Small Heath

Green Lane Masjid, formerly Green Lane Public Library and Baths (Martin & Chamberlain 1893-1902).

Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 (Coventry Road). Small Heath has been plagued by a poor reputation in recent years - a problem which is seen in similar neighbouring districts such as Aston and Handsworth. Despite having problems associated with all inner-city suburbs, Small Heath is host to many thriving local businesses. In recent years, the Coventry Road has attracted a growing increasing number of ethnic fast food restaurants.

History

World War 2

By the outbreak of World War II, BSA Guns Ltd at Small Heath was the only factory producing rifles in the UK. The Royal Ordnance Factories would not begin production until 1941. BSA Guns Ltd was also producing .303 Browning machine guns for the Air Ministry at the rate of 600 guns per week in March 1939 and Browning production was to peak at 16,390 per month by March 1942. The armed forces had chosen the 500 cc side-valve BSA M20 motorcycle as their preferred machine. On the outbreak of war the Government requisitioned the 690 machines BSA had in stock as well as placing an order for another 8,000 machines. South Africa, Éire, India, Sweden and Holland also wanted machines.

The Government passed the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 on 24 August allowing the drafting of defence regulations affecting food, travel, requisitioning of land and supplies, manpower and agricultural production. A second Emergency Powers (Defence) Act was passed on 22 May 1940 allowing the conscription of labour. The fall of France had not been anticipated in Government planning and the encirclement of a large part of the British Expeditionary Force into the Dunkirk pocket resulted in a hasty evacuation of that part of the B.E.F following the abandonment of their equipment. The parlous state of affairs "no arms, no transport, no equipment" in the face of the threat of imminent invasion of Britain by Nazi forces was recorded by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke in his diary entries of the 1/2 July 1940.

The creation of the Home Guard (initially as the Local Defence Volunteers) following Anthony Eden's broadcast appeal to the Nation on Tuesday 14 May 1940 also created further demand for arms production to equip this new force. BSA, as the only rifle producer in Britain, had to step up to the mark and the workforce voluntarily went onto a seven-day week. Motorcycle production was also stepped up from 500 to 1,000 machines per week which meant a finished machine coming off the production line every 5 minutes. The motorcycle department workforce had been left intact in 1939 due to demand which was doubled following Dunkirk. At the same time BSA staff were providing lectures and demonstrations on motorcycle riding and maintenance to 250,000 officers and men in all parts of the UK.

The BSA factory at Small Heath was bombed by the Luftwaffe on 26 August 1940 resulting in one H.E.bomb and a shower of incendiaries hitting the main barrel mill which was the only one operating on service rifles in the country, causing the unaffordable loss of 750 machine tools but fortunately no loss of life. Two further air raids took place on 19 and 22 November 1940. The air raid of 19 November did the most damage, causing loss of production and trapping hundreds of workers. Two BSA night-shift electricians, Alf Stevens and Alf Goodwin, helped rescue their fellow workers. Alf Stevens was awarded the George Medal for his selfless acts of bravery in the rescue and Alf Goodwin was awarded the British Empire Medal. Workers involved in the works Civil Defence were brought in to help search for and clear bodies to get the plant back into production. The net effect of the November raids was to destroy machine shops in the four-storey 1915 building, the original 1863 gunsmiths' building and nearby buildings, 1,600 machine tools, kill 53 employees, injure 89, 30 of them seriously and halt rifle production for three months. The Government Ministry of Supply and BSA immediately began a process of production dispersal throughout Britain, through the shadow factory scheme.

Business

In Small Heath are two large supermarkets, Asda and Morrisons and the outdoor pursuits centre Ackers Trust. There is also a business park that is home to the former Birmingham Cable Company (now Virgin Media), the international CADCAM company Delcam and the UK's leading independent kitchen appliance repair specialists, Repaircare. Until 1973, Small Heath was the home of the massive Birmingham Small Arms factory on Golden Hillock Road and Armoury Road, manufacturing amongst other things, motorcycles, guns, cars including taxi cabs and bicycles and dominating the local and national economy. The factory was briefly acquired by Norton Villiers Triumph following their takeover of BSA but closed down, much of it being demolished following the collapse of the British motorcycle industry. A business park now occupies the site whilst the remaining buildings are still used for manufacturing.

Housing

A large number of mostly terraced houses were built around Small Heath towards the end of the 19th century, and over the next few decades these buildings became the residence of numerous Irish immigrants. In the 20 or so years that followed the end of World War II, the area attracted more immigrants - mostly from the Indian sub-continent. Immigrants from the West Indies also settled in Small Heath, but Pakistani immigrants were by far the most significant people to settle in the area.This included a large majority from Azad Kashmir which is disputed. House prices have been steadily increasing on a par with other areas within Birmingham.

Population

The total population of the area is approximately 36,898, based on 2007 estimates. Majority of the residents are of South Asian origin, mainly of Pakistani (51%) and Bangladeshi (9%) descent, while people of White British ethnicity is 22%. Majority are also Muslim, there are many mosques in the area, the largest mosque in the Small Heath area is the Ghamkol Shariff Masjid, located on Golden Hillock Road, and is also one of the largest in the UK. It holds regular Muslim prayers, funeral services and other religious ceremonies.

Parks and sport

There are several parks and green spaces in the suburb, of which the largest (Small Heath Park - formally known as Victoria Park) occasionally hosts festivals. An episode of Charlie's Garden Army featured a permanent installation in Small Heath Park. Small Heath is home to Birmingham City Football Club's St. Andrews stadium.

Transport

Small Heath is centred around the Coventry Road that formed part of the main route from Birmingham to Coventry, but the section of Coventry Road that passes through Small Heath was bypassed by a dual carriageway that opened in January 1985. It is served by the Small Heath railway station on the Birmingham to Stratford Line of the London Midland railway system. The Grand Union Canal also passes through the area. Local transport connections are very good, with a mainline railway station and many bus routes to other parts of the city.

Politics

Small Heath is part of the Birmingham Hall Green constituency, which is held by Labour MP Roger Godsiff. The constituency has a high proportion of people of South Asian origin, and this section of the community has historically supported the Labour Party.

People from Small Heath

For a full list, see Category:People from Small Heath

External links

• Ackers Trust
• Small Heath Business Association Limited
• Small Heath Community Forum Limited
• Small Heath Medical Practice