ladywood.
Accident Blackspots in Ladywood
Fatal Crash on Dudley Road
A car flipped over after crashing into a lamppost on Dudley Road at approximately 5am on Friday 26/03/10; one man died and four were seriously injured.
Arsonists Torch Bushes on Canal Towpath off Northbrook Street
Arsonists set three
bush fires on the towpath of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal off
Northbrook Street on the evening of Thursday 5th May; dense smoke caused
train delays on the nearby West Coast Mainline
(News Headlines 08/05/11).
Man
Arrested Following Gunshot on Francis Road, Ladywood
Police arrested a man on
suspicion of possessing a firearm at a house on Daley Close after a gun
was fired on nearby Francis Road at around 1pm on Thursday 5th May 2011
(News Headlines 07/05/11).
The suspect, who was a 77-year-old pensioner, was charged with possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life in June 2011 (News Headlines 13/06/11).
Woman Allowed Radio Pirates to Broadcast from Her Flat
A 31 year-old woman has admitted allowing the pirate radio station Hot FM to install equipment at her flat on Ledbury Close for the purpose of broadcasting music; she received a conditional discharge at Birmingham Magistrates Court in January 2011 (News Archive 17/01/11)
Dead Body Found on Ellen Street
The corpse of a 20 year-old man was found on Ellen Street off Spring Hill at around 7am on Monday 27th December 2010; the police regard his death as suspicious (News Archive 28/12/10).
Attempted Hit on King Edward Road
A man aged 20 was sent to prison for 5 years in November 2010 for accompanying a gunman who shot at his intended victim whilst chasing him through a takeaway on King Edward Road at approximately 5pm on Tuesday 18.05.10 (News Archive 29/11/10).
Waterworks Estate Virtually Crime Free
The once notorious Waterworks Estate is now virtually crime free thanks to CCTV, improved street lighting and neighbourhood policing.
In particular, crack houses and street prostitution have almost been entirely eliminated.
Attempted Murder in Ladywood
A 19-year-old man suspected of firing shots in Ladywood on Monday 17th May 2010 has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder; police raided his home on Douay Road in Wylde Green during the early hours of Friday 28th May 2010 (News Archive 30/05/10).
Drunk Threw Stones from High-Rise Balcony
A 31-year old man was prosecuted for throwing stones and bottles from his high-rise flat at Truro Tower on Ledbury Close in August 2009.
Fire & Firefighting in Ladywood
Early Morning
Fire at Welcome Pub, Ladywood Road
Firefighters
attended a blaze caused by an electrical unit in a ground floor function
room at the Welcome pub on Ladywood Road at approximately 7.30 am on
Friday 10th June 2011; three people were hospitalised for smoke
inhalation
(News Headlines 12/06/11).
Fire & Firefighting
in Birmingham
Pan Fire on Knoll Croft
Firefighters attended a kitchen blaze at a home on Knoll Croft after a pan caught fire at roughly 8pm on Thursday 18th Match 2010 (News Archive 20/03/10).
Fire & Firefighting in Birmingham
Loft Blaze on Daley Close
Firefighters extinguished a loft blaze caused by defective wiring at an end-of-terrace home on Daley Close on 10/01/10 (News Archive 12/01/10).
Fire & Firefighting in Birmingham
Ladywood Community Fire Station
Ladywood Fire Station on Icknield Port Road provides emergency cover on a 24/7 basis.
Icknield Port Road B16 0RA 0121 380 7537 Map
Fire & Firefighting in Birmingham
Ladywood is served by the following bus routes: 8A/C, 22, 23, 80, 81, 82, 87, 89, 120, 126A, 140A, 141A
Vine Inn
The Vine Inn is a pub and espresso bar with sky sports on Ruston Street.
Ruston Street B16 8BB - 0121 454 7943 -
Map
Further & Higher Education in Ladywood
Northwest Skills Academy
The Northwest Skills Academy on Stour Street is a constituent campus of City College Birmingham.
The campus consists of state-of-the-art buildings completed in 2008 that incorporate a wind turbine for regenerating electricity and a heating system that recycles rainwater.
The academy specialises in skills-based jobs-focused training in areas such as business, computing, auto maintenance, computing, construction, health and social care.
Help with basic skills, such as Maths & English, is also available.
46-68 Stour Street B18 7AJ 0121 204 0000 Map
Further Education City College Website
Broadway Health Centre
Cope Street B18 7BA - 0121 250 6105 - Map
Health Centres & GP Surgeries in Brum
Ladywood Surgery
35 Morville Street B16 8BU - 0121 454 3774 - Map
Health Centres & GP Surgeries in Brum
B1 Trust HQ
B1 Trust HQ on Summer Hill Road is the headquarters of the Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust.
50 Summer Hill Road B1 3RB - 0121 301 1111 - Map
Psychiatric Healthcare in Brum
Ladywood Day Centre
The Ladywood Day Centre on St Vincent Street West provides psychiatric services.
St Vincent Street West B16 8RR - 0121 685 6945 - Map
Psychiatric Healthcare in Brum
Ladywood Health Centre
Ladywood Health Centre provides psychiatric support services.
395 Ladywood Middleway B1 2TJ - 0121 685 6900 - Map
Psychiatric Healthcare in Brum
Summer Hill Terrace
Summer Hill Terrace is a mental health unit.
23 Summer Hill Terrace B1 3RA - 0121 301 3900 - Map
Psychiatric Healthcare in Brum
The industrial areas of Ladywood straddle the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal, the Icknield Port Canal Loop and the West Coast Mainline.
They include the Spring Hill Business Park (map) and the Magreal Industrial Estate (map).
Aton UK
Aton UK, which has an estimated workforce of 50, manufactures electrical sockets and switches on the Spring Hill Business Park.
3 Eyre Street B18 7AA 0121 455 6228 Map
Birmingham Bronze Foundry
The Birmingham Bronze Foundry on Steward Street, which casts non-ferrous metal, has an estimated workforce of less than 50.
74-77 Steward Street B18 7AF 0121 454 4562 Map
Factories in Brum Birmingham Bronze Foundry
Frank Allart
Frank Allart, which manufactures architectural hardware on Great Tindal Street, has an estimated workforce of around 50.
15-35 Great Tindal Street B16 8DR 0121 410 6000 Map
Factories in Brum Frank Allart Website
Frank Dudley
Frank Dudley manufactures metal pressings on Wiggin Street with an estimated workforce of 170.
2 Wiggin Street B16 0AH 0121 452 8500 Map
Factories in Brum Frank Dudley Website
Sorion
Sorion on the Magreal Industrial Estate, which employs a workforce of around 40, is an electronics engineering firm that specialises in the automotive and aerospace sectors.
Magreal Industrial Estate B16 0QZ 0121 454 8966 Map
Factories in Brum Sorion Website
Hydrapower Dynamics
Hydrapower manufacture hose and pipe on St Marks Street with an estimated staff of less than 30.
St Marks Street B1 2UN - 0121 456 5656 - Map
Factories in Brum - Hydrapower Dynamics
Steel Spinnings
Steel Spinnings manufacture metal components on Steward Street with an estimated staff of less than 40.
94-96 Steward Street - 0121 456 3737 - Map
Factories in Brum - Steel Spinnings Website
Edgbaston Reservoir
The Edgbaston Reservoir is a 90 acre green space consisting of a canal-feeder reservoir flanked by wetlands and woodlands and encircled by a gravel path.
Thomas Telford created the reservoir in the 1820's by enlarging an existing fish pond which he filled by damming a stream.
For this purpose, he built a 330 metre long embankment with a maximum height of around 10 metres.
The dam created a lake with a surface area of eighty acres that reaches depths of around twelve metres. A winding gear releases water from a sluice into the Icknield Port Loop of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal.
The water also feeds the Engine Arm Branch of the same canal from where it is pumped to the Smethwick Summit in order to operate the locks needed to climb from Birmingham to Wolverhampton.
The reservoir is a popular recreational facility and is marked out for sailing and windsurfing events. The Midland Sailing Club, Birmingham Rowing Club and local sea cadet centre are based there.
West Coast Mainline
The West Coast Mainline runs on a south-east/north-west axis through Ladywood
Having travelled through the Stour Valley Tunnel, beneath the Convention Quarter, the line heads north-westwards from St Vincent Street, runs alongside Lighthorne Avenue and beneath Ladywood Middleway (A4540) where it passes the former site of Monument Lane Station which closed in 1958.
The Harborne Branch, which closed in 1963, joined the West Coast Mainline at Monument Lane.
Heading north-westwards from Monument Lane, the West Coast Mainline runs alongside the Birmingham-Wolverhampton Canal, bridges the eastern side of the Soho Canal Loop and enters Winson Green.
Links: West Coast Mainline
SS John the Evangelist and Peter C of E
Saints John and Peter (1854) on Darnley Road is an Anglican church in the Early Decorated Style; the Ladywood Arc (Arts, Religion, Community) is based there.
Darnley Road B16 8TF - 0121 454 0973 - Map
Churches in Birmingham - SS John and Peter Website
Barford Primary School
Barford School is a co-educational community primary school attended by roughly 480 children aged between three and eleven.
Barford Road B16 0EF 0121 464 3765 Map
Secular State Primary Schools Barford Primary Website
St George's CE School
St George's School on Beaufort Road is a Church of England voluntary-aided co-educational primary school attended by roughly 200 children aged between five and eleven.
Beaufort Road B16 8HY 0121 464 2789 Map
Faith Primary Schools in Brum St George's School Website
St John's Ladywood CE School
St John's Ladywood on Vincent Street West is a Church of England voluntary-controlled co-educational primary school attended by around 150 pupils aged between five and eleven.
St Vincent Street West B16 8RN 0121 454 1398 Map
Faith Primary Schools in Brum St John's School Website
Oratory RC School
The Oratory RC School on Oliver Road is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided co-educational primary school attended by roughly 250 children aged between three and eleven.
Oliver Road B16 9ER 0121 454 0600 Map
Faith Primary Schools in Brum Oratory Primary Website
St Patrick's RC School
St Patrick's RC School on Dudley Road is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided co-educational primary school attended by roughly two hundred children between the ages of four and eleven.
Dudley Road B18 7QW 0121 454 0767 Map
Birmingham Rowing Club
The Birmingham Rowing Club (est. 1873) is based on Reservoir Road on the shore of Edgbaston Reservoir; it shares a boathouse, changing rooms and other facilities with the University of Birmingham Boat Club.
The club holds the Birmingham Regatta in April; the length of the course is 750 metres provided the reservoir is full. Social events include the annual black tie dinner
.Links: Sports Clubs Birmingham Rowing Club Website
Midland Sailing Club
The Midland Sailing Club is based on Icknield Port Road on the banks of Edgbaston Reservoir; it keeps a fleet of sailing dinghies and offers RYA-accredited novice, refresher and junior training courses. Races are generally held on Saturday afternoons and summer evenings.
The club, which is equipped with a galley and bar, also holds social events including family fun days, themed suppers and barbecues.
Links:
Sports Clubs Midland Sailing Club WebsiteLadywood Cluster
The Ladywood Cluster is a group of three 16 storey 47 metre tower blocks, three 20 storey 57 metre tower blocks and one 12 storey 36 metre block that were built as part of the Ladywood Project between 1962 and 1970.
The three 16 storey towers are:
Brecon Tower (map) on Guild Close, Truro Tower (map) on Ledbury Road and Wells Tower (map) on Rodney Close.
The three 20 storey towers are:
Canterbury Tower (map) on St Marks Street, Durham Tower (map) on Acorn Grove and Salisbury Tower (
map) on Middleway View.The 12 storey block is Lincoln Tower (map) on Gilby Road.
Chamberlain Gardens Nine
The Chamberlain Gardens Housing Estate contains nine 9 storey tower blocks that were completed in the early 1960's, namely:
Bradbeer House (map) on Francis Road, Balfour House (map) and Beale House (map) on Cawdor Crescent, and
Avery House (map), Chamberlain House (map) and Muntz House (map) on Skipton Road, and
Collings House (map), Dixon House (map) and Kenrick House on Huntly Road.
The Birmingham and Wolverhampton Mainline Canal and the Icknield Port Loop run through Ladywood.
Saint Vincent Street Bridge
The Saint Vincent Street Bridge crosses the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Mainline Canal near the western entrance to the Oozells Loop. This bridge marks the boundary between the Convention Quarter and inner city Ladywood.
Links: Canals Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal
Icknield Port Loop
The Icknield Port Loop is on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal. The length of the loop is 1.1 kilometres. The distance along the Mainline Canal between the eastern and western entrances is 280 metres.
The eastern entrance is called Sandy Turn. From here, the loop travels in a south-westerly direction for around 400 metres before passing under a road bridge and rounding the Icknield Port wharves.
The loop then doubles back in a north-easterly direction, past a leat that feeds water from the Edgbaston Reservoir into the canal. It then travels beneath the Icknield Port Road, and rejoins the Mainline Canal at Rotton Park Junction, opposite the eastern entrance to the Soho Loop.
Links: Canals Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal
Rotton Park Junction
Rotton Park Junction is a canal crossroads on the Birmingham - Wolverhampton Mainline Canal. The south arm is the west entrance to the Icknield Loop and the north arm is the east entrance to the Soho Loop.
Links: Canals Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal
The sculpture of the trapeze artist, the Great Blondin, on Ladywood Middleway celebrates his legendary tightrope walk across Edgbaston Reservoir in 1873. The Great Blondin is presented as a caricature perched on a 4.5-metre pedestal.
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