Harborne Totally Explained

Everything about Harborne totally explained

Harborne is an area three miles southwest from Birmingham city centre, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward in the formal district and in the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Edgbaston.

Geography

As a parish, it covered an area of 3,300 acres, 100 acres of which was of woodland and plantations.

History

There is evidence of a Roman fort at Metchley Park, near Harborne.
   The earliest written mention of Harborne is an entry in the Domesday Book of 1086, however the settlement pre-dates this.
   The spelling of Harborne has appeared with several variations through the centuries, and the derivation of the place name has often been disputed. One of the more probable suggestions is 'boundary brook', although 'high brow' and 'dirty brook' are also possibilities.
   Harborne became part of the county borough of Birmingham and thus transferred from Staffordshire to Warwickshire in 1891 by the Local Govt. Bd.'s Prov. Orders Conf. (No. 13) Act, 54 & 55 Vic. c. 161 (local act). Then became part of the West Midlands in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. Harborne railway station, at the end of the short Harborne Branch Line off the LMS Birmingham-Wolverhampton line at Ladywood, opened in 1874 and closed in 1963.
   Many residents of the area are academics from the nearby University of Birmingham, as well as medical staff from nearby hospitals.

Demographics

The 2001 census revealed that 21,070 lived in Harborne and that 16.5% of people were aged under 16, 62.5% were aged between 16 and 59, while 21.0% were aged over 60. The minority ethnic population made up 22.0% (4,701) of the ward’s population, compared with 29.6% for Birmingham. 61.3% of households were owner occupied and 17.6% were rented from either the local authority, housing association or other registered social landlord. The remaining 21.1% of households rented privately or lived rent free. The census found that 66.0% (10,390) of the population aged 16 to 74 were working or seeking work, this compared with 60.4% for Birmingham.

Famous residents

Harborne's most notable resident was W. H. Auden - the present day swimming baths stand on the site of his former house. Other famous residents include landscape painter David Cox, the composer Granville Bantock and Thomas Attwood who became the first MP from Birmingham. Edward Augustus Freeman was born in Metchley Abbey in 1823 and was a noted historian appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford. The Nobel Prize-winning chemist and physicist Francis William Aston was born in Harborne in 1877. The Arts and Crafts jeweller-silversmith George Edward Hunt resided in Harborne from about 1900 until his death in 1960. The former England cricketer Dennis Amiss was born in Harborne. In the mid/late 1990s Ocean Colour Scene lived just down the road from the High Street.

Places of interest

In 1898, Queens Park was bought by the local populous to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. In Metchley Park are the remains of Metchley Fort, a Roman fort with Scheduled Ancient Monument status.
St Peter's Church is located on a site that's believed to have had a church on since Saxon times. The tower dates from the 14th century, and the current body of the church is from Victorian era. Inside the church are the remains of the iron work on the grave of A F Hill 1883 who made the gates of the Houses of Parliament.
Harborne Hall was built at the end of the 18th century by Thomas Green for his daughter Elizabeth. He was Lord of the Manor of Harborne and lived in Harborne House (Bishop's Croft). It is now used as a training center for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).

Politics

Harborne ward forms part of the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency at Westminster, currently represented by Labour's Gisela Stuart. However, at local government level, the Harborne ward is represented by three councillors from the Conservative Party including current council leader Mike Whitby. The other two councillors are John Alden and Peter Hollingworth.
The ward has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Ken Brown.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Harborne'.

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