Castle Vale is an area of the City of Birmingham, in England, originally created as an overspill housing estate in the 1960s. This article is about the city in England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... A housing estate is a medium-to-low density residential area, usually part of a suburb of a town or city in a developed country. ... Dr. Seuss Jean Shepherd Ringo Starr John Steinbeck Gloria Steinem Tom Stoppard Hunter S. Thompson Gore Vidal Peter Vincent Kurt Vonnegut Andy Warhol Alan Watts Bob Weir Brian Wilson Tom Wolfe There were six Olympics held during the decade. ...

History

Pre Castle Vale

The area was originally known as Berwood, from the Saxon ‘Bearu’ meaning 'the woods'.

In 1160 the Manor of Berwood was given to the Cannons of Leicester Abbey. A moated house, St Mary’s Chapel, a hermitage, a bake house and farm buildings were built for them. A later house (Berwood Hall) was built outside the moat, which was eventually the site of Berwood Hall Farm. A Soap Factory was built near here in the 1930’s. Home Farm was in the north west corner, near Tyburn House. This farm had a large orchard, but its main function was to spread sewage brought from the City of Birmingham over the rest of the land. In 1898 filter beds were constructed as the volume of sewage was becoming too much. The rest of the land was farmland or swamp, surrounded by forest. Events Eric IX of Sweden is succeeded by Karl Sverkersson. ... Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the East Midlands of England. ... The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats (also known as a Fosse) were deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ... The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats (also known as a Fosse) were deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ... This article is about the city in England. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The area was a flat plain when it became Castle Bromwich Playing Fields. It was then used as the Castle Bromwich private aerodrome, when the first aeroplane in the Birmingham area flew here in 1909. It became a stopping place during early air races. The War Office requisitioned it for use by the Royal Flying Corps and flying schools in 1914, when proper roads and buildings were established. The British Industries Fair (the pre runner to the National Exhibition Centre) was a large complex of buildings built on land between the airfield and the railway in 1920. In the inter war years the aerodrome had a dual military and civilian function. In these early days it was the busiest airport in the area due to its passenger, post and railway air business. In 1937 more hangars and a Squadron Headquarters were built for the Royal Air Force. In 1939 it was extended further to become a fighter station, a base for other units and a dispatch site for aeroplanes built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory on the other side of the Chester Road. Various units used the airfield post war and there was a famous annual display to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Civilian flights returned, including the first scheduled helicopter service from London. The airfield closed in 1958 and in 1960 the site, the BIF site and nearby farmland was sold for construction of the overspill estate which started in 1964. The last hangars were demolished in 1992 for an industrial site. Castle Bromwich is a large village situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English West Midlands area. ... Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was a famous early airfield situated near Castle Bromwich which is now in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands area of England. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The British Industries Fair was an important exhibition centre near the village of Castle Bromwich, which is situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English West Midlands area. ... The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is the seventh largest exhibition centre in Europe, located in Solihull, near Birmingham, England. ... For other uses, see Airport (disambiguation). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... RAF redirects here. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Castle Bromwich is a large village situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English West Midlands area. ... For other uses, see Airport (disambiguation). ... Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from United States of America Australia Canada Czechoslovakia Ireland Palestine Poland Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Strength initially 700 aircraft; grew to nearly 1,000 by the end of the Battle. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Airport (disambiguation). ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The British Industries Fair was an important exhibition centre near the village of Castle Bromwich, which is situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English West Midlands area. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

All that remains now from these times is a memorial, a stained glass window in the church, streets and housing with aviation names, a row of ex RAF houses along the Chester Road, and the Sentinel Spitfire Memorial. Sentinel, by Tim Tolkien Sentinel (grid reference SP13789065) is a 16m high sculpture by Tim Tolkien, installed upon a traffic island at the intersection of the Chester Road and the A47 Fort Parkway at the entrance to the Castle Vale estate in Birmingham, England. ...

Construction

The estate was the largest tower block estate in the UK with over thirty huge tower blocks in one small area. Being built on the site of an airfield, it seemed fitting when many of the streets and blocks of flats took their names from aircraft and airfields. Birmingham council owned around 5,000 homes on the estate and they included 34 multi-storey blocks of flats, although there was a substantial amount of privately owned homes in the area - especially in the north-east of the estate around Turnhouse Road. By the end of the 1960s, Castle Vale was completed with a population of 11,000. An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest passenger airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ... A tower block, block of flats, or apartment block, is a multi-unit high-rise apartment building. ...

Decline

However, Castle Vale began to decline during the 1970s and by the 1980s it was one of the most troubled housing estates in the country. More than 20% of people living on the estate were unemployed, the local bank had closed (leaving many people on the estate with no resort but loan sharks), homes were falling into disrepair and crime levels were soaring. Joyriding was one of the biggest problems on the estate - the wide roads on Castle Vale were popular with thieves driving stolen cars. Teenagers would stand on the top of the estate's tallest block of flats - 20-storey Concorde Tower - to watch joyriders speed through the estate. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ...

The 'Centre 8' tower blocks (Shawbury Tower, Kemble Tower, Northolt Tower, Lyneham Tower, Cosford Tower, Abingdon Tower, Bovingdon Tower and Cranwell Tower) in the centre of the estate between Tangmere Drive and Yatesbury Avenue were probably the most troubled grouping of high-rise flats in Birmingham. They were riddled with damp, vandalism and graffiti and many of their occupants were known to the police for criminal activities.

Regeneration

In 1994 the tenants of the Castle Vale estate voted for a breakaway from Birmingham City Council and their homes were controlled by a Housing Action Trust, known locally as "The Hat", with a twelve-year plan for regeneration. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... A tenant (from the Latin tenere, to hold), in legal contexts, holds real property by some form of title from a landlord. ... Local Government History Most of Birmingham was historically a part of Warwickshire, though the modern city also includes villages and towns formerly in Staffordshire or Worcestershire. ... Housing Action Trusts (HAT) were set up to redevelope some of the poorest council housing estates in Britains inner-cities. ...

The Housing Action Trust's initial plans were to demolish 17 of the 34 tower blocks and renovate the other 17. 24 of the estate's 27 maisonette blocks were earmarked for demolition. But a change of plan resulted in 32 of the estate's 34 tower blocks being demolished by the end of 2003, and there are now just two multi-storey blocks of flats in the area. All 27 maisonette blocks were demolished. New homes have sprung up from the rubble of the demolished properties, built for freehold and leasehold occupation. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The 'Centre 8' tower blocks were favourites for demolition when the redevelopment plans were first drawn up, as were nine smaller other blocks - Valiant House, Meteor House, Hermes House, Ensign House, Oakington House, Hercules House, Andover House, Ternhill House and Albert Shaw House. The 17 blocks earmarked for renovation were the 14 Farnborough Road blocks (Hawker House, Hampden House, Auster House, Trident House, Avro House, Comet House, Vulcan House, Pioneer House, Argosy House, Lysander House, Viscount House, Vanguard House, Javelin House and Kestrel House) as well as Concorde Tower, Chivenor House and Topcliffe House.

The first phase of the demolition began in 1995 with the clearance of the vilified Centre 8 blocks. Valiant, Meteor, Hermes and Ensign Houses followed soon after. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

By 1999, all 27 maisonette blocks and Albert Shaw House had been cleared, as had eight of the 14 Farnborough Road tower blocks which had been originally earmarked for renovation. The six remaining blocks on Farnborough Road were demolished the following year. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Concorde Tower, the tallest block on the estate, had been originally earmarked for refurbishment but this proved to be a costly business and the block was demolished in 2000 as an economy measure. Also in 2000, Sainsbury’s and the new shopping centre opened. This article is about the year 2000. ...

2001 also saw the demolition of the estate's 114 one-bedroom bungalows which were replaced by newly constructed two-bedroom bungalows. 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

By 2002, only six tower blocks remained on Castle Vale. In 2003, four of these blocks - Oakington, Ternhill, Hercules and Andover Houses - were demolished, leaving just two high-rise blocks standing - these were Topcliffe and Chivenor Houses. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Housing Action Trust refurbished the two remaining tower blocks and the era of high-rise living in Castle Vale was all but over. When the HAT was created, more than half of the homes of Castle Vale were high-rise flats. A successful transition from high-rise to low-rise living across the estate was completed and the nightmare stories about the Centre 8 blocks are now consigned to history.

The site of the 14 tower blocks on Farnborough Road has been redeveloped as a mixture of private and rented new housing, some of the roads in this area take their names from the old tower blocks - these include Avro Way, Lysander Boulevard and Trident Boulevard.

The site of Concorde Tower was redeveloped as a cul-de-sac called Concorde Drive.

The Centre 8 site was partly developed for housing and a section of the land was converted into Centre Park - which opened in 2003 and is Birmingham's first new park during the 21st century. The 21st century is the present century of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

In place of the badly insulated maisonettes which were expensive to heat, low-rise flats and houses were built for tenants to rent off the HAT.

In October 2003 tenants were balloted on whether administration of the estate should be returned to the City Council or be administered by a housing association. On a 78% turnout, 94% of tenants voted in favour of Castle Vale Community Housing Association. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low cost housing for people in housing need. ...

As of 2006, Castle Vale is a reasonable housing estate of quality private and rented homes in an area with a relatively low crime rate - a far cry from the crime ravaged estate littered with sub-standard housing that it was 15 years ago. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

The voice of some Castle Vale tenants

When Castle Vale was built during the 1960s, it was a modern and well-equipped housing estate occupied mostly by families rehoused from slum clearances in inner city Birmingham. One tenant, who moved to one of the Centre 8 blocks in 1969, said that it was like 'Utopia'. For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

Within 20 years, the voice of Castle Vale tenants had a very distant tone. A former solider who arrived on the estate in 1986 said that he lived like a hermit for two years and did not know anybody in his tower block except the three other tenants living on his floor. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A single mother living in a maisonette on the estate during the early 1990s said that her flat was so cold and expensive to heat that she and her two children spent entire winters in the living room. She also used to bath the children in a paddling pool because the bathroom was so cold. This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

In 2005, a book about the estate was published and its title 'No Longer Notorious' was fitting to describe how a sink housing estate had been transformed into a modern and attractive place in which to live. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Points of interest

To celebrate the area's connection with the Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane - almost 12,000 of the aircraft were built at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome Factory between 1940 and 1945 - a large metal sculpture entitled Sentinel designed by Tim Tolkien was erected on the A452 roundabout located between the estate and the Jaguar factory in 2000. The roundabout was subsequently renamed "Spitfire Island". The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used primarily by the RAF and many Allied countries through the Second World War and into the 1950s. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Sentinel, by Tim Tolkien Sentinel (grid reference SP13789065) is a 16m high sculpture by Tim Tolkien, installed upon a traffic island at the intersection of the Chester Road and the A47 Fort Parkway at the entrance to the Castle Vale estate in Birmingham, England. ... Tim Tolkien (born in late 1962) is a British sculptor who has designed several monumental sculptures, including the award-winning Sentinel. ... The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in Staffordshire. ... It has been suggested that Cycle facilities at roundabouts be merged into this article or section. ... Jaguar Cars is a British automobile manufacturer. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Significant addresses in Castle Vale

Addresses remaining from 1960s

• Farnborough Road
• Tangmere Drive
• Yatesbury Avenue
• Turnhouse Road
• Hawkinge Drive
• Sopwith Croft
• Valencia Croft
• Topcliffe House
• Chivenor House

Post 1990s addresses

• Northolt Drive - on Centre 8 site
• Mere Avenue - on Centre 8 site
• Shawbury Avenue - on Centre 8 site
• Cosford Crescent - on Centre 8 site
• Abingdon Road - on Centre 8 site
• Phoenix Court - on Centre 8 site
• Avro Way - near Farnborough Road
• Lysander Boulevard - near Farnborough Road
• Trident Boulevard - near Farnborough Road
• Javelin Avenue- near Farnborough Road

Defunct addresses

• Abingdon Tower
• Bovingdon Tower
• Cosford Tower
• Kemble Tower
• Northolt Tower
• Lyneham Tower
• Shawbury Tower
• Cranwell Tower
• Argosy House
• Avro House
• Comet House
• Lysander House
• Trident House
• Viscount House
• Vanguard House
• Vulcan House
• Pioneer House
• Javelin House
• Kestrel House
• Hawker House
• Hampden House
• Auster House
• Concorde Tower
• Hermes House
• Valiant House
• Meteor House
• Ensign House
• Andover House
• Hercules House
• Ternhill House
• Albert Shaw House
• Oakington House

Significant structures

• Castle Vale Shopping Centre
• Reed Square Shopping Centre - Now demolished & replaced by The High Street
• Castle Vale Secondary School
• Chivenor Primary School
• Topcliffe Primary School
• Josiah Mason College
• Spitfire House
• Castle Vale Library

Radio

The origins of community radio in Castle Vale date back to 1995 when a group of young residents staged the first Vale FM temporary licence broadcast (RSL) from a tower block on the estate with funding from Castle Vale Housing Action Trust. RSL National HQ, on Constitution Ave, Canberra, nearest the Australian Defence Force Russell Offices HQ The Returned and Services League of Australia (often abbreviated to RSL) is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. ...

A further broadcast took place in 1996, firmly establishing local support for a community broadcasting service in Castle Vale. Community Radio was seen as a way to meet the information needs of the local community and strengthen a positive sense of identity in an area which had experienced decades of disadvantage and deprivation. This lead to the creation of Castle Vale Community Radio (CVCR).

In 1998 the organisation located to its own premises. The facilities, amongst the best in the sector in the UK, include two broadcast studios, a training room, digital recording facilities and office space. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Since 1997 the organisation has run five Radio skills training programmes for over 75 unemployed participants in partnership with East Birmingham College, part of City College Birmingham. In addition, a further 5 Restricted Service Licence (RSL) broadcasts have been staged, averaging an audience of 25% of all local residents. Further to this, a number of community - wide initiatives have been organised in conjunction with local organisations to facilitate the involvement of 350 young people in community radio activity. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A UK Restricted Service Licence (often called an RSL), is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. ...

The station has recently been granted a Community Broadcast Licence by OFCOM, and will begin broadcasting under the name Switch Radio, in early 2007. // Ofcom was designed to be a super regulator, required in an age where many media platforms are converging. ...

External links

• Birmingham City Council's Castle Vale Page
• Castle Vale Library
• Castle Vale Housing Action Trust
• Castle Vale Community Housing Association
• B35 Community Enterprise Group
• Sentinel (Spitfire sculpture) website
• Castle Vale Community Radio