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Bournville

Coordinates:52°25′48″N1°56′08″W/ 52.4299°N 1.9355°W/52.4299; -1.9355
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Bournville
The shops around The Green
Bournville is located in West Midlands county
Bournville
Bournville
Location within theWest Midlands
Population25,938 (2011.ward)[1]
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBIRMINGHAM
Postcode districtB30
Dialling code0121
PoliceWest Midlands
FireWest Midlands
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
West Midlands
52°25′48″N1°56′08″W/ 52.4299°N 1.9355°W/52.4299; -1.9355

Bournville(/ˈbɔːrnvɪl/) is amodel villageon the southwest side ofBirmingham,England, founded by theQuakerCadbury familyfor employees at itsCadbury'sfactory,[2]and designed to be a "garden"(or"model") village[3]where the sale of alcohol was forbidden.[4]Cadbury's is well known for chocolate products – including a dark chocolate bar brandedBournville.Historically in northernWorcestershire,it is also awardwithin thecouncil constituencyofSelly Oakand home to theBournville Centre for Visual Artsand theCadbury'schocolate factory. Bournville is known as one of the most desirable areas to live in theUK;research by theJoseph Rowntree Foundationin 2003 found that it was "one of the nicest places to live in Britain".[5]

History

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See also:History of WorcestershireandHistory of Birmingham
The packing room at Bournville, circa 1903

Originally the area that was to become Bournville consisted of a few scattered farmsteads and cottages, linked by winding country lanes, with the only visual highlight being Bournbrook Hall, which was built during theGeorgianera.

Thebluebell gladesof Stock Wood were said to be a relic of theForest of Ardenand there areRomanremains nearby.[citation needed]

ThoughSelly ManorandMinworth Greavesdate back to the 14th century or earlier, they were each moved to Bournville in the 20th century, and are operated as a museum.[6]

Cadbury

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Having taken over their fatherJohn Cadbury's expanding business in 1861, theQuakersGeorgeandRichard Cadburyneeded to move theircocoaand chocolate factory from Bridge Street in central Birmingham to a greenfield site to allow for expansion.

Cadbury were reliant on thecanalsfor milk delivery, and on the railways for cocoa deliveries from the ports of London and Southampton. They therefore needed a site which was undeveloped and had easy access to both canal and rail. The brothers noticed the proposed development of theBirmingham West Suburban Railway,which would extend from central Birmingham south along the path of theWorcester and Birmingham Canalinto the then green fields of southern Birmingham and the villages of northernWorcestershire.

In 1879, they moved their business to Bournbrook Hall, 4 miles (6.4 km) to the south of Birmingham. The location was chosen as it was regarded as cleaner, healthier and more amenable to longer-term expansion plans. Although rural, it was also already serviced by the newStirchley Streetrailway station, which itself was located right next to the canal.

The Cadburys named the area 'Bournville' after a local river named The Bourn (not to be confused with Bourn Brook, a similarly named local river for which the neighbourhood ofBournbrookis named); with 'ville' being French for 'town'; this set Bournville apart from the local area. Then the Cadburys began to develop their factory in the new suburb. Loyal and hard-working workers were treated with great respect and relatively high wages and good working conditions; Cadbury also pioneered pension schemes, joint works committees and a full staff medical service.

In 1893, George Cadbury bought 120 acres (0.5 km2) of land close to the works and planned, at his own expense, amodel villagewhich would "alleviate the evils of modern, more cramped living conditions". By 1900, the estate included 313 cottages and houses set on 330 acres (1.3 km2) of land, and many more similar properties were built in the years leading up to theFirst World War,with smaller developments taking place later on in the 20th century. These almost 'Arts and Crafts' houses were traditional in design but with large gardens and modern interiors, and were designed by the resident architectWilliam Alexander Harvey.These designs became a blueprint for many other model village estates around Britain. It is also noteworthy that, because George Cadbury was a temperanceQuaker,nopublic houseshave ever been built in Bournville;[7]however, since the late 1940s, there has been a licensed members' bar at Rowheath Pavilion.

Rowheath lake with pavilion in the background

The Cadburys were particularly concerned with the health and fitness of their British workforce, incorporating park and recreation areas into the Bournville village plans and encouraging swimming,walkingand indeed all forms of outdoor sports.[8]In the early 1920s, extensive open lands were purchased at Rowheath and laid tofootballandhockeypitches together with a grassed running track. Rowheath Pavilion was designed and built in accordance with the instructions of George Cadbury and opened in July 1924. At that time, it served as the clubhouse and changing rooms for the acres of sports playing fields, several bowling greens, a fishing lake and an outdoor swimming lido, a natural mineral spring forming the source for thelido's healthy waters. The Rowheath Pavilion itself, which still exists, was used for balls and dinners and the whole area was specifically for the benefit of the Cadbury workers and their families with no charges for the use of any of the sporting facilities by Cadbury employees or their families. The lido was eventually closed in the 1970s after complaints of noise disturbance were made by residents of the newly built Oak Farm estate, coupled with new and stringent health and safety regulations relating to outdoor public swimming facilities. Cadbury's also built the Bournville indoor swimming baths on Bournville Lane (separate buildings for 'girls' and men), the Valley pool boating lake and the picturesque cricket pitch adjacent to the factory site, that was made famous as the picture on boxes of Milk Tray chocolates throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.

Bournville Rest House was built to celebrate the Silver Wedding Anniversary of George and Elizabeth Cadbury, and was paid for by the employees of Cadbury Brothers Ltd. The design is byWilliam Alexander Harvey,who was architect of many of the buildings on the estate and is based on the 17th century Yarn Market inDunster,Somerset. Currently, the building houses the Visitors Centre for theCarillon.

In 1900, theBournville Village Trustwas set up to formally control the development of the estate, independently of George Cadbury or the Cadbury company. Elizabeth Cadbury succeeded her husband as chair of theBournville Village Trustin 1922.[9]The trust focused on providing schools, hospitals, museums, public baths and reading rooms. As Bournville is a conservation area, another job of the Bournville Village Trust is to accept or reject plans for building extension and modification.

An almost campus feel evolved, with a triangular village green, infant and junior schools, theSchool of Artand the Day Continuation School (originally intended for young Cadbury employees) and a host of events such as fêtes andMaypoledances. Thecarillonand aQuakermeeting house are also beside the village green.

The trust continues to exercise an international influence on housing and town planning generally. Now containing 7,800 homes on 1,000 acres (4 km2) of land with 100 acres (0.4 km2) of parks and open spaces, Bournville remains a popular residential area of Birmingham.

Cadburyis still one of Birmingham's main employers, and continues to make chocolate products.

The dark chocolate Bournville Plain is now manufactured in France and sold in the UK.

Cadbury also named their brand of malted drinks Bournvita after Bournville.

Cadbury Worldis now established here.

Governance

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The ward (Bournville & Cotteridge) is served by two councillors, Liz Clements (Labour) and Fred Grindrod (Labour). It is within the boundary of theBirmingham Selly Oakparliamentary constituency. The current Member of Parliament isAlistair Carns.

Bournville has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Karen Stevens.

Demography

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The2011 UK Censusfound that 21,866 people were living in Bournville with a population density of 4,217 people per km2compared with 3,649 people per km2for the city of Birmingham as a whole. Bournville had an area of 639.8 hectares, and within this, it has a population density of 39.8 people per hectare. 52.9% of the population was identified as female, above the city average of 51.6%. A number of students fromThe University of Birminghamlive there, although not as many as in the nearby wards ofSelly OakandEdgbaston.

Bournville has a White broad ethnic group representation of 70.9% of the population. The Asian broad ethnic group was the second largest at 15.4%. More specifically, the White British group is the largest ethnic group at 64.1%, well above the city average of 48.5% and below the national average of 85.4%. Ethnic minorities represent a much lower percentage (29.1%) of the ward's population as opposed to 59.6% for Birmingham. 28.7% of the ward's population was born outside the United Kingdom, below the city average of 16.5% and the national average of 9.3%.[Figures disagree]Christianity was the most prominent religion in the ward, with 70.6% of the population identifying themselves as Christians. 16.6% of the population identified as having no religion.

98.3% of the residents lived in households, equal to the city average and 0.1% higher than the national average. The other 1.7% lived in communal establishments. The total number of occupied households was 11,032, resulting in an average number of people per household of 2.3. This is below the city average of 2.5 and national average of 2.4. 62.5% of the occupied households were occupied by the owner and a further 15.4% were rented from a housing association. Terraced houses were the most common form of houses at 38.9%, followed by semi-detached houses at 32.9%.

The largest age group in the ward was the 25–44 age group which was represented by 30.1% of the population, above the city average of 28.3%. The second largest age group was the 45–54 years, which was represented by 17.9% of the population. 18.6% of the population was of state pension age, above the city average of 16.7% and the national average of 18.4%. 60.7% of the population was of working age, above the city average of 59.8% but below the national average of 61.5%. 68.4% of the population was economically active. The unemployment rate was 6.2%, of whom 36.7% were in long-term unemployment. The city unemployment rate is higher at 9.5%. Of those who worked, 18.2% worked in the Finance, Real Estate, & Business Activities sector. A further 16.7% worked in the Health sector. The largest employer in the area isMondelez International,employing approximately 6,500 people.SercoIntegrated Services is the second-largest employer in Bournville, employing approximately 1,800 people.[10]

Although Bournville is most famous for its turn-of-the-20th century Cadbury style homes, a significant amount of more modern stock also exists in the area – not all of which was built by Cadbury's. The local authority built several homes around Bournville before and after theSecond World War.Bryant Homesbuilt a collection of upmarket and mostly detached houses in the west of Bournville during the 1970s.

Education

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Elizabeth Cadbury focused on education and youth work at Bournville.[9]Primary schools in the area includeBournville Junior School,Bournville Infant SchoolandSt Francis Primary School.St Francis has 243 children on roll and was opened in 1979 and the 26 place nursery was officially opened by Professor Tim Brighouse in November 1998.[11]

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Schoolis a secondary school and sixth form in Bournville named after Dame Elizabeth Cadbury. Opened in 1955 located on Woodbrooke Road. The school badge shows the Bourne brook flanked by a tree each side.

Bournville Schoolis a secondary school in the Birmingham Local Education Authority area. It is asecondary schooland primary school withacademy status,for students aged 4–16,Birminghamin the United Kingdom. Bournville is served byBournville College of Further Education,which features asixth form collegeand higher education programmes.[12]The college relocated to a new campus inLongbridgein September 2011 at a cost of £66 million kick-starting wider regeneration of the area after the collapse of carmakerMG Roverin 2005.[13]

TheBournville Centre for Visual Arts,located at Ruskin Hall on Linden Road, has been part of theBirmingham Institute of Art and Design(BIAD) atBirmingham City Universitysince 1988. It offers undergraduate, foundation and self-development courses.

Transport

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Bournville lies on theA4040,the ring road developed in the 1920s and served by the 11A and 11CBirmingham Outer Circlebus routes. The 27 (HawkesleytoMaypole) and 84 (Hawkesley toQueen Elizabeth Hospital) bus services also serve the area.

Road access into Birmingham City Centre is via either the Bristol Road (A38), served by the X61 (Birmingham toFrankley), 63 (Birmingham toFrankley), 98 (Birmingham toRuberyGreat Park) and 144 (Birmingham toWorcester) bus routes, or the Pershore Road (A441), served by the 45 and 47 (Birmingham toLongbridge) buses. Trams ran on these routes until 1952.

Bournville is served byBournville railway stationon theCross-City LinetoBirmingham New Street,LichfieldandRedditch.While other suburban Birmingham railway stations feature the black and green corporate livery ofNetwork West Midlands,Bournville railway station is instead painted inCadbury'spurple.

TheNational Cycle Networkroute five passes near Bournville (map) towardsHurst Streetin the City Centre. TheWorcester and Birmingham Canaltowpathcan be joined at the railway station and serves as a de facto cycle route toBrindleyplace.

Religion

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St Francis of Assisi's Churchof theChurch of England

Christian churches in Bournville includeSt Francis of Assisi Churchwhich is also theChurch of Englandparish church. The ward is also served by a joint Church of England andMethodistventure in the church dedicated toSaint Andrew[14]and Oak Tree Church,[15]meeting at Dame Elizabeth Hall. Rowheath Pavilion Church[16]meets in Rowheath Pavilion. In addition to a site inMoseley,Riverside Church[17]also meets in Bournville, atDame Elizabeth Cadbury School.

There is a purpose-builtSerbian Orthodox Churchof St. Lazar, known by its members asLazarica,formally the Church of theHoly Prince Lazarand is to be found in Cob Lane. The church is built in the traditionalByzantinestyle of theBalkansand is consciously modelled on some famous examples. The interior is decorated in the full scheme of theOrthodox Traditionwith wall-paintings afresco. The parish is part of theSerbian Orthodox Eparchy of Britain and Scandinavia,which comes under the jurisdiction of theSerbian Orthodox Church.

As Bournville was founded byQuakers,a meeting house was built. Being intended also to serve other Christian denominations, it was equipped with an organ, which would not normally be expected in a Quaker meeting house in Britain. The Bournville Friends Meeting House is located on Linden Road, and features a bust of George Cadbury byFrancis Wood,installed in 1924.[18]The building, designed byWilliam Alexander Harvey,was constructed in 1905.[19]As a part of this Quaker tradition, Bournville is adry townwith no alcohol permitted to be sold within the historic estate boundaries.[20]

Notable people

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Other model villages

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SeeWikipedia's listing of model villages.

References

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  1. ^"Birmingham Ward population 2011".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved14 December2015.
  2. ^"The Bournville Story".bvt.org.
  3. ^"About Bournville".cadbury.co.uk.
  4. ^Dean Kirby (2 October 2015)."Bournville: Trying to get a drink in the village where alcohol has been banned for 120 years".independent.co.uk.
  5. ^Is this the nicest place to live in Britain?,BBC News, 9 July 2003
  6. ^"Selly Manor Museum".Bournville Village Trust.Retrieved4 September2013.
  7. ^March, James (7 February 2024)."'It's basically a Ladybird book': Inside Bournville, Cadbury's peculiar tee-total Victorian village ".The Telegraph.Retrieved7 May2024.
  8. ^Tolman, W. H. (July 1901)."A" Trust "For Social Betterment".The World's Work.II(3). New York, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co.: 924–928.Retrieved29 April2012.
  9. ^abDelamont, Sara (23 September 2004)."Cadbury [née Taylor], Dame Elizabeth Mary".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45784.ISBN978-0-19-861412-8.Retrieved28 April2022.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  10. ^"Handsworth Wood Ward is situated to the north west of Birmingham and covers the majority of the old Sandwell ward plus a small"(PDF).Retrieved18 October2009.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^"St Francis School: Background".Web.sfps.bham.sch.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2009.Retrieved18 October2009.
  12. ^"Bournville College: About".Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2007.
  13. ^"The College | Bournville College".Archived fromthe originalon 26 March 2014.Retrieved5 April2014.
  14. ^"Index.HTML".Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2015.Retrieved8 April2012.
  15. ^"Oak Tree Church, Bournville".Archived fromthe originalon 20 December 2014.Retrieved29 September2014.
  16. ^"Rowheath Pavilion Church: Homepage".pavilionchurch.org.uk.Retrieved6 March2018.
  17. ^"Riverside Church, Birmingham: Bournville".riverside-church.org.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2017.Retrieved27 February2017.
  18. ^George Thomas Noszlopy (1998).Public Sculpture of Birmingham: Including Sutton Coldfield.Liverpool University Press.ISBN0-85323-692-5.
  19. ^Douglas Hickman (1970).Birmingham.Studio Vista Books.
  20. ^Brown, Graeme (2 October 2015)."Bournville trustees: Alcohol ban still remains".Business Live.
  21. ^"Acting is like a drug, something Felicity Jones can't live without".Birmingham Post.21 February 2014.

Further reading

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