King's Norton and Northfield Urban District was a local government administrative district in north Worcestershire

Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, from 1898 until 1911. Much of its area was afterwards absorbed into the neighbouring Borough of Birmingham, under the Greater Birmingham Scheme, and now constitutes most of the City’s southern and southwestern suburban environs.

Creation

The District was originally created in 1894 as the King's Norton Rural District, under the Local Government Act 1894

Local Government Act 1894

The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...

, and succeeded the former King's Norton Rural Sanitary District upon which its area was largely based. It was later reconstituted as an urban district

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

 on 1 October 1898, by the Local Government Board Order, No. 38,127, and was accordingly renamed the King's Norton and Northfield Urban District. Both as a rural and an urban district it comprised only those civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es of the King's Norton Poor Law Union then wholly within the Administrative County of Worcester, namely the parishes of King's Norton

Kings Norton

Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...

, Northfield and Beoley

Beoley

Beoley is a village and civil parish just north of Redditch in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, and adjoins Warwickshire to the east. The 2001 census recorded a parish population of 945, most of whom live at Holt End...

.

Electoral Wards

The District was arranged into the following wards for the election of local councillors:

King's Norton Civil Parish

• King's Norton Ward
• Moseley (Moor Green) Ward
• Moseley (Wake Green) Ward
• King's Heath (East) Ward
• King's Heath (West) Ward
• Stirchley (North) Ward
• Stirchley (South) Ward
• Rednal and Rubery Ward
• Wythall Ward

Northfield Civil Parish

• Northfield Ward
• Selly Oak (East) Ward
• Selly Oak (West) Ward
• Bartley Green Ward

Committees

The District Council was organised into several committees with responsibility over a number of areas:

Baths, Parks and Cemeteries Committee

When the Committee was initially set up it was as the Cemeteries Committee, with a separate sub-committee that had specific responsibility for baths and parks. However, from May 1898 onwards, the Baths & Parks Sub-Committee ceased to exist and the Cemeteries Committee assumed their duties, altering its title to reflect this change.

Education Committee

The Committee was formed on 1 June 1903, and consisted of 40 members, of whom 28 were District Councillors.

Pensions Committee

The Committee had distinct sub-committees for the following areas of the District: King's Norton & Stirchley, Moseley & King's Heath, Wythall & Beoley, Northfield, and Selly Oak.

Distress Committee

The Committee consisted of 25 members, of whom 12 were District Councillors, 8 were Guardians of the King's Norton Poor Law Union, and the remaining 5 were "persons experienced in the relief of distress".

Demography

According to the 1911 census the District had a population of 81,153, large enough to become a county borough

County borough

County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...

.

Amenities and services

During its existence the District Council provided public amenities for its populace in the form of two cemeteries, two swimming baths, several parks and recreation grounds, and a handful of free libraries. The Council also ran a number of elementary schools, as well as being responsible for the local volunteer fire service:

District Cemeteries

Image	Name	Year of opening	Details
	Lodge Hill Cemetery Lodge Hill Cemetery, Birmingham Lodge Hill Cemetery is a municipal cemetery and crematorium in Selly Oak, Birmingham, England. The cemetery was first opened by King’s Norton Rural District Council in 1895, and during the 1930s became the site of Birmingham's first crematorium....	1895	The site for the Cemetery at Lodge Hill in Selly Oak was initially secured by the old Rural Sanitary Authority for £3,528, after which the Rural District Council oversaw the construction of two mortuary chapels and the cemetery offices, which were designed by F. B. Andrews. The Cemetery opened in January 1895, but it was not until the following year that it was consecrated by the then Bishop of Worcester and Coventry, the Right Reverend John Perowne John James Stewart Perowne John James Stewart Perowne was an English bishop. Born in Burdwan, Bengal, Perowne was a member of a notable clerical family, whose origins were Hugenot.... . As well as having specific burial sections for Anglicans, Catholics and Non-conformists, it also had an area exclusively for the use by the Society of Friends, in which notable members of the Quaker families of Lloyd and Cadbury Cadbury family The Cadbury family is a prominent British family of industrialists descending from Richard Tapper Cadbury.* Richard Tapper Cadbury , who financed John** John Cadbury , family patriarch and founder of the chocolate company...  were buried.
?	Brandwood End Cemetery Brandwood End Cemetery Brandwood End Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Brandwood Ward of Birmingham, England.-History:Until the early 19th century the Church of England church yards and burial grounds were the only major places available for burials...	1899	The Rural District Council bought land at Brandwood End Brandwood End Brandwood End is a locality in Birmingham, England, and part of the Brandwood electoral ward. It is the location of Brandwood End Cemetery.... , near King's Heath, for the purpose of building a cemetery in 1895. The combined cost of the purchase price and its laying out came to £17,000, which included deep drainage work due to the area’s clay subsoil. Two terracotta and red brick mortuary chapels were erected on the site, one consecrated and the other not, both designed by Brewin Holmes. The Cemetery officially opened on 13 April 1899, with its first burial taking place two days later.

Public Baths

Image	Name	Year of opening	Details
	Tiverton Road Public Baths	1906	The Baths in Bournbrook Bournbrook Bournbrook is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Bournbrook is bordered by Selly Oak to the west and south, Selly Park to the east, and Edgbaston to the north. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the Birmingham Cross-City Railway Line run along the...  were built in 1905. Designed by E. Harding Payne, the building work was carried out by the local firm of Messrs T. A. Cole & Son.
?	Bournville Lane Public Baths	1911	Stirchley

Public Parks

Image	Name	Year of opening	Details
	Selly Oak Park	1899	A gift of 11½ acres of the former Weoley Park Farm estate, in Selly Oak Selly Oak Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south... , was made to the Urban District Council by Mrs Emma J. Gibbins and her four sons, in February 1899, specifically for the formation of a public park.
	Cotteridge Park Cotteridge Park Cotteridge Park is a public park in Cotteridge, Birmingham, England.Cotteridge Park is one of the Victorian parks in the city, set in , and located in the Bournville ward with an active community support group. It contains basketball and tennis courts, an orchard, an amphitheatre, playgrounds, a...	1905	Cotteridge
	Muntz Park	1905	Selly Park
?	Victoria Common	1905	Northfield
?	King's Heath Park	1909	King's Heath
?	Selly Park Recreation Ground	1910	The land for this recreation ground had originally been earmarked for housing as part of the residential development of the Selly Hill Estate (later the Selly Park Estate), but for some unknown reason the building work never commenced. The main area, therefore, was acquired by the Urban District Council in April 1910, being bought from Mr W. A. Issett for £1,940, with further acreage being purchased in the December of that same year from the Martin Trustees at a cost of £3,067.

Free Libraries

Proposals for the provision of Free Libraries in the District were first mooted in 1902, and following the adoption of the Libraries Acts

Public Libraries Act 1850

The Public Libraries Act 1850 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which first gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries...

 the next year, a scheme to establish libraries throughout its area was set up. Between 1905 and 1909 seven new libraries were built across the District, with the land being donated by local philanthropic businessmen and the building work funded through the benevolence of Dr Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...

.

Image	Name	Year of opening	Details
?	Bartley Green Free Library	1905
	King's Heath Free Library	1906
?	King's Norton Free Library	1906
	Selly Oak Free Library	1906	Built on land in the High Street, given by Mr Thomas Gibbins Junior of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company Birmingham Battery and Metal Company The Birmingham Battery and Metal Company was founded in 1836 with a factory in Digbeth, Birmingham.The company did not make batteries, but the use of the word battery in the name refers to a method of metal production and forming .-History:In 1850 the company was described as "manufacturers of...  in Selly Oak Selly Oak Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south... , in 1903, the foundation stone was laid on 1 August 1905 by Councillor E. A. Olivieri. The construction work itself was paid for by the Carnegie Foundation Carnegie library A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems... , and, at a final cost of £3,000, the Library was officially opened by Mr Gibbins on 23 June 1906. The completed building comprised a Reading Room, Lending Department and Reference Department.
	Northfield Free Library	1906	Situated in Church Road, Northfield, and costing £750 to build, this small Library first opened its doors in September 1906. The original building, however, was consumed by fire on 12 February 1914. Believed to be the work of an arsonist, local suffragettes were reputed to have been responsible as they were active in the area, and a note was found spiked on the railings outside bearing the words "Give Women the Vote" along with a small brown paper parcel containg a copy of The Great Scourge and How to End It by Miss Christabel Pankhurst Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, DBE , was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union , she directed its militant actions from exile in France from 1912 to 1913. In 1914 she became a fervent supporter of the war against Germany... , apparently inscribed "To start your new library."
	Stirchley Free Library	1907	Located on Bournville Lane in Stirchley Stirchley, West Midlands Stirchley is a southern area of Birmingham, England. Close to the districts of Kings Heath, Bournville, Selly Park, Cotteridge and King's Norton... , the Library was built in 1907. As well as donating the land itself, George Cadbury apparently contributed £3,000 towards the building cost, though much of the work also seems to have been paid for by the Carnegie Trust Carnegie United Kingdom Trust Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is a charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom, established by Scottish-born American steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on the model of his U.S. foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York.... .
?	Rednal Free Library	1909	Built in Leach Green Lane, Rednal Rednal Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 9 miles south west of Birmingham city centre and forming part of Longbridge parish and electoral ward.... , the Library's foundation stone was laid on 12 June 1909 by "P. Farrell Esq." The memorial tablet declares that "The funds for the erection of this building were provided by Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...  Esq. of Skibo Castle N.B. and the purchase money for the site was given by Messrs Edward and George Cadbury Junior".

Council Schools

Until the 1902 Education Act, elementary education within the District was provided through a combination of a number of voluntary schools

Voluntary aided school

A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...

 established by religious organisations, such as the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 National Schools

National school (England and Wales)

A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...

 and the non-denominational British Schools

British and Foreign School Society

The British and Foreign School Society offers charitable aid to educational projects in the UK and around the world by funding schools, other charities and educational bodies...

, together with those schools built and maintained by the local School Boards for King's Norton and Beoley, who had been set up in the wake of the Elementary Education Act 1870

Elementary Education Act 1870

The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...

. Under the 1902 Act the Urban District Council was designated a Local Education Authority, and thereafter assumed the duties of the former King's Norton and Beoley School Boards, which were accordingly abolished, inheriting their existing school buildings, as well as being given the power to establish new elementary schools within the area.

Image	Name	Year of opening	Details
?	Woodgate Council School	1906	The School was originally opened as the Woodgate British School in 1891, at the local Primitive Methodist Chapel, but passed into the control of the Urban District Council in 1906. Considerable alterations to the building had taken place in 1893, as the original structure was considered inadequate, and despite further repairs carried out after its transfer it was repeatedly condemned. The School was finally closed in 1914 by Birmingham Corporation Birmingham City Council The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham... , when it was replaced by the new Bartley Green Council School.
?	Tiverton Road Council School	1906	The Urban District Council opened the Tiverton Road School at Bournbrook Bournbrook Bournbrook is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Bournbrook is bordered by Selly Oak to the west and south, Selly Park to the east, and Edgbaston to the north. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the Birmingham Cross-City Railway Line run along the...  in 1906.
	Raddlebarn Lane Council School	1909	A school was first established on Raddlebarn Lane (now Raddlebarn Road), Selly Park Selly Park Selly Park is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Selly Park is located between the Bristol Road and the Pershore Road .-Toponymy:... , in 1905. It replaced the earlier Selly Oak and Bournbrook Temporary Council School, which had been set up in the Bournbrook Technical Institute. The school was initially housed in some corrugated iron buildings, but work on a more permanent structure alongside began in 1906. The new school opened in 1909, and a year later was reorganised into separate Boys, Girls and Infants Departments.
	Selly Park Council School	1911	The School, situated on the Pershore Road A441 road A441 is an A-road in England which runs from central Birmingham to Cookhill, Worcestershire.-History:Once one of the main routes between Evesham, Redditch and Birmingham, the A441 has now largely been superseded by A435 which has been upgraded to the East...  in Selly Park Selly Park Selly Park is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Selly Park is located between the Bristol Road and the Pershore Road .-Toponymy:... , opened in 1911, replacing a temporary school that had existed on nearby Fashoda Road since 1904. During World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...  the new school was briefly used as a war hospital, caring for wounded soldiers, before being returned to an educational use.

Fire Service

Image	Name	Year of opening	Details
?	King's Heath Fire Station		The King's Heath Fire Brigade was first formed in 1886, and became the largest in the District. Its Station was in Sliver Street, King's Heath, and in 1910 it consisted of a force of 23 members, with both a manual and a steam engine, five horse-carts and four fire-escapes.
	Selly Oak Fire Station		The Selly Oak Brigade had their Station at 'The Dingle', just off the Bristol Road. Its captain from about 1890 had been Andrew Crump, who may be the man standing beside the driver in the accompanying photograph with braiding on his sleeve.
?	King's Norton Fire Station		A sub-station of the King's Heath Brigade, it was located on Holly Road in 'The Cotteridge Cotteridge Cotteridge is an area of Birmingham, England and is part of the Bournville ward. It is located about 4.5 miles south of Birmingham city centre. Connected to both the Watford Road and the Pershore Road, Cotteridge is a local shopping area.- St Agnes Church :... '.
?	Northfield Fire Station		Before the building of a Fire Station at 146 Maas Road, Northfield's tender was kept in the garden of the house of the then captain, Jack Hunt, in Cock Lane
?	Moseley Fire Station		The Moseley branch of the King's Heath Brigade had their station in Tudor Road, Moseley Moseley Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, two miles south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants... .

Abolition

The Urban District was finally abolished in 1911 as part of the provisions of the Greater Birmingham Act, when much of its area was incorporated into the County Borough of Birmingham, and thereby became associated with Warwickshire. This included the greater part of the civil parish of King's Norton, with the exception of a substantial still largely rural area in the south-east of the parish, which afterwards constituted the new civil parish of Wythall

Wythall

Wythall is a village in the Bromsgrove District, in the north-east corner of the county of Worcestershire, England. It borders Solihull and Birmingham, and has a population of 11,377....

, as well as a small part of Rednal

Rednal

Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 9 miles south west of Birmingham city centre and forming part of Longbridge parish and electoral ward....

 in the far south-west, which was added to the civil parish of Cofton Hackett

Cofton Hackett

Cofton Hackett is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of north east Worcestershire, England. It is situated 10.3 miles south west of the city centre of Birmingham and 24 miles north east of Worcester...

. It also included most of Northfield civil parish, save for a little under 200 acres at its extreme north-western tip which was transferred to the civil parish of Illey, then part of the Halesowen Rural District. It did not, however, include Beoley civil parish, which remained in Worcestershire, and which, along with Wythall, initially formed a separate rural district temporarily administered by the Bromsgrove Rural District Council, until both became part of that district on 31 March 1912.

External links

• Vision of Britain