Rubery
Rubery is a town and southern suburb of Birmingham, England, split between the Bromsgrove district of Worcestershire, England, and the City of Birmingham in West Midlands.
The area has around 16,000 people living in it, including the nearby Great Park estates, actually spilling into the Northfield area, which have been dubbed "South Rubery".
Rubery is divided into two essential areas, either side of the A38. North of the A38 is primarily residential consisting of a sub-area named Waseley. South of the A38 is the High Street (New Road) where Rubery's retail activity is concentrated, as well as an extensive residential area, consisting of a sub-area named Beacon.
The local councillors are Peter McDonald (Labour - Waseley (District), Beacon Ward (County)), and David McGrath (Independent, Beacon (District).
Geographically, Rubery is located in the valley of the Waseley and Lickey Hills, and within the basin of the Callowbrook and thus the River Rea. Politically, it lies in the Beacon Ward of Worcestershire County Council, and under both the Waseley and Beacon areas for Bromsgrove District Council.
Rubery has in recent years benefited from the brownfield site Great Park, which provides numerous leisure activities, namely an Empire Cinema, Hollywood Bowl, Gala Bingo, Greens Health and Fitness, Frankie and Bennys, Chiquitos, Brewers Fayre and a Premier Inn as well as further housing there is also a Morrisons which was a Safeway Megastore
Both the Birmingham and Bromsgrove parts are unparished areas.
Rubery is situated next to Longbridge, where the remains of the Austin motor works, mostly demolished following the MG Rover collapse in April '05, can be found. Frankley is to the north, and Lickey is to the south.
Rubery is also only nine miles from Birmingham city centre.
The word 'Rubery' comes from the old English word 'rowbery' meaning 'a rough hill', which there is in the village of Rubery. There are different spellings due to the way people used to pronounce words back then.