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Sparkhill is an inner-city area ofBirmingham, England, situated betweenSpringfield,Hall Green andSparkbrook.Historically part ofWorcestershire, Sparkhill once existed as arural area with its main industry being agriculture until the 1880s.
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In theMiddle Ages, the Sparke family farmed in the area,[1] although it can be posited that Sparkhill takes its name from Spark Brook, a small stream that flows fromMoseley to theRiver Cole inSmall Heath. It was, as the name suggests, a hill that was situated alongside the stream. The watercourse can be traced almost entirely along its length from source to where it joins theRiver Tame, although most of its tributaries are now culverted, and is a popular route for leisure walkers and cyclists. The only part where it cannot easily be followed is a short tunnel where it passes under the Grand Union Canal, very close to the old BSA motorcycle factory near Golden Hillock Road. Most of the route is accessible through Ackers Trust artificial ski slope and sports centre, which was built on BSA's old test track. This part of the route is still used for off-road cycling and similar pursuits.[2]
As a result of theIndustrial Revolution which was causing Birmingham to expand, development of the area began. In the 1850s, a small area of land was bought by a building society and sold to separate developers who built houses for the working class. People who owned a property were entitled to vote and a campaigner for the working class vote wasJoseph 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. In the late 1860s, developments appeared all over Sparkhill with the creation of long, straight streets forming a uniform pattern. The new houses wereterraced with their own back garden, coal shed and lavatory. For the wealthy middle class, larger houses were built in a plot bounded by Stoney Lane, Alfred Road, and Durham Road.
Sparkhill was removed fromYardley and annexed by Birmingham in 1911 as part of theGreater Birmingham Act. Yardley also became a suburb of Birmingham in the same year. The former council house for Yardley District Council (built 1898–1902, architectArthur Harrison) was converted intoSparkhill Library (SP09238366) and opened on 19 January 1923. It is one of the earliest examples of double-glazed windows in a public building. Other buildings built 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 localAnglican Parish Church and the home of the charity Narthex Sparkhill. Designed by the famous Birmingham Architects Martin and Chamberlain, the church was built in 1888. A reredos in memory ofLouisa Ryland was erected in the church after her death.
As a result of the nearbyBSA factory being targeted, the area suffered frombombing inWorld War II, resulting in the loss of some houses, and their 1940s replacement (e.g. the houses at 180–190 Osborne Road). A memorial to those from the BSA works who died during the Second World War can be found in St John's Church.
Another old landmark in Sparkhill is theMermaid Inn, which has been the site of a pub since the 17th century. The building was converted into aBalti restaurant in the late 20th century; however, it was severely damaged by numerous fires in the 2000s decade. The building'sart deco exterior decoration is by local sculptorWilliam Bloye. Other pubs, the Bear andThe Antelope, both designed byHolland W. Hobbiss, have sculpted pub signs by Bloye.
The first wave of immigrants were of Irish descent. This has progressed to includeAfro-Caribbeans, South Asians, and more recentlySomalis. Moreover, in the last decade, migrants of Romanian descent have begun to settle in the area, mostly inhabiting terraced houses. 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.[citation needed]
The BBC sitcomCitizen Khan focuses on the life of Mr Khan and his family, Pakistani immigrants in the Sparkhill area, which it dubbed "The capital ofBritish Pakistan" in the credits. The first series was broadcast from August 2012 with a new series each year.
52°27′02″N1°51′51″W / 52.45046°N 1.86416°W /52.45046; -1.86416
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