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Boldmere

January 01, 1970

Boldmere is a suburb and residential area of Sutton Coldfield, City of Birmingham, England. It is bordered by New Oscott, Sutton Park, Wylde Green and Erdington, and is in the ward of Sutton Vesey.[1]

Boldmere
Boldmere Road
Boldmere
Location within the West Midlands
OS grid referenceSP109940
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSUTTON COLDFIELD
Postcode districtB73
Dialling code0121
PoliceWest Midlands
FireWest Midlands
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
West Midlands
52°32′N 1°50′W / 52.54°N 1.83°W / 52.54; -1.83

History edit

Toponymy edit

"Boldmere" is a corruption of the word "Baldmoor", coming from the Middle English bald (meaning "a white patch") and the Anglo-Saxon moor (meaning "boggy land"). Therefore, Boldmere literally means a "bald moor"; a treeless patch. Bald (meaning "bold") was also a personal name used by the Anglo-Saxons.[2]

Name history edit

At the time of John Speed's 1610 atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, Boldmere was known as Cofield Wast.[3] The area was described as "an open, wild and windy expanse, covered with gorse".[4]

The United Kingdom Census of 1841 refers to the area as Baldmoor Lake, which was once a body of water south of the Chester Road. The lake has also been known as Bowen Pool, Baldmoor, and Bolemore Lake,[2] though no lake is shown on Speed's map of 1610 (nor on other later maps). The census did, however, list a dwelling on the Chester Road as "Lake House".[3] There is, however, a Lakehouse Road and Baldmoor Lake Road in the area.[5][6]

By 1856, the area had become known as The Coldfield, a name which lasted at least until the introduction of the railway.[7]

Expansion edit

On introduction of the 1825 Inclosure Act, the area saw little expansion due to common land becoming privately owned.[3] The 1841 census listed eight families in the area, including agricultural workers, a painter, an Irish carrier, and a wire drawer.[2] It is likely that the latter worked at Penns Mill,[2] a nearby wire mill run by the Webster family (with Baron Dickinson Webster's business involvements including the transatlantic telegraph cable).

Boldmere did expand, however, upon the introduction of the London and North Western Railway. Two stations opened in the region at Wylde Green and Chester Road, in 1862 and 1863 respectively.[8][9]

A second housing boom occurred in the 1930s, with both private and council housing being built.

Administration edit

In 1857, Boldmere was designated as an ecclesiastical parish, formed from the parish of St Michael's in Sutton Coldfield.[10] When Sutton Coldfield was reorganised in 1885 (under the Municipal Corporations Act 1882), Boldmere was created as a ward, before being divided into Boldmere West and Boldmere East in 1935.[10]

Boldmere is now part of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council,[11] which was formed following a consultative ballot in 2015. The role of this organisation is the same as a parish council. Boldmere is in the Sutton Vesey electoral ward.[1]

Geography edit

 
Boldmere Gate, providing access to Sutton Park on the north boundary of Boldmere

Boldmere is triangular in shape and roughly bounded on the north by Sutton Park, on the east by the Cross-City railway line and on the south-west by Chester Road. Boldmere Gate provides access to Sutton Park.

The main shopping centre of Boldmere is at the northern end of Boldmere Road, which runs north-south through the centre of Boldmere. The collection of shops at the southern end of Boldmere Road is known locally as Little Boldmere.[2]

Gibbet Hill, in the north-west of the area, is named after the gibbet from which Edward Allport was hanged for the murder of London silk dyer John Johnson in the area on 28 March 1729.[7] Although this site is no longer referred to as Gibbet Hill, and was undeveloped until (at least) 1906,[7] the toponymy has survived in the name of Gibbet Hill Wood; an area which Birmingham City Council have identified as "an area of potential archaeological importance" due to "surviving archaeological remains".[12]

Location in context edit

Economy edit

Boldmere is well-served with shops, hairdressers, pubs and restaurants. There are also a post office[13] and a public library.[14] All banks in Boldmere have now closed with the nearest branches being in Erdington or Sutton Town Centre.

Industry edit

See also: Industrial Revolution § Innovations
 
A view of the north-east end of Powells Pool – the slipway is visible in the foreground

In the 18th century, Powell's Pool (then known as New Forge Pool) near Boldmere Gate was the site of the mill used by John Wyatt to experiment with mechanised cotton spinning.[2] Along with Lewis Paul, he developed the roller spinning machine and the flyer-and-bobbin system (Paul patented the former on 24 June 1738). In 1750, the mill was used by William Powell to manufacture spades (using locally-grown ash wood for the handles). It is believed that the first steel garden fork was manufactured at the mill.[2] The building was later used to produce steel for the production of pen nibs.[2] The Ordnance Survey's First Series map (1834) identifies a forge in this area,[15] of which John Willets (a forgeman), John Page (a spade maker), and John Harris (a saw maker) have all been identified as proprietors.[7]

The mill was demolished some time after 1936, after lying unused and dilapidated for a number of years. Although none of the building's structure remains, a waterfall (providing a spillway to Powell's Pool) is now sited where the millrace was located.[2]

Transport edit

Boldmere's main roads are Jockey Road (A453), Chester Road (A452) and Boldmere Road (B4142). Boldmere is served by Wylde Green and Chester Road railway stations, both on the Cross-City railway line, which runs between Lichfield Trent Valley and Redditch (via Birmingham New Street).

Boldmere is served by a number of National Express West Midlands bus services, including routes 5, 66, 77 and 907.

Places of worship edit

 
St Michael's Church

The churches in the area are St Michael's (Church of England),[16] St Nicholas's (Roman Catholic),[17] Chester Road Baptist Church,[18] Boldmere Methodist Church,[19] and Wylde Green United Reformed Church.[20] St Nicholas's Church was preceded by a chapel that was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and which opened in 1841.[21] These churches take their name from Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman.[21]

The ring of bells at St Michael's church are noted as being one of the few rings in Birmingham still in existence that were produced before the introduction of scientific bell tuning in the 1890s (John Taylor & Co installed Birmingham's first harmonic ring at St. Barnabas' Church, Erdington in 1906). The bells' 18th–19th century tonal quality is rare as most pre-scientific bells in Birmingham have been recast by the Taylor or Whitechapel foundries.[2]

In 1964, St Michael's church was partially destroyed by fire, with only the tower and south aisle surviving. The building's reconstruction was not without controversy, particularly due to the unconventional use of Staffordshire blue brick.[2]

Education edit

Educational facilities in the area include Boldmere Infant and Nursery School,[22] Boldmere Junior School,[23] St Nicholas Catholic Primary School,[24] and Boldmere Adult Education Centre.[25]

In 1848, Reverend W. K. Riland Bedford worked towards opening Boldmere National School for Girls and Infants. The building served as Boldmere's Anglican church until the opening of St Michael's in 1857, and is now a health clinic.[2]

Leisure edit

Culture edit

Boldmere is home to Highbury Theatre Centre,[26] a community theatre organisation.[27] The theatre has been in its current location since it was built by its original members in 1942.

Sport edit

Boldmere Wanderers FC who were founded in 2018, play their home games at Rectory Park, Sutton Coldfield.

Boldmere Golf Course is located on the northern edge of Boldmere, and hosts Europe's longest-running pro-am golfing competition.[28] The annual Great Midlands Fun Run uses Boldmere Gate as the entrance to Sutton Park.[29]

Boldmere St. Michael's Football Club is a football club based in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield, England. They are currently members of the Midland League Premier Division and play at the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground.

Famous residents edit

Hazel Court, a British actress known for her appearances in horror films of the 1950s and 60s, lived in the area and attended Boldmere School and Highclare College.[30]

Emma Willis, née Griffiths, who was born in 1976 lived on Boldmere Road during her childhood and attended Wylde Green Primary School.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ a b . Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dargue, William (18 January 2009). "Boldmere, Little Boldmere". A History of Birmingham Places & Placenames. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b c . History of Sutton Coldfield. 13 August 2008. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  4. ^ Williams, K.J. (November 1994). A History of Boldmere. BIGinINK. ISBN 0-948025-13-1.
  5. ^ . Catholic Church of St Nicholas – Boldmere. 21 March 2004. Archived from the original on 11 November 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  6. ^ McCarthy, Nick (19 December 2009). . Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror Midlands. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d Higgins, Yvonne (15 August 2000). . Family History Research. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  8. ^ Doherty, Andrew (2010). "Wylde Green Station". Operational Stations. Rail Around Birmingham. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  9. ^ Doherty, Andrew (2010). "Chester Road Station". Operational Stations. Rail Around Birmingham. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  10. ^ a b L. F. Salzman, ed. (1947). "The borough of Sutton Coldfield". A History of the County of Warwick. Vol. 4 (Hemlingford Hundred ed.). pp. 230–245.
  11. ^ Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council https://www.suttoncoldfieldtowncouncil.gov.uk/the-council/
  12. ^ "Sutton Vesey". Ward Information. Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  13. ^ . Leisure and Tourism. Birmingham City Council. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Boldmere Library". Leisure and Tourism. Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  15. ^ (Map). 1:63360. London: Ordnance Survey. 1834. Sheet 62. {{cite map}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ . St Michael's Boldmere. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  17. ^ . Catholic Church of St Nicholas – Boldmere. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  18. ^ "How to Find Us". Chester Road Baptist Church. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Contact / Address". Boldmere Methodist Church. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  20. ^ . Wylde Green United Reformed Church. 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  21. ^ a b . Catholic Church of St Nicholas – Boldmere. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  22. ^ . Boldmere Infant and Nursery School. January 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  23. ^ "Boldmere Junior School". League Tables. BBC. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  24. ^ . St Nicholas Catholic Primary School. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  25. ^ (PDF). Planning and Environment. Birmingham City Council. 24 February 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  26. ^ "Highbury Little Theatre". 7 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ . Highbury Little Theatre. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  28. ^ . Golf Today. Nexus Internet. 2010. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  29. ^ . Great Midlands Fun Run. 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  30. ^ Brady, Emma (18 April 2008). "Hollywood or Bust for City's Scream Queen". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 30 January 2010.

Further reading edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boldmere.

January 01, 1970
boldmere, suburb, residential, area, sutton, coldfield, city, birmingham, england, bordered, oscott, sutton, park, wylde, green, erdington, ward, sutton, vesey, roadlocation, within, west, midlandsos, grid, referencesp109940metropolitan, boroughbirminghammetro. Boldmere is a suburb and residential area of Sutton Coldfield City of Birmingham England It is bordered by New Oscott Sutton Park Wylde Green and Erdington and is in the ward of Sutton Vesey 1 BoldmereBoldmere RoadBoldmereLocation within the West MidlandsOS grid referenceSP109940Metropolitan boroughBirminghamMetropolitan countyWest MidlandsRegionWest MidlandsCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townSUTTON COLDFIELDPostcode districtB73Dialling code0121PoliceWest MidlandsFireWest MidlandsAmbulanceWest MidlandsUK ParliamentSutton ColdfieldList of places UK England West Midlands 52 32 N 1 50 W 52 54 N 1 83 W 52 54 1 83 Contents 1 History 1 1 Toponymy 1 1 1 Name history 1 2 Expansion 1 3 Administration 2 Geography 2 1 Location in context 3 Economy 3 1 Industry 4 Transport 5 Places of worship 6 Education 7 Leisure 7 1 Culture 7 2 Sport 8 Famous residents 9 References 10 Further readingHistory editToponymy edit Boldmere is a corruption of the word Baldmoor coming from the Middle English bald meaning a white patch and the Anglo Saxon moor meaning boggy land Therefore Boldmere literally means a bald moor a treeless patch Bald meaning bold was also a personal name used by the Anglo Saxons 2 Name history edit At the time of John Speed s 1610 atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine Boldmere was known as Cofield Wast 3 The area was described as an open wild and windy expanse covered with gorse 4 The United Kingdom Census of 1841 refers to the area as Baldmoor Lake which was once a body of water south of the Chester Road The lake has also been known as Bowen Pool Baldmoor and Bolemore Lake 2 though no lake is shown on Speed s map of 1610 nor on other later maps The census did however list a dwelling on the Chester Road as Lake House 3 There is however a Lakehouse Road and Baldmoor Lake Road in the area 5 6 By 1856 the area had become known as The Coldfield a name which lasted at least until the introduction of the railway 7 Expansion edit On introduction of the 1825 Inclosure Act the area saw little expansion due to common land becoming privately owned 3 The 1841 census listed eight families in the area including agricultural workers a painter an Irish carrier and a wire drawer 2 It is likely that the latter worked at Penns Mill 2 a nearby wire mill run by the Webster family with Baron Dickinson Webster s business involvements including the transatlantic telegraph cable Boldmere did expand however upon the introduction of the London and North Western Railway Two stations opened in the region at Wylde Green and Chester Road in 1862 and 1863 respectively 8 9 A second housing boom occurred in the 1930s with both private and council housing being built Administration edit In 1857 Boldmere was designated as an ecclesiastical parish formed from the parish of St Michael s in Sutton Coldfield 10 When Sutton Coldfield was reorganised in 1885 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 Boldmere was created as a ward before being divided into Boldmere West and Boldmere East in 1935 10 Boldmere is now part of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council 11 which was formed following a consultative ballot in 2015 The role of this organisation is the same as a parish council Boldmere is in the Sutton Vesey electoral ward 1 Geography edit nbsp Boldmere Gate providing access to Sutton Park on the north boundary of Boldmere Boldmere is triangular in shape and roughly bounded on the north by Sutton Park on the east by the Cross City railway line and on the south west by Chester Road Boldmere Gate provides access to Sutton Park The main shopping centre of Boldmere is at the northern end of Boldmere Road which runs north south through the centre of Boldmere The collection of shops at the southern end of Boldmere Road is known locally as Little Boldmere 2 Gibbet Hill in the north west of the area is named after the gibbet from which Edward Allport was hanged for the murder of London silk dyer John Johnson in the area on 28 March 1729 7 Although this site is no longer referred to as Gibbet Hill and was undeveloped until at least 1906 7 the toponymy has survived in the name of Gibbet Hill Wood an area which Birmingham City Council have identified as an area of potential archaeological importance due to surviving archaeological remains 12 Location in context editEconomy editBoldmere is well served with shops hairdressers pubs and restaurants There are also a post office 13 and a public library 14 All banks in Boldmere have now closed with the nearest branches being in Erdington or Sutton Town Centre Industry edit See also Industrial Revolution Innovations nbsp A view of the north east end of Powells Pool the slipway is visible in the foreground In the 18th century Powell s Pool then known as New Forge Pool near Boldmere Gate was the site of the mill used by John Wyatt to experiment with mechanised cotton spinning 2 Along with Lewis Paul he developed the roller spinning machine and the flyer and bobbin system Paul patented the former on 24 June 1738 In 1750 the mill was used by William Powell to manufacture spades using locally grown ash wood for the handles It is believed that the first steel garden fork was manufactured at the mill 2 The building was later used to produce steel for the production of pen nibs 2 The Ordnance Survey s First Series map 1834 identifies a forge in this area 15 of which John Willets a forgeman John Page a spade maker and John Harris a saw maker have all been identified as proprietors 7 The mill was demolished some time after 1936 after lying unused and dilapidated for a number of years Although none of the building s structure remains a waterfall providing a spillway to Powell s Pool is now sited where the millrace was located 2 Transport editBoldmere s main roads are Jockey Road A453 Chester Road A452 and Boldmere Road B4142 Boldmere is served by Wylde Green and Chester Road railway stations both on the Cross City railway line which runs between Lichfield Trent Valley and Redditch via Birmingham New Street Boldmere is served by a number of National Express West Midlands bus services including routes 5 66 77 and 907 Places of worship edit nbsp St Michael s Church The churches in the area are St Michael s Church of England 16 St Nicholas s Roman Catholic 17 Chester Road Baptist Church 18 Boldmere Methodist Church 19 and Wylde Green United Reformed Church 20 St Nicholas s Church was preceded by a chapel that was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and which opened in 1841 21 These churches take their name from Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman 21 The ring of bells at St Michael s church are noted as being one of the few rings in Birmingham still in existence that were produced before the introduction of scientific bell tuning in the 1890s John Taylor amp Co installed Birmingham s first harmonic ring at St Barnabas Church Erdington in 1906 The bells 18th 19th century tonal quality is rare as most pre scientific bells in Birmingham have been recast by the Taylor or Whitechapel foundries 2 In 1964 St Michael s church was partially destroyed by fire with only the tower and south aisle surviving The building s reconstruction was not without controversy particularly due to the unconventional use of Staffordshire blue brick 2 Education editEducational facilities in the area include Boldmere Infant and Nursery School 22 Boldmere Junior School 23 St Nicholas Catholic Primary School 24 and Boldmere Adult Education Centre 25 In 1848 Reverend W K Riland Bedford worked towards opening Boldmere National School for Girls and Infants The building served as Boldmere s Anglican church until the opening of St Michael s in 1857 and is now a health clinic 2 Leisure editCulture edit Boldmere is home to Highbury Theatre Centre 26 a community theatre organisation 27 The theatre has been in its current location since it was built by its original members in 1942 Sport edit Boldmere Wanderers FC who were founded in 2018 play their home games at Rectory Park Sutton Coldfield Boldmere Golf Course is located on the northern edge of Boldmere and hosts Europe s longest running pro am golfing competition 28 The annual Great Midlands Fun Run uses Boldmere Gate as the entrance to Sutton Park 29 Boldmere St Michael s Football Club is a football club based in Boldmere Sutton Coldfield England They are currently members of the Midland League Premier Division and play at the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground Famous residents editHazel Court a British actress known for her appearances in horror films of the 1950s and 60s lived in the area and attended Boldmere School and Highclare College 30 Emma Willis nee Griffiths who was born in 1976 lived on Boldmere Road during her childhood and attended Wylde Green Primary School citation needed References edit a b Area Sutton Vesey Ward Neighbourhood Statistics Office for National Statistics Archived from the original on 8 April 2020 Retrieved 29 January 2010 a b c d e f g h i j k l Dargue William 18 January 2009 Boldmere Little Boldmere A History of Birmingham Places amp Placenames Retrieved 30 January 2010 a b c Boldmere History of Sutton Coldfield 13 August 2008 Archived from the original on 15 February 2009 Retrieved 29 January 2010 Williams K J November 1994 A History of Boldmere BIGinINK ISBN 0 948025 13 1 Parish Boundaries Catholic Church of St Nicholas Boldmere 21 March 2004 Archived from the original on 11 November 2009 Retrieved 29 January 2010 McCarthy Nick 19 December 2009 Gay abuse Erdington man handed Birmingham s first ASBI Birmingham Mail Trinity Mirror Midlands Archived from the original on 24 September 2012 Retrieved 29 January 2010 a b c d Higgins Yvonne 15 August 2000 Maps as a Source for Local and Family History Research Family History Research Archived from the original on 5 September 2008 Retrieved 30 January 2010 Doherty Andrew 2010 Wylde Green Station Operational Stations Rail Around Birmingham Retrieved 29 January 2010 Doherty Andrew 2010 Chester Road Station Operational Stations Rail Around Birmingham Retrieved 29 January 2010 a b L F Salzman ed 1947 The borough of Sutton Coldfield A History of the County of Warwick Vol 4 Hemlingford Hundred ed pp 230 245 Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council https www suttoncoldfieldtowncouncil gov uk the council Sutton Vesey Ward Information Birmingham City Council Retrieved 30 January 2010 Sutton Directory Leisure and Tourism Birmingham City Council Archived from the original on 26 October 2018 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Boldmere Library Leisure and Tourism Birmingham City Council Retrieved 28 January 2010 Map 1 63360 London Ordnance Survey 1834 Sheet 62 a href Template Cite map html title Template Cite map cite map a Missing or empty title help Where St Michael s Boldmere Archived from the original on 17 March 2010 Retrieved 29 January 2010 Contact Catholic Church of St Nicholas Boldmere Archived from the original on 27 October 2009 Retrieved 29 January 2010 How to Find Us Chester Road Baptist Church Retrieved 29 January 2010 Contact Address Boldmere Methodist Church Retrieved 29 January 2010 Contact Information Wylde Green United Reformed Church 2009 Archived from the original on 8 April 2020 Retrieved 29 January 2010 a b Abbreviated History of the Parish Catholic Church of St Nicholas Boldmere Archived from the original on 9 January 2010 Retrieved 31 January 2010 Contact Us Boldmere Infant and Nursery School January 2010 Archived from the original on 2 January 2010 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Boldmere Junior School League Tables BBC 7 December 2006 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Contact Us St Nicholas Catholic Primary School Archived from the original on 2 October 2011 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Cofield Road Sutton Coldfield Boldmere Centre PDF Planning and Environment Birmingham City Council 24 February 2004 Archived from the original PDF on 23 August 2011 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Highbury Little Theatre 7 October 2013 Retrieved 10 October 2013 permanent dead link Location and Contacts Highbury Little Theatre 23 July 2008 Archived from the original on 21 November 2008 Retrieved 29 January 2010 Boldmere Golf Club Golf Today Nexus Internet 2010 Archived from the original on 19 November 2011 Retrieved 29 January 2010 8 5 Mile Course Great Midlands Fun Run 2009 Archived from the original on 18 June 2009 Retrieved 29 January 2010 Brady Emma 18 April 2008 Hollywood or Bust for City s Scream Queen Birmingham Post Retrieved 30 January 2010 Further reading edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boldmere K J Williams A History of Boldmere 1994 ISBN 0 948025 13 1 Michael Talbot A History of Boldmere St Michaels FC ISBN 978 1 905891 07 8 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Boldmere amp oldid 1192074150, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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