The Streets of Brum - Part Five

Birmingham’s streets, roads and lanes are an absorbing aspect of our history. They call out to us about long dead landowners, notable figures from the history of England, Brummies long forgotten, farms that have been swept away by the outpouring of our city, remarkable physical features, distant battles, intriguing foreign places and mysterious happenings.

The street names of Birmingham raise many immediate questions. Was there an oak in Selly Oak? How is Smallbrook Street connected to a vicious family feud? Where is Spiceal Street and why is it important? Who was Tinker Fox and what connection is there between the Adderleys and Saltley? How are the city’s Civil War connections reflected in its street names? Which battles of the First World War are recalled in streets in Billesley? And how are both Tyseley Hill Road and Weoley Castle Square tied in to the Anglo-Saxon mythology?

In this deeply researched book, Carl Chinn looks at scores of street names, bringing to life their meaning and those people who belonged to them.

Carl Chinn MBE is Professor of Community History at The University of Birmingham, a columnist with the Birmingham Evening Mail and the Express and Star, and broadcaster with BBC WM. The Streets of Brum: Part Five is his 28th book.