Kingshurst

Kingshurst is a post-war village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of the county of Warwickshire in the Meriden Rural District, It lies about 7 mi north of Solihull town centre, 10 mi east of Birmingham and 10 miles (16km) west of Coventry, it borders North Warwickshire to the east. The village is encompassed within the electoral ward Kingshurst & Fordbridge which had a population of 7,868 in the 2011 census.

History of Kingshurst
The name Kingshurst comes from having previously been a Royal Manor, and "hurst" meaning wood. The earliest record of Kingshurst is in documents from the late 13th and early 14th centuries, when it is referred to as part of the Manor of Coleshill. Tenant farming was administered from here and Simon de Montford of Coleshill was an English nobleman who built a moated manor house in Kingshurst. The Hall had its own park and farmlands.

Kingshurst Hall Manor House
Kingshurst Hall was a large country manor house surrounded by a moat, built around 1390 by Sir William Montfort, son of Sir Baldwin Montfort. Kingshurst took on an independent existence from Coleshill with the arrival of the Mountfords. It is unclear how Kingshurst came into their possession although it is probable that they bought the area around 1332 from the Clintons, who were then Lords of the Manor at Coleshill. What is certain is that they were in possession by about 1352. The Manor House was demolished in 1969 to accommodate post war housing for the ever expanding nearby Birmingham.

Yorkswood Forest
During World War I, much of the woodland in Kingshurst was cut down to help with the war effort. The Birmingham and District Association of Boy Scouts were able to buy a patch of land from the WarwickshireMeriden Rural District at a bargain price and set up a permanent camp there. This land was halfway between Kingshurst and Shard End. It was called Yorkswood and opened in 1923. There were five camp fields, covering an area of 25 acre. The total site was over 200 acre. The site benefited from permanent washhouses and latrines, a swimming-pool, a training centre and headquarters, guesthouse, warden’s hut and other huts. A small brook from a fresh water spring ran past the camp and Cock Sparrow Farm was about 100 yd away to provide fresh milk.

The entrance to the camp was flanked by a series of griffin statues. These had come from the roof of Lewis's Department Store on Corporation Street in Birmingham when it was being renovated. After the camp closed in 1972, they were placed on the housing estate over the border in Birmingham's Kendrick Avenue and nearby roads built upon the site of the camp. The forest acts as a border between Birmingham and Solihull to this day.

2022 Lake Tragedy
On Sunday 11th December 2022, four boys from the village, Finlay, Thomas, Samuel and Jack were taken to hospital in a critical condition, after falling under the ice and into the freezing water. By the 15th December 2022, it was confirmed that all four children had passed away.

Kingshurst today
Kingshurst is now mainly a suburban/semi-rural residential area of Solihull. Built in the 1950s in the Meriden Rural District of Warwickshire, it now lies within the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It is a stone throw from Birmingham Airport, NEC (National Exhibition Centre), Birmingham Business Park and the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Elmdon. There are a substantial number of large houses in the village (east of Gilson Way and south of the lake), and a housing estate in the west. The centre of Kingshurst also dates from the 1950s and is located around Marston Drive/ Gilson Way.

Babbs Mill Lake is located to the south of the village adjacent to the Yorkswood forest amid the vast Kingfisher Country Park on Fordbridge Road. The River Cole, West Midlands runs through the southern most point of the village within the park.

There are three primary schools, Kingshurst Primary School, St. Anthonys Catholic Primary, Yorkswood Primary and four Kindergarten preparatory groups. The most attended senior/co-ed schools for Kingshurst children are Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst on Cooks Lane, John Henry Newman Catholic College on Chelmsley Road.The Coleshill School in Warwickshire, and Smith's Wood Academy across the Chester Road in Smith’s Wood. The nearest independent school is Solihull School in Solihull town centre.

Kingshurst library is located on Marston Drive, alongside the village post office, optician, hair salon, pharmacy and a village Co-op. The shopping area is currently undergoing major redevelopment by Solihull Council and West Midlands Combined Authority. It includes 75-80 new social and privately owned housing, a new park, cycle route and parking. The new village centre will include enhanced community and youth spaces, a cafè & deli, and a new vicarage to St Barnabas. The new high street will be named “Boulevard”.

There are four places of worship in Kingshurst. The Anglican church is dedicated to St Barnabas and is situated off Church Close, the Catholic church on Oakthorpe Drive is dedicated to St Anthony, the Pentecostal Church situated in Gilson Way, New Testament Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). And the Evangelicalism church, Connection Church Centre, situated on Cooks Lane.

Kingshurst Park is located off Gilson Way/Marston Drive behind the New Testament Church of God car park. Popular with dog walkers, cyclists and joggers. It is popular in the summer months with the field being a popular picnic spot. The children's play area is the main facility with the freedom to play outdoor games and activities. The park is included in the masterplan to regenerate the area.

There are four main bus routes that run through Kingshurst. The A9 from Kingshurst to Blythe Valley Park, the X12 to Solihull, the 95 into Birmingham, and the 71 to Sutton Coldfield.

According to the 2021 census, Kingshurst has a population of 8,344.

Notable residents
Gary Shaw, the former Aston Villa footballer, was born at a house on Meriden Drive in January 1961 and lived there until the 1980s, by which time he was established as a key player at Villa.

A special advisor to former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron went to school in Kingshurst.

Rapper Lady Leshurr was born and raised in Kingshurst.

Mike Kendall Famous sleuth and traveller attended Kingshurst Boys School in the 1970s. Reportedly his ideal travel destination is Vindication Island, although he has not yet been.

Parish council
Kingshurst has a parish council, to which it elects 12 members every four years. Kingshurst is currently under a Conservative council, with David Cole as Councillor.

Parliamentry Constituency
Kingshurst is in the Meriden (UK Parliament constituency), with Saqib Bhatti MBE as the Conservative MP since 2019. Subject to a boundary change in the next genereal election, some roads in the northern part of the village will be merged into the Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North (UK Parliament constituency), though the majority of the village will remain in Meriden.