Solihull (IPA: , or , or some combination of the two; occasionally ) is a town in the West Midlands in England with a population of 94,753 ^*. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located in the south-east of Birmingham. It is the largest town in, and headquarters of, the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull which has a population of 200,400.

Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians. The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in the Country).

History

Solihull probably derived its name from a 'miry or muddy' or soily hill. The parish church was built on a hill of stiff red marl, which turned to sticky mud in wet weather. The town has existed since medieval times when it was founded as a market centre, and it later became an important coaching stop. Solihull probably came into being about a thousand years ago as a clearing in the forest to which people would come to trade. The town is noted for its historic architecture, which includes examples of timber-framed Tudor style houses and shops. The historic Solihull School dates from 1560. The red sandstone Parish church of St Alphege dates from a similar period and is a large and handsome example of classical British Church architecture, with a traditional spire making the Church visible from a great distance. It is located at the head of High Street, Solihull. It was founded in about 1220 by Hugh de Oddingsell. A chantry chapel was also founded there by Sir William de Oddingsell in 1277 and the upper chapel in St Alphege was built for a chantry. The priest lived and had his sacristy in a crypt chapel underneath, and the fireplace there can still be seen.

Unlike nearby Birmingham, the industrial revolution largely passed Solihull by, and until the 20th century Solihull remained a small market town.

World War II also nearly passed Solihull by. Neighbouring Coventry and Birmingham were severely damaged by repeated German bombing raids but apart from some attacks on what is now the Land-Rover plant, the airport and the railway lines, Solihull escaped largely intact.

In 1901 the population of the town was just 7,500, but by the 1960s the population had grown to over 100,000. This growth was due to a number of factors including a large slum clearance programme in Birmingham, the development of the Land Rover car plant, the expansion of what was then Elmdon Airport into Birmingham International Airport and, perhaps most significantly, the release of large tracts of land for Housing development attracting inward migration of new residents from across the UK.

Until the early 1960s the main high street remained much as it would have been in the late 19th Century with several streets of Victorian terrace houses linking High Street with the Warwick Road. The construction of the central shopping area involved the demolition of a number of streets, together with that of the large Victorian Congregational Church that had stood on the corner of Union Street and Warwick Road. On the right along High Street from St Alphege's church porch is one of town's oldest landmarks, The George, which dates from the sixteenth century. It is now called the Jarvis International Hotel. On the opposite side of the High Street is the Manor House which dates from about 1495.

Solihull may be considered to be a dormitory town for Birmingham to which it is joined although many Silhillians now work within the town and many commute daily to towns and cities outside the Birmigham connurbation.

Transport

A number of main roads pass through Solihull including the A41 Birmingham to Warwick Road and the A34 Birmingham to Stratford Road. The M42 and the M40 both pass through Solihull and provide very rapid links to Oxford and London and to the rest of the motorway network surrounding the West Midlands.

Solihull's main railway station is on the former Great Western Railway line from Birmingham Snow Hill station to London Marylebone station. In the first half of the 20th century, this railway line carried most of the express trains from the Midlands to the South west and South (Devon and Cornwall) Wales, including the Cornish Riviera Express and the Cambrian Coast Express pulled by the elegant and powerful Great Western Railway King Class and Castle Class locomotives. Other rail links are provided on the West Coast Mainline, as Birmingham International railway station lies within the borough's boundaries.

Express train services to Solihull are now run by Chiltern Railways and local services by Central Trains.

The Grand Union Canal passes across Solihull, coming within a mile of the town centre and linking the town to the River Thames in London.

Local bus services are provided largely by Travel West Midlands from their Acocks Green depot in south east Birmingham.

Local people are represented by the Solihull and Leamington Rail Users Association.

Housing

Residential development in Solihull comprises a variety of housing types, but features a notable preponderance of large detached houses of four or more bedrooms. Many of the larger developments were constructed between 1950 and 1970. One of the earlier large scale developments centred around Beechwood Park Road and Stonor Park Road with new detached houses selling for £4000 in 1952.Chelmsley Wood, to the north of Solihull town centre, is a large 1960s Council estate, which is currently marketed under the name of "North Solihull".

Administration

Due to its growth, Solihull was promoted from an urban district to a municipal borough, the honour being bestowed by Princess Margaret.

In 1964 Solihull became a county borough and on this occasion The Queen bestowed the honour. In 1974 the Solihull county borough was merged with the rural district surrounding Meriden to form the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. This also includes the districts known as Shirley, Castle Bromwich and Chelmsley Wood (North Solihull). At this time it also moved from the county of Warwickshire to the West Midlands, and is now a unitary authority.

Facilities and commerce

Solihull offers a variety of shopping facilities. It has a largely concrete 1960s-style shopping centre called Mell Square. In recent years, the town has undergone much development. In 2001, a large new shopping centre, Touchwood, was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Solihull is the home of the four wheel drive car manufacturer Land Rover and a range of other major companies.

The National Exhibition Centre, commonly thought to be in Birmingham, is in the borough of Solihull, as is almost all of Birmingham International Airport.

A large and well known producer of Pewter figurenes, The Tudor Mint Ltd. has recently located to Solihull but has been based in Birmingham since its founding.

Amenities

Solihull has a number of parks including Malvern Park, Brueton Park, Tudor Grange Park and Shirley Park. The nearest parks to the town centre are Malvern and Brueton parks. They are interlinked and cover about 130 acres. Brueton Park used to be part of the grounds of Malvern Hall, which dates back to about 1690. It is home now to St Martin's School. Solihull has numerous leisure facilities including a public swimming pool on the edge of Tudor Grange Park. This pool replaced an outdoor pool in Tudor Grange Park which was demolished in the 1960's. The current pool is also under threat of demolition. Tudor Grange Park also has two sports centres: the more modern Tudor Grange sports centre, and the older Norman Green sports centre, formerly known as the Norman Green Athletics Centre. There is also an outdoor wooden skateboarding and in-line skating facility in Tudor Grange Park. Sailing takes place on Olton Reservoir.

There is an ice rink on Hobs Moat Road, which is home to the Solihull Barons, Solihull Vikings and Solihull Vixens ice hockey teams, a Junior ice hockey team, the Mohawks ice racing club, as well as ice dance and figure skating clubs. Above the ice rink is Rileys snooker club.

The River Blythe, a headwater tributary of the River Trent, passes through parts of Solihull including Malvern and Brueton Parks.

Clubs & Pubs

Pubs and restaurants in Solihull include: The White Swan (Wetherspoons), The Masons Arms, The Barley Mow, The Saddlers Arms, The Coach House, The George and Bar Censsa. Other eateries include TGI Fridays, Must, Nando's, La Tasca, Burger King, Zizzi, Pizza Hut, Subway, Harry Ramsden's Express and McDonald's. Solihull town centre has one club located on the High Street called 'Reflex @ The Loft'. However most people refer to it as 'Rosies' which was its previous name.

Twin towns

Solihull is twinned with Cholet, France and Main-Taunus-Kreis, Germany.

Notable residents

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• Jasper Carrott
• Lucy Davis from The Office
• Steve Bruce, Birmingham City F.C. manager
• Mandy Rice-Davies, famed for her role in the Profumo affair, attended Sharman's Cross junior school in Solihull
• Lee Hendrie
• W.H. Auden lived in Solihull until he was eight
• Kenny Cunningham (ex Birmingham City footballer),
• Joanne Malin (Central News),
• Dave Hill (Slade's Guitarist) and the band Ocean Colour Scene.

Towns in the West Midlands

External links

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• Solihull council website

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