Balsall Common

Balsall Common is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England. It is situated 4.5 miles (7.5 km) northwest of Kenilworth, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Coventry, 8 miles (13 km) east of Solihull and 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast of Birmingham, to which it serves as a prosperous commuter village. It is currently undergoing gradual suburbanisation and is increasingly considered as a small town in terms of its population. The name “Balsall” comes from the Anglo Saxon word “Baelle” meaning corner (or angle) of land, and “Heale” meaning a sheltered place [1]

Balsall Common

Station Road, the main shopping street
Balsall Common
Location within the West Midlands
Population7,039 (2011)
OS grid referenceSP238771
Civil parish
  • Balsall
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCoventry
Postcode districtCV7
PoliceWest Midlands
FireWest Midlands
AmbulanceWest Midlands

The village is split between the civil parishes of Balsall, which also includes Balsall Street, Temple Balsall, and Fen End, and had a population of 7,039 according to the 2011 census. It also lies on the Heart of England Way.

The village is of recent origin; most of the houses and shops were built in the 20th century. Previously, the village consisted of a couple of hamlets of about six to twelve houses each and a few scattered cottages - as this map of 1889 shows. In the 1930s, there began the development which linked these isolated buildings, but it was not until after World War II that the village really began to grow.

With its close proximity to the village of Meriden 4 miles (6.4 km) away, which until recently was long-believed to be the geographic centre of England, Balsall Common is perceived to be one of the furthest places from the UK coastline. In fact, Coton-in-the-Elms in south Derbyshire holds this designation, situated 23.5 miles (37.8 km) to the north. Nevertheless, Balsall Common's secondary school is named the Heart of England School. The local primary school is named Balsall Common Primary School.

It is served by Berkswell railway station (actually in Balsall Common) on the Coventry-Birmingham line, and by bus to Solihull (service S2A/S2C).

Other nearby towns and villages include Knowle, Kenilworth, Warwick, Hampton-in-Arden, Berkswell, Barston, Honiley and Hatton. Its districts include Needler's End, Yew Tree, Catchems Corner, Balsall Street and Hallmeadow (developed in the 1990s).

Since the late-1990s, plans for a bypass, a large national supermarket and larger swathes of new housing have so far been circumvented. This is mainly due to Balsall Common being situated at the heart of the West Midlands green belt area known as the Meriden Gap, between Solihull and Coventry, and is thus subject to strict planning regulations. Therefore, the village/town has so far not witnessed rapid growth given its location, as residents had long-feared that the village would act as a population overspill centre for Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham. A new Tesco Metro store opened in December 2014 on Station Road.

Notable residents

Several Premiership and Championship footballers live (and have lived) in Balsall Common, especially those playing with Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Coventry City. These include John Sillett, Trond Egil Soltvedt, Trevor Francis in the late 1970s, Lee Carsley and Robbie Keane. Other famous sporting residents include, former England cricket captain Bob Wyatt and Wimbledon ladies single champion Maud Watson. Former England international goalkeeper Peter Shilton briefly lived in the village from late-1995 to early 1996, before moving to nearby Burton Green.. Another notable resident is Paddy Doyle, who formerly held numerous fitness and endurance world records. Neil Back, Rugby Union, Leicester Tigers British and Irish Lions also Lived in Balsall Common during his career in the 1990s – early 2000s.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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