Sparkhill Public Library

The Bear public house, Holland W. Hobbiss & William Bloye

The Antelope public house, Holland W. Hobbiss & William Bloye

The Mermaid public house, damaged by fire

Sparkhill is an area of Birmingham, England, situated between Springfield, Hall Green and Sparkbrook. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1944 × 2592 pixel, file size: 834 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The public library (situated between the public baths and the police station), Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1944 × 2592 pixel, file size: 834 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The public library (situated between the public baths and the police station), Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 520 pixelsFull resolution (2410 × 1567 pixel, file size: 873 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Bear, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 520 pixelsFull resolution (2410 × 1567 pixel, file size: 873 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Bear, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... King Edwards School, Edgbaston Holland W. Hobbiss was an architect in the Birmingham area of England. ... William Bloye was a sculptor, active in Birmingham either side of the second world war, and head of sculpture at Birmingham School of Art, where one of his pupils was Raymond Mason. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 735 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2182 × 1780 pixel, file size: 648 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Antelope, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 735 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2182 × 1780 pixel, file size: 648 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Antelope, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 410 pixelsFull resolution (2542 × 1303 pixel, file size: 887 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Mermaid pub, now called The President, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 410 pixelsFull resolution (2542 × 1303 pixel, file size: 887 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Mermaid pub, now called The President, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Springfield is a ward in south east Birmingham, England, created in 2004 from much of the old Sparkhill ward. ... Hall Green constituency shown within Birmingham Hall Green is an area and ward in south Birmingham, England. ... Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency shown within Birmingham Sparkbrook is an area in south-east Birmingham, England. ...

Etymology

Sparkhill receives it's name from Spark Brook, a small stream that flows from Moseley to the River Cole in Small Heath. It was, as the name suggests, a hill that was situated alongside the stream. The majority of the stream is underground. Moseley village green Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, located 2 miles to the south of the city centre. ... The River Cole is a short river in the English Midlands. ... Binomial name Coenonympha pamphilus Linnaeus, 1758 Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) is a butterfly species, widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa. ...

History

Sparkhill existed as a rural area with its main industry being agriculture until the 1890s. In the Middle Ages, the Sparke family farmed in the area. The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

Development of the area began in the 1850s as a result of the Industrial Revolution which was causing Birmingham to expand. In the 1850s, a small area of land was bought by a building society and sold to separate developers who constructed residential properties for the working class. The working class who owned a property were entitled to vote and a campaigner for the working class vote was Joseph Sturge, a Birmingham manufacturer. As a result of his campaigning, a newly created street in the area was named after him. The architecture of the houses was varied due to the different developers. A centre began to develop for the area with its own pub; The Cherry Arbour. // Production of steel revolutionized by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Railroads begin to supplant canals in the United States as a primary means of transporting goods. ... A Watt steam engine. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Joseph Sturge (1793-1859) Joseph Sturge (1793 - May 14, 1859), son of a farmer in Gloucestershire, was an English Quaker and founder of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, now Anti-Slavery International, who spent his life engaged in radical political actions supporting pacifism, working class rights, and the...

In the late 1880s, developments appeared all over Sparkhill with creation of long, straight streets forming a uniform pattern. The new houses were terraced with their own back garden, coal shed and lavatory. For the wealthy middle class, larger houses were constructed in a plot bounded by Stoney Lane, Alfred Road and Durham Road. // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... A street of British Victorian/Edwardian terraced homes. ... A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. ... Flush toilet A toilet is a plumbing fixture devised for the disposal of bodily wastes, including urine, feces, methane, semen and vomit. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...

Sparkhill was removed from the possession of Yardley and became an area of Birmingham in 1911 as part of the Greater Birmingham Act. Yardley also became a suburb of Birmingham in the same year. The former council house for Yardley District Council (Built 1898-1902, architect Arthur Harrison) was converted into Sparkhill Library (SP09238366) and opened on January 19, 1923. It is one of the earliest examples of double glazing windows in a public building. Other buildings constructed for the district were a police station, magistrate's court and a fire station, which were all located next to the council house. St John's Church is the local Anglican Parish Church and the home of the charity Narthex Sparkhill. It was constructed in 1889. Categories: Stub | Birmingham, England ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

As a result of the nearby BSA factory being targeted, the area suffered from bombing in World War II, resulting in the loss of some houses, and their 1940s replacement (e.g the houses at 180-190 Osborne Road). The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was a British manufacturer of vehicles, firearms, and military equipment, and still exists as an airgun sport manufacturer and distributor. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Another old landmark in Sparkhill is the Mermaid Inn, which has been the site of a pub since the 1600s. The current, 1930s, building was converted into a Balti restuarant in the late 20th century, however, it was severely damaged by fire in the 2000s. The building's art deco exterior decoration is by local sculptor William Bloye. Other pubs, The Bear and The Antelope, both designed by Holland W. Hobbiss, have sculpted pub signs by William Bloye. November 5, 1605 â€” The Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British Parliament. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Balti can refer to: BălÅ£i - a city and county in Moldavia Balti dynasty - a branch of the ancient Visigoths Balti language - a language spoken in Baltistan in Kashmir Balti - Muslims of Tibetan origin from Baltistan Balti - a style of food devised in Birmingham in England Balti - an eating... The 2000s are the current decade, spanning from 2000 to 2009. ... Asheville City Hall. ... William Bloye was a sculptor, active in Birmingham either side of the second world war, and head of sculpture at Birmingham School of Art, where one of his pupils was Raymond Mason. ... King Edwards School, Edgbaston Holland W. Hobbiss was an architect in the Birmingham area of England. ...

Immigration

In the 20th century, the area became heavily influenced by migrants who settled in the area. It has a large population of ethnic minorities, mainly of South Asian origin which is reflected by the number of Asian eateries in the area which has resulted in it becoming a main centre in the "Balti Triangle" of Birmingham. One of its most famous residents, the world-renowned Islamic scholar Dr. Raghav Chauders has lived there for close to 40 years. Balti houses originally clustered along and behind the main road between Sparkhill and Moseley, to the south of Birmingham city centre. ...

The first wave of immigrants were of Irish descent. This has progressed to West Indian, South Asian, and more recently Somalian (mainly Muslim) peoples. The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Anthem Capital (and largest city) Mogadishu Official languages Somali1 Government Transitional Federal Government  -  President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed  -  Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi Independence from the UK and Italy   -  Date July 1, 1960  Area  -  Total 637,661 km² (42nd) 246,201 sq mi   -  Water (%) 1. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

References

• Brum and Brummies: Vol 2, Chapter 3: The Old End - The Hills are Alive: Sparkhill, Carl Chinn, 2001, Brewin Books (ISBN 1-85858-202-4)
• Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield, George T. Noszlopy, edited Jeremy Beach, 1998, ISBN 0-85323-692-5

Professor Carl Stephen Alfred Chinn MBE (born 6 September 1956) is a historian, writer, radio presenter, magazine editor, newspaper columnist, media personality, local celebrity, and famous Brummie, whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham in England. ...

External links

• BBC - Life in Sparkhill feature (with photos)
• St John's Church Sparkhill
• Virtual Brum photo gallery
• Pupil Vision photo gallery
• 1890 Ordnance Survey map of Sparkhill (in top left corner)

Coordinates: 52.45046° N 1.86416° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...