Balsall Common: Difference between revisions

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Balsall Common is a large village and one of the larger rural settlements in the metropolitan borough of Solihull, nestling between the cities of Coventry and Birmingham to which it serves as a commuter village in the West Midlands. It is currently undergoing rapid suburbanisation and could be considered as a minor town in terms of its population.

The village is split between the civil parishes of Balsall (which also includes Balsall Street, Temple Balsall, Fen End, and Chadwick End, and has a population of 6,234 (2001 census), and the parish of Berkswell. As of 2006 the population was approaching 7,000 residents.

The village is of recent origin; most of the houses and shops were built in the 20th century. Previously, the village consisted of a couple of hamlets of about 6 to 12 houses each and a few scattered cottages - as this map of 1889 shows. In the 1930s there began the development which linked these isolated buildings, but it was not until after World War II that the village really began to grow. With its proximity to the village of Meriden (only 5 km / 3 miles away), Balsall Common is almost at the precise (much-disputed) geographic centre of England and thus one of the furthest possible places from the UK coastline.

It is served by a railway station on the Coventry-Birmingham line. The station is called Berkswell after a much older, and now smaller, village to the north. It has two schools, one primary and one secondary. Nearby towns and villages include Kenilworth, Hampton-in-Arden, Meriden and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Closest Towns & Cities

Coventry (11 km / 7 miles)
Kenilworth (13 km / 8 miles)
Solihull (14 km / 9 miles)
Warwick (17 km / 10.5 miles)
Birmingham (21 km / 13 miles)

External links

grid reference SP238771

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 The village is split between the [[civil parish]]es of Balsall (which also includes [[Balsall Street]], [[Temple Balsall]], [[Fen End]], and [[Chadwick End]], and has a population of 6,234 (2001 census), and the parish of [[Berkswell]]. As of 2006 the population was approaching 7,000 residents.
-The village is of recent origin; most of the houses and shops were built in the [[20th century]]. Previously, the village consisted of a couple of [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]] of about 6 to 12 houses each and a few scattered cottages - as {{GBvoss|e=423800|n=277100|cty=36|txt=this map of 1889}} shows. In the [[1930s]] there began the development which linked these isolated buildings, but it was not until after [[World War II]] that the village really began to grow.
+The village is of recent origin; most of the houses and shops were built in the [[20th century]]. Previously, the village consisted of a couple of [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]] of about 6 to 12 houses each and a few scattered cottages - as {{GBvoss|e=423800|n=277100|cty=36|txt=this map of 1889}} shows. In the [[1930s]] there began the development which linked these isolated buildings, but it was not until after [[World War II]] that the village really began to grow. With its proximity to the village of Meriden (only 5 km / 3 miles away), Balsall Common is almost at the precise (much-disputed) geographic centre of England and thus one of the furthest possible places from the UK coastline.
 It is served by a railway station on the [[London and Birmingham Railway|Coventry-Birmingham]] line. The station is called ''[[Berkswell]]'' after a much older, and now smaller, village to the north. It has two schools, [http://www.bcpsonline.org.uk/index.html one primary] and [http://www.heart-england.solihull.sch.uk/ one secondary]. Nearby towns and villages include [[Kenilworth]], [[Hampton-in-Arden]], [[Meriden, West Midlands|Meriden]] and [[Stratford-upon-Avon]].