Erdington

"Queensbury special school" redirects here. Not to be confused withQueensbury school.

Not to be confused withEardington.

Erdington
St Barnabas' Church, Erdington
Erdington Location within theWest Midlands
Population	22,828 (2011Ward)
•Density	4,910 per km²
OS grid reference	SP111919
Metropolitan borough	Birmingham
Shire county	Warwickshire
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BIRMINGHAM
Postcode district	B23, B24
Dialling code	0121
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Birmingham Erdington

Erdingtonis a suburb and ward of Birmingham in theWest Midlands County,England.Historicallypart ofWarwickshire,it is located 5 miles (8 km) northeast of centralBirmingham,borderingSutton Coldfield.It was also acouncil constituency,managed by its owndistrict committee.The former council district consisted of thewardof Erdington as well asTyburn(formerly Kingsbury),Stockland GreenandKingstanding,although all of Kingstanding and most of both Tyburn and Stockland Green wards lie outside the historical boundaries of Erdington. Stockland Green was formerly part ofAston,Kingstanding part ofPerry Barr,and Tyburn (Tyburn Road South & Birches Green) partially split between Aston andHodge Hill(Castle Vale). Erdington (ward) was part of theSutton Coldfieldconstituency before 1974.

History

Erdington Manor

Erdington had its ownmanor house,Erdington Hall, which was protected on three sides by a double moat and on the fourth by the River Tame. It had developed from a small fortified homestead constructed by an Anglo-Saxon namedEardwulfin the area ofBromford.Demolished in the 17th century, it stood on a hill at the junction of what is now Wheelwright Road and Tyburn Road. The double moat was drained in the 18th century bySir Charles Holte.Until 1912 another building stood, but this was demolished for the construction of the Tyburn Road, though a small section remained untilWorld War I.

Other moated properties included one at Fern Road, one at the junction of Moor End Lane and Berkswell Road, and another that surrounded a large farm called Pipe Orchard, the site of which can be seen in the Erdington Grammar School playing fields.

Middle Ages

Erdington developed as a village as a result of settlers travelling up the course of the River Tame fromTamworthin the 9th century. The settlements ofMinworthandCurdworthwere also established. It is believed that the Roman track 'Ridgeway', nowChester Road,was another route for settlers, since the early nucleus of the village which was a very short distance from the path.

At the time of theNorman conquesttheEarls of Merciahad possession of the village:Edwin,grandson ofLady Godiva,owned the property. He tried to resist the Normans' attempts to gain possession of Erdington, but he was executed in 1071. The earldom then passed toWilliam Iwho placed the manor and village in the possession ofWilliam Fitz-Ansculf,a powerful Norman baron who lived atDudley Castle.He then gave the manor to Peter de Erdington.

Erdington was mentioned in theDomesday Bookunder the name Hardintone and was under the possession of Peter. It had arable land for six ploughs, a mill and 5 acres (2.0 ha) of meadows and woodland. It was valued at 30 shillings and was one mile (1.6 km) in length and half a mile in breadth.

As Erdington was near Sutton Forest, the Normans imposed strict laws on the village forbidding the hunting of wild animals and the keeping of sheep. Tenants were permitted an allowance of timber from the forest, but with limitations to protect royal game. Erdington remained within the precincts of Sutton Forest until 1126, whenHenry Iexchanged the Manor of Sutton, with forest, for two manors inRutlandbelonging to Roger,Earl of Warwick.The forest became achaseand the woodland laws were relaxed.

The mill mentioned in the Domesday Book was located in Bromford, close to the manor house at a loop in the river, where a straight channel was cut to facilitate the milling of corn. The mill was owned by the lord of the manor and the tenants were obliged to grind their corn there. Erdington was connected to Bromford via Bromford Lane, which still exists today in the middle of a 1960scouncil estate.

In the 15th century, a chapel was built at the side of the manor house for the residents of Erdington. However, attendance was low and the chapel fell into decay. The residents were then urged to travel to the parish church in Aston; however, again the attendance was low. A south aisle was therefore added to the church and became known as the Erdington chantry.

TheBlack plagueaffected Erdington severely as indicated in the 14th century local records. Henry de Pipe, owner of the Manor of Pipe (nowPype Hayes Hall), lost his wife and all but one child. His second wife, Maud, was the daughter of George de Castello of Castle Bromwich. However he soon discovered that she was pregnant with a child of another man, and he then died.

Tudor period

Around the 1500s the Gravelly Hill area began to become mentioned in documents.John Lelanddescribed the area as "by sandy ground, better wooded than fertile of wheat... the soil is sandy and good for conyes." Thus there were many rabbits (conyes) and it is known that it remained as a rabbit warren for a while, as it was deemed unsuitable for cultivation. At the foot of Gravelly Hill was the River Tame, which was spanned bySalford Bridge.Salford Bridge was first mentioned as Shrafford Brugge during the reign ofHenry III.It was originally afootbridge;however in 1810 it was improved to allow the crossing of vehicles. The word Shrafford was of Saxon origin, meaning "the ford by the caves". These caves were cavities in the nearby Copeleyescarpment.The caves were artificially enlarged, and survivedWorld War II.During the war, they were used as air raid shelters. After the war they were completely destroyed for the construction of theGravelly Hill Interchange.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, new families lived at Erdington Hall. The Dymocks moved in: they were a prominent family, including several knights. However their strict manorial laws made them unpopular amongst the residents of Erdington.

English Civil War

As theEnglish Civil Warerupted, Erdington was expanding rapidly through the purchase of land for agricultural purposes. In 1643, Birmingham was plundered by theRoyalists.After his victory in Birmingham, Prince Rupert passed through Erdington and Sutton Coldfield with his troops on their way toLichfield.

18th and 19th centuries

Rookery House

In 1759, aturnpikeact was passed for the Chester Road and another act was passed in 1807 for a road that passed through Erdington village from Birmingham. This resulted in Erdington being a stop-off location for stage coaches which passed along the Chester Road toChesterfrom London. In 1783, theBirmingham-Fazeley Canalwas completed. It passed along the southern boundary of Erdington at Tyburn. Planning requests included that the canal should not pass within 500 metres ofPype Hayes Hall.

By the mid-1700s, Erdington had a population of under 700 and within its boundaries were 52 roads, one forge, 40 farms, 96 cottages, two smithies and a shop. By 1832, it had a population of 2,000.

Erdington has had historic ties with bothCastle BromwichandWater Ortonthrough administration, governance and land ownership whilst being part of Aston Parish. In 1894 Erdington broke from Aston to become anurban district.Administrative offices were established atRookery Houseon Kingsbury Road, which now forms part of Rookery Park.In 1911, the urban district council of Erdington and that of Aston Manor were absorbed into the growing city of Birmingham.

Erdington shopping centre formed the core of the area with most of the older housing being located close to it. The railway alongside also attracted the development of manyVictorianandEdwardianhouses.

Highcroft Hospital

Highcroft Hospital was a formerPoor Lawinstitution, and then apsychiatric hospital.There was asocial stigmato being treated there. Other large psychiatric institutions in Birmingham have been broken up.Some of the old Highcroft Hospital grounds have been used for new housing. The main hospital building has been renovated into luxury apartments and has been named Highcroft Hall. Highcroft Hall was built between 1869 and 1871 byVictorianarchitectYeoville Thomason.

The building, sanctioned by thePoor Law Board,was originally a workhouse providing housing to paupers, idiots, tramps, seniles, lunatics and imbeciles (terms used at the time with distinctive definitions).

The building was originally named the Aston Union Workhouse, but was renamed over the years asErdington House(1912 – following the City boundary changes), and thenHighcroft Hall Hospital(1942); and was more commonly referred to in later years as justHighcroft Hospital.

Over the years, the hospital has generally provided care for the mentally ill. In 1994, the hospital became part of the Northern Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust. During the following two years, the facilities in the old buildings were gradually rehoused in more modern units nearby and in 1996, the main building was declared closed. The main house was derelict for the next eight years, before being refurbished by property developers between 2004 and 2006.

Lyndhurst estate

On the Sutton Road, a number of houses were demolished in 1957 for the construction of the Lyndhurst Estate. Number 44 was retained as it was an old building considered to be of interest. The demolished houses were detached post-1840 Victorian villas.Constructed on the site were sixtower blocksand numerous low risemaisonettes.The tallest of these, Harlech Tower, was 16 storeys and at the time it was the tallest tower block in Birmingham, though many taller blocks were later built. In 1961, the estate won the Civic Award for Housing for the retention of the original trees from the villas and the architectural qualities of the tower blocks which included an exposed concrete frame, a sweeping staircase and a false upper storey to hide the laundry facilities on the roof.

The Lyndhurst estate has since been redeveloped. The low rise maisonettes were demolished along with Harlech and Burcombe Towers. Modern residential properties were built on the site and the remaining tower blocks refurbished.

Pitts Farm estate

Pitts Farm estate is offChester Rdin some places borderingPype Hayes Park.There are plans to develop and improve the area.

Etymology

Though referred to asHardintonein the Domesday Book, it is widely accepted that the name comes from a reference to a fortified homestead established byEardwulfinAnglo Saxon times,with 'ton' or 'tun' being an Anglo-Saxon suffix for a settlement of that period. This homestead developed into a large house in the area ofBromfordand became Erdington Hall.

However the name "Yenton"also applies to the possible corruption of"Yerdington",an enclosure, which could apply to a moated homestead.

Features

Erdington's history is documented well through its buildings. One of the most well-known features in the area isSpaghetti Junction,situated on the southern edge of the district and on the border ofAstonandGravelly Hill.As well as being a road interchange, two railway lines, three canals, and two rivers also converge on that location. Britain's longest bridge,Bromford Viaductstarts here, carrying theM6to Junction 5,Castle Bromwich.It has long been a historic crossing point in Birmingham, with the incorporation ofSalford Bridge,which was first mentioned in a deed in 1490, although a bridge is believed to have been at this location since 1290.

Fort Dunlop

Nearby isFort Dunlop,former home ofDunlop Rubber,a relic of Erdington's industrial past. At its peak, it employed 10,000 people but its industrial usage has declined since, with Dunlop maintaining only a small presence in the area. The factory closed in September 2014.

The main building was redeveloped from 2005 to 2006 into office and retail space byUrban Splash.The area surrounding Fort Dunlop is used by logistics companies and also features showrooms operated by several car manufacturers, including Birmingham's onlyLamborghinidealership.

Shopping

Fort Dunlop lends its name to the nearby The Fort Shopping Park, constructed on reclaimed land by theBirmingham Heartlands Development Corporationin 1996.

The Parish Church, following the fire

Erdington has a distinct concentration of retail space, known as Erdington town centre or Erdington village, the main focus of which is Erdington High Street. There is also amarketlocated on Barnabas Road and another market, Wilton Market, between Sutton New Road and the High Street, next to Wilton Market is Swannies which is intermediate between a market and a shopping centre. Opposite Wilton Market and Swannies on the High Street is aCooperative Storewhich has been there since at least the 1950s and is the largest Supermarket in the town centre. Erdington town centre is now aBusiness Improvement District.

Other features in central Erdington

Erdington Library

Also on the High Street isErdington Parish Church,and nearby on Sutton Road isThe Abbey Church.The original Abbey building forms part of the neighbouring Highclare School. The Parish Church was severely damaged by fire on the morning of 4 October 2007.It has now been extensively repaired and modernised. Also nearby, on Mason Road, is Erdington Swimming Baths which were constructed by theBirmingham Baths Committee,this was a complex includingSaunasand a fitness centre as well as a swimming pool, but has now been replaced by a new leisure Centre and Baths on Orphanage Road nearby. Erdington Library, Opened in 1907 as aCarnegie library,is a public library operated byBirmingham City Council.It is the meeting place of the Erdington Historical Society on the second Monday of every month.

Other features in Erdington

Schools

Josiah Mason Campus, a campus formingBirmingham Metropolitan College,was formerly afurther educationcollege by the name of Josiah Mason College that merged withSutton Coldfield Collegein 2006. Before the site was taken over by Josiah Mason, there were two grammar schools and a further secondary school. The two grammar schools wereMarsh Hill Boys SchoolandMarsh Hill Girls Schools(the schools were formally known as Grammar Technical Schools); the third school on the site was Stockland Green Bilateral School.

Other secondary schools in Erdington were: Erdington Girls Grammar School, Jaffray School, Moor End School and St Edmond Campion School which were "fed" by children leaving Primary Schools at Erdington Hall and others(list needs completing).

Community Facilities

To the north of Erdington, within the area ofPype Hayeson the border withWalmley,isPype Hayes ParkandPype Hayes Hall,the former home ofthe Bagot family.A smaller park in the area is Sorrel Park.

TheOld Green Manon Bromford Lane (now known as theLad in the Lane) is one of the oldestpublic housesin Birmingham. Another, is the 'Charlie Hall', inWard End.It's named after the Birmingham character actor who starred in manyLaurel and Hardyfilms.

In 2017, a brand new sports facility opened to the public. It cost £7.5 million and provided the people of Erdington with a 25-metre swimming pool, a teaching pool, a 70-station gym and a community room/studio space. Fitness classes, children holiday activity area and birthday parties are also hosted there.

Hospitals

Erdington is served by theGood Hope Hospitalin neighbouringSutton Coldfield.Erdington is also served by the BirminghamHospiceand by Northcroft Hospital built on the edge of the site of the former Highcroft Hospital.

Geography

Erdington itself borders the traditionally working class areas ofAston,Perry BarrandHodge Hillas well asKingstanding,Tyburn, andStockland Greenand the affluent, spacious districts ofSutton Coldfield,Minworth,Castle BromwichandWater Orton(North Warwickshire). The area is also close to bothLichfieldandTamworthin Staffordshire. It is located approximately four miles (6 kilometres) north east of Birmingham City Centre.

The borders of Erdington are:

• Boldmere via the Chester Road
• Stockland Green which borders with Witton at the end of Marsh Hill (with Wyrley Birch part of Kingstanding (ward))
• The Yenton and Chester Road form the border from Wylde Green
• Following Chester Road down all the way to the Tyburn HousePublic Housewould end the Erdington constituency asCastle Vale(formerlyCastle Bromwichand the Aerodrome) is further down
• New OscottpastOscott College
• Walmley(Eachelhurst Road)
• Moving back would be the Tyburn road which intersects Kingsbury Road and leads right back to Spaghetti junction on the border of Aston & Gravelly Hill.
• Birches Green and Tyburn Road.
• MinworthandCurdworthat the North Eastern end of Kingsbury Road heading towards Kingsbury Village and the Warwickshire border.

Erdington also includesPype Hayes.This was formerly a working class area ofCouncil housesbuilt betweenWorld War IandWorld War II.These houses had to be demolished due to problems with the concrete used in their construction. Pype Hayes is now an area with modern houses, some areowner occupied,others belong toHousing associations.One tower block, Sorrel House, was retained and refurbished.

Brookvale Park Lakeand surrounding land is a park that was formally a drinking water reservoir until the steadily encroaching city made the water unfit for human consumption. It was briefly converted into an outdoor pool until that was also abandoned after health and safety concerns.

Two tornadoes touched down inBirminghamon 23 November 1981 as part of the record-breakingnationwide tornado outbreakon that day. The first tornado, rated as an F1/T2 tornado, touched down in Erdington at about 14:00 local time, causing some damage across the northern suburbs of Birmingham.

Demographics

At the time of the2001 Population Censusthere were 22,626 people living in Erdington. The area where Chester Road crosses Birmingham Road and Sutton Road is called "The Yenton". The area had a population density of 50.7 people per hectare and the ward covers an area of 446.2 hectares. Erdington had a slightly higher proportion of females, at 52%, to males. This followed the city trend as 51.6% of the population of Birmingham are females. 98.6% of the population of Erdington lived in households whilst the remaining 1.4% lived in communal establishments. This is 0.3% above and 0.3% below the city average, respectively. There were a total of 10,547 households in Erdington, producing an average of 2.2 persons per household. This is below the city average of 2.5 and national average of 2.4. 63.4% of the households are owner occupied, above the city average of 60.4%. The local authority rented out 19.2% of the population. 5.8% of the households were rented fromhousing associationsand 8% were rented privately. 459 of households were vacant, which accounted for 4.4% of the total number of houses in Erdington. The most common housing type was semi-detached properties, whilst purpose built blocks of flats were the second most common.

The age patterns of Erdington are very similar to that of the England. 29.7% of the residents were in the 25–44 age bracket, above the city average of 28.3% and the nationwide average of 29.3%. 19% of residents were of a pensionable age, above the city average of 16.7%. 60% of the population were of a working age (16–65 years of age), above the city average of 59.8% but below the national average of 61.5%.

Some 8.9% of the population were born outside of the country, below the city average of 16.5% and national average of 9.3%. 89% of the population are white, well above the city average of 70.4% and just below the national average of 90.9%. Black ethnic groups were the second largest in Erdington, representing 3.9% of the population. 3.8% were from Asian ethnic groups and 2.8% were from mixed ethnic backgrounds. The remaining 0.5% were from Chinese and other ethnic groups. More specifically, the British White ethnic group represented 81.7% of the population and the Irish White represented 6%. 3.2% of the population were of Black Caribbean descent and 1.8% were of Indian descent.

71% of the population of Erdington stated themselves as Christians, the same figure for the rest of the country although higher than the Birmingham average of 59.1%. 14.9% of the population stated that they were of no religion.Muslimsrepresented 2.2% of the population, below the Birmingham average of 14.3% and the lowest number in the city (together with the Sutton Coldfield wards).

Erdington had an unemployment rate of 8.1%, below the city rate of 9.5% but above the national average of 5%. 65.5% of the population were economically active. Of the economically inactive, 36.2% were retired and 10.7% were students. 33% were long term unemployed and 9.9% had never worked. Of the economically active, 17.5% worked in the Manufacturing sector.The largest employers in the area were the Education Department ofBirmingham City Council,ColliersPeugeotdealers and Cincinnati Machine (UK) Ltd. all of which employed 200 people between them.

Erdington's best known resident wasJosiah Mason,the philanthropist whose bust now stands at the centre of theroundaboutat the junction ofChester RoadandOrphanage Road,which leads on to Berwood Farm Road and Welwyndale Rd, so named because he founded an Orphanage there in 1860.

Transport

The bridge at Erdington, showing the oldLMSlettering.

Erdington railway stationlies on theCross-City Line,which runs northwards toLichfieldand southwards toRedditchviaBirmingham New Street.The line and station opened in 1862.Erdington is also served by the two adjacent stations on the line,Gravelly Hill,which was also opened in 1862,andChester Road,which opened in 1863.

Important roads that access the area includeA38 (Birmingham to Derby road),A5127 (Gravelly Hill)and theA47 Spine Road.TheM6 motorwayforms the southern border of the district, with connections at Junction 6 (Gravelly Hill Interchange). There is a well-established network of bus routes through Erdington with connections to Birmingham city centre and Sutton Coldfield, the majority of which are operated byNational Express West Midlands.

In the southern area of the district is theBirmingham Fazeley Canalwhich helped develop that area as a major employment sector. TheRiver Tameadded to this, and with the introduction of theBirmingham and Derby Junction Railwaythe area became a prominent industrial area.

Politics

Erdington constituency shown within Birmingham.

Erdington has long been represented by theLabour Party.There was much surprise whenConservativeRobert Alden won a seat in Erdington ward de-seating the Labour candidate Susannah McCory in 2006. Again in 2007, McCory lost to the Conservatives, this time to Gareth Compton who replaced the retiring long serving Labour councillor Renee Spector. The other seat in the ward was won, again by the Conservatives, by Bob Beauchamp, an Erdington garage owner.

Since a boundary review implemented in 2018, the area is now covered by wards of Erdington, Pype Hayes, Gravelly Hill, Castle Vale, Stockland Green and Perry Common. The traditional town centre of Erdington is covered largely by the new smaller Erdington ward.

Birmingham Erdingtonis aconstituency,which is currently represented byPaulette Hamiltonof theLabour Party.Noted members of parliament have includedRobin Corbett,Julius SilvermanandJack Dromey.Previously the areas Member of Parliament have includedSutton Coldfieldto form a singular constituency. In addition to Erdington, the constituency includes the former (pre-2018) wards ofKingstanding,Stockland GreenandTyburnall outside the traditional Erdington boundaries.

Culture and sport

It was formerly home to the famous rock music venue,Mothers(previously the Carlton Ballroom), which from 1968 until it closed in 1971 played host to bands such asPink Floyd,Led ZeppelinandThe Who.The resident band were Erdington localsThe Moody Bluesand the DJ wasJohn Peel.The club was located opposite St Barnabas Church on the High Street above a furniture store. Other local Erdington artists includedThe Spencer Davis GroupandBlack Sabbath.

Erdington is home to Erdington United Football Club andErdington RFC,arugby unionclub with a strong focus on its youth development teams.

Erdington has twocricketteams: Highcroft and Great Barr Unity (formed in 2003 by the merger of Highcroft CC and Great Barr CC)and Erdington Court.It also has a Gaelic football and hurling team, Erin Go Braghand a successful non-league football Club,Paget Rangers FC.It is also home to Birmingham'sAmerican Footballteam, theBirmingham Bulls.

Notable people

• Gabriel Agbonlahor,Aston Villa F.C.striker was born near Erdington.
• Ronnie Bird (footballer),(1941–2005), Born and raised in Erdington, Bird was a professional footballer during the 60s and 70s, notably forCardiff City,Bury&Crewe Alexandra.
• Havergal Brian,the composer lived in Edwards Road in the early part of the 20th century.
• Ryan Cartwright,an actor who plays the character of Gary Bell in theSyFyscience fiction dramaAlphas.
• Paul Devlin (footballer)(born 1972), born and raised in Erdington. Played forBirmingham City,Sheffield United,Notts CountyandWatford.
• Leon Edwards,professionalmixed martial artist,currentUFCWelterweight Champion.
• Ann George,(1903–1989) actress, known for Crossroads: Kings Oak (1964), Crossroads: A Celebration (1971) andAll Star Comedy Carnival(1972).
• Topsy Jane,(1938–2014), actress. She was best known for her roles in the filmsThe Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)(1962),Mix Me a Person(1962) andThe Wind of Change,(1961). www.imdb.com/name/nm0417429/
• Victor Johnson,(1883–1951) was a track cycling racer who, in 1908, won a gold medal at the Olympics; became 'World Amateur Sprint Champion' in Germany and the 'British National Quarter-mile Champion'.
• Mike Kenning(footballer), played forNorwich City,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Charlton Athletic&Watfordamongst others. Kenning played 412 professional games scoring 88 goals.
• John Lodge (musician)andMike Pinder,founder members of the Moody Blues, were born and raised in Erdington.
• Jeff Lynne,singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who co-founded the rock bandElectric Light Orchestra(ELO), was born in Pype Hayes, Erdington.
• Garfield Morgan,(1931–2009) actor. Living in Erdington he began acting with a local youth club drama group. He subsequently made hundreds of appearances in many shows but is best remembered for playing Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins in the crime seriesThe Sweeney.
• John Oliver,the host ofLast Week Tonight with John OliveronHBO,was born in Erdington
• Gertrude Page,(1872–1922), writer, known for the novelsPaddy the Next Best Thing(1923),Edge o' Beyond(1919) andLove in the Wilderness(1920).
• Terence Rigby,(1937–2008), late RADA trained actor with a number of film and television credits to his name. In the 1970s he was well known as police dog-handler PC Snow in the long-running seriesSoftly, Softly: Taskforce.
• Martin Shaw,actor, best known for his roles in the television seriesThe Professionals,The Chief,Doctor in the House,Judge John DeedandInspector George Gently.
• Murray Walker,motorsport commentator lived on Holly Lane whilst on a Dunlop scholarship at Fort Dunlop
• Muff Winwood,musician withThe Spencer Davis Group,brother of Steve.

References

• The History of ErdingtonArchived4 June 2011 at theWayback Machine
• Erdington Historical SocietyArchived9 March 2010 at theWayback Machine

Further reading

• Douglas V. Jones (1985).The Story of Erdington.BIGinINK Ltd.ISBN0-948025-05-0.
• Green, Mike (1991).Erdington, Birmingham.Stylus Pubns.ISBN1-85620-162-7.

External links

• grid referenceSP109918
• Erdington Online
• Birmingham City Council: Erdington Constituency

• Birmingham City Council: Erdington Ward
• Erdington Community Network
• Erdington Taxi NumbersArchived6 August 2016 at theWayback Machine
• Erdington library
• "Photographs of Erdington".Archived fromthe originalon 5 May 2008.
• Profile: Erdington