Edgbaston, Bournville and Kings Norton

Trip Log - Friday 30th August 2019: a solo Birmingham stroll taking me back to a few of my old University and Student Tutoring haunts, including a couple of places I hadn't visited for something like 15 years! Here are some selected highlights...

- Edgbaston Old Church -

The outing begins at Five Ways railway station but my first major target of the morning is Edgbaston Old Church, otherwise dedicated to St Bartholomew and situated opposite Priory School. I'd spotted the church previously when riding past on the number 1 bus but hadn't taken pictures of it before so this counts as a very welcome addition to my archive. 

- Chamberlain Hall -

Church Road next where I can reacquaint myself with The Vale, home to some of the University of Birmingham's main Halls of Residence. Names such as Shackleton, Mason and Chamberlain resonate from my student days although many of the facilities have been rebuilt since I last saw them. The lake remains a constant though and seems particularly peaceful despite the best efforts of some noisy waterfowl.

- Somerset Road Bridge -

The Worcester & Birmingham Canal used to feature as a regular bolthole for collecting my thoughts between lectures and formulating assignment plans while I traversed the towpath. Academic matters aren't on my mind this time around but it's good to see the old stretch from the Vale to the Bristol Road again, pausing for photos at Somerset Road and University Avenue.

- Selly Oak Fingerpost -

Selly Oak lies in wait with a large Sainsburys store to greet me once I've crossed the aqueduct over the bypass (this relief road is eight years old having first opened to traffic in August 2011). Touchbase Pears is a large multi-purpose centre that incorporates the relocated Selly Oak Library while the junction of Bristol Road and Oak Tree Lane has a heritage fingerpost I rather like the look of.

- Bournville Park -

Oak Tree Lane enables me to update myself on happenings at the former Selly Oak Hospital site, currently being transformed for housing. The main access to the hospital was on Raddlebarn Road where the former West Lodge dermatology clinic is getting converted into apartments. Continuing into Bournville Park, I note a little stream, some tennis courts and a children's play area.

- Hay Green Methodist Church -

Back in early 2004 I did a Student Tutoring stint helping out at a Bournville primary school, and part of my routine came to involve exploring the likes of Woodbrooke Road and Hay Green Lane. I used to have packed lunches by the local lake, a body of water which also plays host to the Bournville Radio Sailing and Model Boat Club. Elsewhere, Griffins Brook Lane has the impressive copper-topped Serbian Orthodox Church of St Lazar while the nearby Hay Green Methodist Church is altogether more understated.

- Rowheath Pavilion -

Heath Road is the location for the Rowheath Pavilion, a sports and community facility that originally opened in 1924 to meet the leisure needs of Cadburys workers. Now operated by Trinity Christian Centre, the pavilion continues to be a popular attraction with the playing fields well used on today's evidence. Selly Oak Road then takes me past Kings Norton Girls School which appears to be undergoing major building work to create a new Sixth Form block.

- Kings Norton Green -

A brief Cotteridge collision allows for snaps of the 1930s fire station before I seek refreshment in the Camp, a Greene King boozer that's very handy for the railway station. No cask ale on this showing so Carling will suffice, cooling me down as I taunt Mr D9 with my whereabouts. The walk resumes with a nod to the Triplex Sports Club on Eckersall Road - Cadbury Athletic play here in the Midland League - as I home in on Kings Norton Green, used for centuries for meetings, markets and fairs or so the notice says.

- Navigation No More! -

The usual Kings Norton landmarks apply so the Bulls Head, the Saracens Head and St Nicolas Church all take another turn in the spotlight. I am however saddened to see that the Navigation is fenced off - the pub fought a battle against proposed closure a few years ago but now looks doomed, a crying shame as it is undoubtedly a heritage asset to the area.

- Kings Norton Junction -

The bad news continues when I rejoin the Worcester & Birmingham Canal only to discover that the historic toll house at the junction with the Stratford Canal is likewise under threat, in this case after suffering significant fire damage in February. Bridge 72 demands its customary photograph and I close off by nipping across the playing fields, glimpsing the Bournville Warriors junior changing rooms en route back to Kings Norton railway station. A productive walk along memory lane I'd venture!