Great Barr 847565 210784343 2008-05-07T11:49:33Z Darknessdude16 5863704 {{Infobox UK place | |country = England |map_type= West Midlands |official_name= Great Barr |latitude = 52.548 |longitude = -1.932 |population= |metropolitan_borough= |metropolitan_county= [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] |region = West Midlands |constituency_westminster= various |post_town= BIRMINGHAM, WALSALL |postcode_district= B |postcode_area= B |dial_code= 0121 |os_grid_reference= SP047945 }} '''Great Barr''' is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of [[Birmingham]], [[West Bromwich]] ([[Sandwell]]; including the Great Barr with Yew Tree [[Ward (politics)|Ward]]) and [[Walsall]], [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], [[England]]. "Barr" means "hill", and the name refers to nearby [[Barr Beacon]]. ==History== Great Barr was a largely rural area on the [[Staffordshire]]-[[Warwickshire]] border as recently as the [[First World War]], but during the 1920s development for private and council housing began and by the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] in 1939 it was a very busy residential area with good road connections to [[West Bromwich]], [[Walsall]] and [[Birmingham]]. Expansion continued after the war, and during the 1960s it received a motorway link when Junction 7 of the [[M6 motorway]] was opened on the [[A34 road|A34]]. It is also located close to the starting point of the [[M5 motorway|M5]], which can be accessed just one mile (1.6 km) northwards on the M6. Kidnapper and [[Murder|murderer]] [[Michael Sams]] held estate agent Stephanie Slater captive at a house in Great Barr for several days in January 1992, before letting her go and spending three weeks on the run before police finally arrested him. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1993 for abducting Stephanie Slater and murdering [[Leeds]] prostitute Julie Dart, who died in July 1991. Sams had originally denied murdering Ms Dart but later confessed. He is still in prison as of 2008.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980816/ai_n14179797] ==Geography== The traditional centre of Great Barr is focussed on the busy junction of the [[A34 road|A34]] and [[A4041 road|A4041]] roads, at the Scott Arms [[public house]] and [[shopping centre]]. This is named after the Scott family of [[Great Barr Hall]], which was once home of [[Samuel Galton, Jr.|Samuel Galton]] and a meeting place of the [[Lunar Society]]. [[Image:ScottArms.jpg|thumb|right|The Scott Arms junction, the traditional centre of Great Barr.]] However, the name is also loosely applied to a swathe of the West Midlands bounded by junction 8 of the [[M6 motorway]] in the west, the [[Chase Line|Birmingham - Walsall railway line]] (part of the former [[Grand Junction Railway]], opened in 1837, and including [[Hamstead railway station]], formerly called Great Barr station) and [[Perry Barr]] to the south, [[Kingstanding]] to the east, and the open countryside of Barr Beacon to the north. Great Barr includes much of the [[B postcode area|B42, B43 and B44 postcode areas]]. ==Places of interest== [[Bishop Asbury Cottage]] (incorrectly named as "Bishop Ashbury's Cottage" on [[Ordnance Survey]] maps), was where [[Francis Asbury]], the first American Methodist Bishop, was raised. It is owned by [[Sandwell|Sandwell Council]] and is Grade II listed. It is open by appointment for group visits, and opens occasionally to the general public. More details of access and opening times can be found in the link below. [[Great Barr Hall]] is a Grade II* [[listed building]], and due its current state of disrepair It is not open to the public. [[Image:RedHouseGreatBarr.jpg|thumb|right|The Red House]] [[Red House Park]] is open to the public and provides important amenities for the local community. It is owned by the Sandwell Council. In the grounds are both the Red House itself and an obelisk erected in memory of Princess Charlotte who died in childbirth in November 1817. The Red House is Grade II listed building, but is not currently open to the public and its future is uncertain. [[Birmingham Canal Navigations]]' [[Tame Valley Canal]] runs through Great Barr, from Piercy Aqueduct at Hamstead, along a cutting in 200-million year old [[sandstone]], under Freeth bridge at Tower Hill, under the A34 and into Perry Barr Locks at Perry Barr. <ref name="Nicholson2">''Nicholson waterways Guide 2 - Severn, Avon and Birmingham'', Collins, 2006 ISBN 978-0-00-721110-4</ref> ==Notable residents== [[Image:BirdbrookRoadSigns.jpg|thumb|right|Street name signs on Birdbrook Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, showing old "Birmingham 22" (top) and modern "B44" postcodes.]] Musicians [[Steve Winwood]],[[Dave Swarbrick]] and actor [[Martin Shaw]] were raised in the Birmingham part of Great Barr. All three attended [[Great Barr School]]. [[Steve Winwood|Winwood]] was born in the nearby suburb of [[Handsworth, West Midlands|Handsworth]]. ==Schools== Great Barr is well served with a number of primary and secondary schools. ===Primary schools=== * [[Calshot Primary School]] is a mixed infant and junior school. * [[Glenmead Primary School]] is a mixed junior and infant school. * [[Grove Vale Primary School]] is a mixed junior and infant school. * [[Whitecrest Primary School]] is a mixed junior and infant school. * [[St Margarets CE Primary School]] is a mixed junior and infant school. * [[Holy Name RC Primary School]] is a mixed junior and infant school. * [[St Mark's RC Primay School]] is a mixed junior and infant school. * [[Greenholm primary school]] a mixed junior and infant school. * [[Great Barr Primary School]] a mixed junior and infant school ===Secondary schools=== * [[Dartmouth High School (Sandwell)|Dartmouth High School]] is a mixed school catering for children aged 11 to 19. * [[Great Barr School]] is a mixed school catering for children aged 11 to 19. * [[Perry Beeches School]] is a Technology College catering for children of both sexes aged 11 to 16. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ Birmingham City Council] *[http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/ Sandwell Council (includes West Bromwich)] *[http://www.walsall.gov.uk/ Walsall Council] *[http://www.B43.co.uk B43 postcode area] *[http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/redhousepark/index.html Friends of Red House Park] *[http://www.laws.sandwell.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/bishop-asbury-cottage/ Bishop Asbury Cottage (page on the Sandwell Council website)] [[Category:Areas of the West Midlands]] [[Category:Areas of Birmingham, England]]