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St Mary the Virgin, Aocks Green, Postcard 1905 (Original is on Acocks Green History Society website)
We were intrigued when Ted Tann-Watson, seeing our posting late last year on the Stautory Listing of St Mary’s (now Stat Listed Grade II) wrote to this site and offered us a history of the Watsons of Acocks Green. Ted wrote:
My Great Great Grandfather, John Watson, was involved in the committee organising the building of the Church, and his brother, Joseph, was Churchwarden for several years (there is a plaque commemorating this at the west end of the Church, on the south wall). I have a copy of the Book of Common Prayer presented to Gt Gt Grandfather by Rev Gwyther in appreciation of his work, and suitably inscribed. Both John and Joseph, and several other members of the family, lie in the Churchyard.
The Watsons, originally grocers and haberdashers of Smallbrook Street (Now Smallbrook Ringway), lived, for many years, from 1864, in Botteville Road. Ted has some useful information about the building of the two houses they lived in there.
The family is also interesting. Charles Watson was a home inventor and scientific experimenter. His son Ted was an an engineer who was involved in important developments at both the Morris car company, and, later, at Lucas’s, where he became chief engineer. He recevied an OBE for his work on the areo engine, and, later an honorary doctrate for developments to the motor engine. Ted has also offered his nine page study to Acocks Green History Society and we suspect it will eventually find a more permanently accessible home on the History Society website. However, meantime, we thought people might enjoy Ted’s Watson History, one or two bits of which might eventually find their way into our Conservation Area project. You can download Ted’s Watson Family History by clicking on the link here: Watson Family of Acocks Green – History
Woodcock Lane/Warwick Road corner avenue of trees, Acocks Green. Not again? Yes, unfortunately, again.
The Lost Wood (Woodcock Lane, Acocks Green)
The story is that the group of trees, pictured behind the fence, here, is, historically, the avenue of trees which led to Acocks Green House; the seventeenth century house owned by the Acock family, so, ultimately a place of great historic significance to all those who live in, and care about, Acocks Green. Acocks Green House was compulsorily purchased by Birmingham City Council in 1959 and three blocks of flats were built on the site This small avenue of trees was left as a single marker of the Acocks family land. It was an attractive oasis of greenery, known well to Acocks Green residents. There were bluebells under the trees around this time of the year. Local elderly residents, without their own gardens in the, sadly, aptly named Needwood House next door to the trees enjoyed overlooking the small wood, and reguarly walked in it.
In 2006 it came to light that the Council had sold the small wood to the house alongside. Almost no-one knew about this, until too late. Required legal niceties, for making a public announcement of intention to sell Council land, were covered by a single, small, advertisement appearing at the back of The Birmingham Post; needless to say, no-one saw this. Tree preservation orders were placed on the trees, when Acocks Green people raised the alarm, but no-one was able to do any more. Acocks Green residents generally, but residents of Needwood House in particular, were incensed. The sale duly went through, and a large fence appeared in front of the, previously, common land, with all the trees now behind it. That was that.
The picture above was taken from over the road, and holding the camera up. The view seen by local people now is, a lot of the time, more like this one:
Can't see the Trees for the Wood ...
There is now one more of a series of plans which have, since the sale, been put forward, involving the trees:
When Acocks Green Focus Group members inspected yesterday it looked as though quite a lot of the trees were being prepared for ‘something’ : a number of branches had clearly been recently removed from a number of trees. A two storied building is to be built on part of this site.
The official deadline for comments is 13 May folks (Though they will probably be accepted until a few days later.) Need we say more?
Apparently yes: we have now had a report of holes dug in the ground which may have already disturbed tree roots.
Important update: We have now managed to have a discussion with the relevant tree officer, Rick Wood. Mr Wood has visited the site. He confirms that the application does not involve the removal of any more trees, but the oak tree referred to in the application is to be pruned rather than removed. That, is a relief to know. Permission was given to prune the higher branches. Barriers are to be put into the ground to protect the roots of the trees. Soil recently left around the roots, which could cause damage has, hopefully, been removed. (We await confirmation) However, this leaves the issue of a two storied building being built on the land, and aesthetic questions around this. We will be looking into this further.
Our members have been keeping their ear to the ground! Recently two different members have written to us with details of two different urban design events, for non-specialists, within travelling distance of Acocks Green. Either of these events should provide a lively, informative, experience where you can learn more about the current street design thinking, and about the broad design ethos of Acocks Green Focus Group. On costs, the good news is that at £5.00 in the case of one and £10.00 in the case of the other, even in these economically difficult times, neither is set to break the bank.
On 13 May, at 5.45 pm one of our favourite traffic engineers, Phil Jones will give a talk ‘Quality Streets are for Sharing:
What are quality streets? Are they places for people, for cars or both? Phil Jones will share new thinking on the importance of well designed streets – and will discuss how we can create a sense of place through the streets we use every day.
With 25 years experience in the planning and design of development infrastructure, Phil Jones specialises in achieving synergy between transport planning and urban design, with the aim of creating places and spaces that meet aesthetic, social and functional aims. Part of the team behind Manual for Streets for Department of Transport, Phil is a member of the CABE Space Enabling Panel and MADE Expert Panel member.
Cost: £10 on the door, or pay in advance via PayPal (making payment of £10 to gerard@made.org.uk)
Venue: School of Jewellery, Vittoria Street, Birmingham B1 3PA
www.schoolofjewellery.co.uk
Talking Cities is organised by MADE, Birmingham City University and Birmingham Architectural Association, with support from CABE and Arts Council England.
Secondly, there is to be an event organised by Civic Voice, in association with English Heritage. Street Pride is a series of campaign workshops being held around the country:
Street Pride is focused on the four most widespread sources of street clutter: bollards; signs; posts (including lampposts and traffic lights) and guard rails.
The Kind of Cluttered, Outdated, Look Street Pride is Trying to Help Eridicate
Street Pride builds on the excellent initiatives already undertaken by a number of civic societies and responds to the enthusiasm for addressing the issues expressed during the recent debate undertaken by the Civic Society Initiative. By joining the Street Pride campaign your efforts can make a real difference to reducing street clutter locally and by working together we can produce a national picture which will help Civic Voice make places more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive.
Over 75 other local groups are already involved and you can also sign up to Street Pride by sending us your details at info@civicvoice.org.uk
Campaign workshops are being run in
•Wakefield, West Yorkshire Police Headquarters, 8 May
•Winchester, The Guildhall, 22 May
•Warwick, The Court House, Castle Street 12 June
•London, The Gallery, 70 Cowcross Street, 19 June
•Manchester, The Briton’s Protection Hotel 26 June
They run from 10.30am to 1.30pm and each is expected to have a practical session on undertaking a street clutter survey in the afternoon. The workshops cost just £5 to cover light refreshments and places are limited to 30 so please sign up here today! To attend a workshop contact ian.harvey@civicvoice.org.uk or on 0151 708 9920
I
42-44 Flint Green Road - Work Now in Progress
A long campaign has been fought to try and save fine Acocks Green houses 42 and 44 Flint Green Road. Acocks Green people suspected the worst when the now well known properties were sold, off auction, together with the land at the rear, to a private developer. Now there seems to be good news. The developers have sent a message to Birmingham City Council that they do not intend to demolish either building but, instead, to restore them as ‘individual family homes.’
They have already started work on 44, as can be seen from the picture above. We will remain vigilant, until we are entirely confident that all is going to be well for the properties. However, this does sound like good news: we good do with a bit of that around here, lately!
Tim Bridges
We are looking forward to Friends of Acocks Green Library arranged talk by Tim Bridges, Birmingham Victorian Society’s Architectural adviser. This will take place on 14 April, at Acocks Green Library, at 2.00 – 3.00 p.m. and will be about ‘campaigning to save the Edwardian and Victorian Heritage of Birmingham’.
This whole subject is very, very urgent at the moment – see our recent postings. Tim came round Acocks Green with members of Acocks Green Focus Group late last year, was very interested in what we showed him and was supportive of our bid for a Conservation Area in Acocks Green. More info on talk here here. More on Tim here.
Mike at Acocks Carnival 2009 - photo by Robert Jones.
Voting is now closed. Results will be announced next week, it seems. Thanks to everyone who voted for Mike. When we got a notice about nominations for village hero we confess we looked around to see if anyone had rescued any babies from burning buildings etc lately. However, when we understood that what was really wanted was someone who had done a lot for the village of Acocks Green then the choice become an obvious no-brainer for The Focus Group. It has to be Mike Byrne, Acocks Green Community Librarian, who, we understand, will be leaving us soon. Many people are aware that we owe much to Mike, but there are still many more who have barely heard of him. Here is part of Mike’s account of the work on the library that took place in 1995, work that he presided over in person, working hard to ensure both the survival and continued viable future of this striking 1932 building.
‘By the mid-1990s [...] It was clear that the Library could no longer present an up-to-date attractive service in its present form, particularly to families and children, and the decision was made to undertake a comprehensive refurbishment of the building.
Local and senior librarians had put much thought into the redesign of the Library [...] The Library is now comfortable, open, welcoming and bright [...]
Adult Library, Radial Bookcases
Original Oak Bookcases, loving retained and polished in Acocks Green library refurbishment
Most of the oak furniture has been retained in a new study area, designed to look, with its rows of long oak tables and oak chairs, like a traditional library space. Similarly, the shelves for adult lending present an attractive radial design, with a long run of shelving on the walls. An extended counter in oak, skilfully designed in the style of the original, is the centrepiece.
The New Oak Desk
[...]
The building has been thought out anew as a set of distinct spaces, with their own functions. The study area in particular can be emptied of furniture, and the railway models there moved aside to allow concerts and other library events to be staged there out of hours [...] The library now hosts a range of advice services in the community room as well as educational and cultural events and meetings. It is truly a comprehensive resource.’
You can read the rest of this story on the Acocks Green History website here
Since this work, the library has not only enjoyed status as the most popular, best used, library ,for a long way round, with impressive visitor figures, it has also been a central part of community life. Mike has worked tirelessly at organising and hosting local events. This is a picture of a recent musical evening, one of the many organised by Mike
Musical Event: 'Swan Song' organised by Mike (By kind permission of Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum)
However, Mike is much more than a very good community librarian. Mike is also our local historian. Here, by kind permission of David Treadwell, Chair of Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum, is a picture of Mike introducing a speaker at a recent AGHS event:
Mike addresses Acocks Green History Society
David took a picture of the audience, showing their concentration, as well:
A rapt audience for Mike's talk
Below is a screen shot of the index page of Acocks Green History Society website – just a small part of ‘A’ for Acocks Green. This is a very valuable resource for anyone who is interested in the features of Acocks Green and, even more particularly in conserving features of Acocks Green. There is a huge range of large clear photographs of important buildings and landmarks, in Acocks Green and surrounding areas, and notes about their history. There is a collected wealth of, often, otherwise hard to find documentary materials, interviews with local people (some of them, alas, now no longer with us.) and much, much more. Clearly hours and hours of research have gone into this site. No other suburb in the city has a site so rich. This all Mike’s own work in his capacity as secretary and webmaster of Acocks Green History Society. (His History talks will also be sadly missed.)
We apologise for the slight blur here, but we suggest you visit http://aghs.jimdo.com/ (link straight through here) to see what we mean for yourself!
This is not to forget, also, Mike’s authoritative book, on Acocks Green, which is virtually set reading for any would-be local conservationist: Acocks Green (Archive Photographs) by Michael Byrne, The History Press, 1997 – in print: local bookshops, or Amazon, or borrow it from the library, of course.
When the founder members of The Focus Group wanted some advice and information about the history of The Green (when we were ‘saving’ it, back in 2004) it was Mike to whom we turned, and to Mike’s book and Mike’s website. After we become formally constituted as Acocks Green Focus Group we continued to research and educate ourselves about Acocks Green history and buildings using the resources Mike has provided.
Mike will be leaving us at a difficult time for Acocks Green. A promised Conservation Area scheme has been withdrawn for the foreseeable future. We have several local buildings under threat, and the famous Birmingham Landscape practice plans, for the improved layout of Acocks Green, are also now on indefinite hold. Perhaps the best tribute we could offer to Mike would be to take the lead that he gave with his work and to carry on working to ensure that our area is treated with respect.
How to vote for Mike in the Village Hero nominations? You can pick up a form from Acocks Green Library until April 7 – so hurry! Or you can download one here In the reasons box, if you agree with what we say, but are in a rush, we suggest you just put ‘See Acocks Green Focus Group nomination.’
Save Birmingham City Council Conservation Department
Note the actual petition link is now just below, for ease of access. Reasons for signing follow.
Click here now to sign the petition. It is easy. (By all means add a comment, if you wish, but it is also fine to leave the comment space blank.) Sign the Statement
Note: we are not possessive of this petition! Please feel absolutely free to Tweet it on Twitter, Flog it on Face Book, Stick it up on The Stirrer Mail it to The Mail, post it to The Post, Bang it on your own Blog, or just email it to your friends. Lets get as many signatures as possible.
Why Sign?
Great concern has now been expressed by Birmingham’s conservationists at the 23rd February 2010 Council approved Budget plan to disband Birmingham City Council Conservation Department, in order to save £350,000 a year. Here is one recent piece in The Birmingham Post:
Fears For Birmingham\’s Historic Buildings if Conservation Group is Disbanded
The Council has a ‘Conservation Panel’ of local conservationists who work with the Conservation Department. The Chair of this panel, Cllr Paula Smith was, herself, so concerned at the plans to disband the Department that she went against her party in abstaining from voting for this measure. Birmingham’s Conservation officers are highly trained and experienced not only in Conservation work, but, more specifically in Conservation work in Birmingham. They know the history of the areas they work with, and they know many of the active voluntary conservationists among the residents; residents who are used to being able to contact the Conservation Department with their concerns and speak to ‘their’ local officers.
There have now been assurances that Birmingham’s Conservation officers will continue but they will be ‘absorbed’ into the general Planning Department. This is unlikely to be satisfactory. There seems a real danger that much of the time conservation officers will no longer be engaged on conservation work, at a time when we are already seriously behind on city conservation projects. Very recently Acocks Green councillors and concerned residents were told that plans to designate an area in Acocks Green as a Conservation Area had been put back from six months to eighteen months, because of the huge backlog of work, and other projects in the pipeline. This is not just about Acocks Green, though. This is a city wide petition. How much Conservation work will happen anywhere in the city after the disbanding of the Department. How many of our fine buildings will we now lose?
42 Flint Green Road
44 Flint Green Road
NB if you arrived here from a Google search please check our most recent posting on this story by going to the top of our website, here and scrolling down. We have noticed that lots of people are ‘tuning in’ today with search terms like ‘Flint Green Road’ or 42-44 Flint Green Road. Yes, They have been sold off auction. The news started to filter through on Thursday 11 March. The information we have at present is that they have gone to a ‘consortium’ of builders who approached and offered a ‘a substantial figure above the guides’ for the two houses plus the land at the back. ( This was despite a previous refusal of the owners to consider selling any other way than individually, and at auction.) The land at the back has existing planning permission (2010) for five four bedroomed town houses. That planning permission involves keeping numbers 42-44 more-or-less as they are, but modernising as offices/flats. (They have already been used for these purpose, we think, since at least the 1950s, judging by fittings inside.
There is also a previously existing permission (2007) which still stands. This involves knocking down all but the frontages of 42-44, making those two frontages into one, and higher, and building high flats which would side on to Arden Road. This, plan, never popular with local residents, was abandoned by the previous owners, E. H. Smith’s, on the basis that building new blocks of flats has not brought a good return for developers since the recession started.
The properties and land have NOT been bought by ‘Mighty Fine Developments’ who are the firm presently building on the land of 1-7 Sherbourne Road, opposite. This was confirmed to us by John Shepherd, but the name of the new owners has not yet been revealed. Residents, and Birmingham City Council, look forward to finding out more, as soon as possible. Meantime, if you happen to have any more information then we would be delighted to hear from you.
(If you are new to this site, and this story, check out earlier postings below.)
We have had excellent coverage and support in this campaign from the national organisation Save Britain’s Heritage, who have considered these two buildings so important that they have featured them jointly as ‘Building of the Month’ on their website, which you can visit here.
We have just picked up some very worrying news. Part of the budget passed by Birmingham City Council on February 23rd talks of disbanding the City’s Conservation Department, for a saving of £350,000. It seems that the Conservation officers will work in the main Planning Department. This is a waste of highly trained people, who will no longer be able to give full attention to Conservation issues.
Expertise is likely to be lost and not replaced. If this plan goes ahead what will the future be for Birmingham’s vulnerable heritage of important and beautiful, but often already run down, neglected, and threatened nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings.
Check out our claims here (Birmingham Mail Report) and here You can link to, and download, the Budget report from the Google search here.
A search on ‘Conservation’ in this report reveals the information is in an Appendix Service Review ‘Disband Conservation Group’ to save £350k.
We are likely to be updating this report as more comes to light and discussion develops. Meantime, what do you think? You can reply on ‘comments’ below.