Bearwood is the southern part of Smethwick, in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically in the county of Staffordshire, Bearwood lies north of the A456 Hagley Road. Bearwood Hill was the original name of the High Street from Smethwick Council House to Windmill Lane. The border at the Shireland Brook where Portland Road, Edgbaston becomes Shireland Road, Smethwick is signed "Bearwood" as of February 2014.
Geography The part of Bearwood to the west of Shireland Brook is included in Abbey ward in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough. The smaller part of Bearwood to the east of Shireland Brook is in the North West Edgbaston ward in Birmingham. In 1903, Bearwood ward in Smethwick extended from Hagley Road to Smethwick High Street and included part of Cape Hill.Ordnance Survey map, 1903, Godfrey Edition reprint.
The Bearwood telephone exchange area marked out by the 0121–429, 420, and 434 numbers extends as far east as Harborne Walkway.
Bearwood, like many areas of the West Midlands conurbation, has a local sense of place, although it has become absorbed into Smethwick. Many locals still use the term "The Bear" especially referring to "The Bear Hotel" located in Bearwood. An old map of the 18th century mentions "The Bear of Smethwick".
Bearwood centres around the Bearwood Road, and the crossroads with Sandon Road and Three Shires Oak Road. Historically, Bearwood extended as far north as Smethwick High Street by Victoria Park east of the Council House. The 1899 Smethwick Borough surveyor's map of Smethwick shows Bearwood Ward as including Cheshire Road from its junction immediately opposite the Council House. Bearwood Hill is the old name for the High Street south of Victoria Park.This is clearly shown on a map dated "about 1828" displayed in the Smethwick Heritage Centre in Victoria Park next to the Council House. This map also shows the name "Bearwood Hill Meadow for the location of Smethwick Council House. the approach to Cape Hill from Birmingham via Portland Road still has a sign saying "Bearwood".
History
The origin of the name is debated, suggestions ranging from simply "Beor's Wood", or the fact that Old English might be translated as "grove", with the implication that this was open woodland used as pasture; simply means a "wood". Certainly there was a wide area of dense forest in the West Midlands in Anglo-Saxon times.
Maps of the Bearwood area up to the mid 19th century show the area as being rural, with farms, mansions such as Lightwoods House, and two small hamlets near the main crossroads. Bearwood Road was an important route linking the growing industrial area of Smethwick with Harborne, Selly Oak and King's Norton, with crossroads at Sandon Road (site of The Bear Tavern) and Hagley Road (site of The King's Head). From about 1880, there was quite rapid growth with a mixture of "ribbon development" and planned streets.Local History notes on the Godfrey Edition reprint of 1903 Ordnance Survey Map This development ignored the county boundaries, and covered the Staffordshire central section along Bearwood Road, and spread into Warwickshire (eastwards), a discontiguous part of Shropshire (north-westwards) and Worcestershire (south-westwards). By 1903, the entire area of Bearwood between Barnsley Road and Wigorn Road, north of Adkins Lane, and as far north as Rawlings Road (marked by the Baptist Chapel) had been developed in an orderly manner.
Also by 1903, most of the northern section of Bearwood Ward had also been developed. The north-east part included the M&B Brewery, and a substantial housing estate for the brewery workers. In 1903, Beakes Farm retained open country from Rawlings Road to Waterloo Road. The older terraces in Willow Avenue, Poplar Avenue and Dorset Road had also been built.Buildings shown on the 1903 Ordnance Survey map, Godfrey Edition reprint.
The early 20th century before World War I was marked by a number of ornate landmark buildings. One example is the 1908 structure opposite The Bear Tavern on the corner of Sandon Road and Bearwood Road. Built in 1907 for the Co-operative Society, this imposing building with terracotta ornaments is now divided into a number of separate shops.
The Merrivale Road housing estate south of Hadley Stadium was built from 1905 to 1908.Local historian
Some of the Birmingham conurbation's older properties can be found in the roads adjoining Bearwood Road. A traditionally upper working class area of Victorian terraced houses, this has more recently become much sought after, as house prices in neighbouring areas such as Harborne have moved out of the range of first time buyers.
During the 1918 general election, Bearwood came close to having two women MPs from amongst the first 17 to stand at the first opportunity, following changes in the election law. The boundary between the Stourbridge constituency and the Smethwick constituency roughly ran along what are now known as Wigorn Road and Thimblemill Road. In Stourbridge, Mary Macarthur was the Labour candidate, and in Smethwick, Christabel Pankhurst fought as a Women's Party candidate on behalf of the coalition. Both lost, but had they won, Bearwood would have been the first community in the country, possibly the world, to be represented at parliamentary level by two women.Hallam, David J.A., Taking on the Men: the first women parliamentary candidates 1918 , Studley, 2018; You Tube When Bearwood nearly had two women MPs
In 1967 Bearwood Primary School appointed Tony O'Connor as head teacher. He was the first Black head teacher in the UK having been born in Jamaica and came to Britain with the RAF in 1943. The day after the announcement of his appointment racist slogans and swastikas were daubed around the school. O'Connor was well liked by both parents and children and retired in 1983. Local historian David Hallam is currently researching his life.
Governance Bearwood is in Abbey ward for elections to Sandwell borough council.
Economy Until the main era of house building in the 20th century, the main industry was agriculture. By 1903, Beakes Farm between Rawlings Road and Hadley Stadium was the last farm. Bearwood has had very little manufacturing industry, the most important being the William Mitchell Pens factory at the northern end of Bearwood Road.
The main commercial activity is shops and other service sector businesses.
Culture
Local pub The Bear Tavern (The Bear Hotel) hosted comedy nights in the 1980s hosted by local comedian Frank Skinner (then performing as Chris Collins) and many television comedians appeared there, including Sean Hughes, Ed Byrne and some of the cast of The Fast Show. It now stages a monthly clubnight, Club Mojo, and hosts an annual charity Music festival entitled Bearwoodstock. Thin Lizzy played there New Year's Eve 1970 and Judas Priest in April 1971. The Beatles, among many other notable bands, played at Thimblemill baths in the 1960s. "The Midland", a real ale pub, opened in July 2014 at the site of the old Midland Bank, and a Craft Inn opened on the Bearwood Road in 2019. Further along the Hagley Road is the Dog Inn.
Bearwood's main musical claim to fame lies with Christine Perfect, who grew up in Bearwood and studied sculpture at art college in Birmingham. She joined Fleetwood Mac and married John McVie in 1970 and, as Christine McVie, went on to become one of the outstanding members in the band's long and illustrious career. Keith Law, member of the bands Velvett Fogg and Jardine, lived in Park Road, Bearwood, in the mid-1980s. Other musical claims to fame include the now defunct "Little Nibble" cafe getting a mention on Dexy's Midnight Runners "Don't Stand Me Down" album and local-ish band The Twang rehearsing at the Sandwell Snooker Centre in the town. Actress Julie Walters is from Smethwick and lived in Bishopton Road as a child.
There are many local musicians in the area and until recently there were regular acoustic performances at Atticus Bar, which closed its doors in November 2008. Until his death in 2012 saxophonist Andy Hamilton performed weekly gigs along with his sons and Blue Notes band at the Corks Club on Bearwood High Street.
Since 2015 a theatre group, called The Bearwood Players, was set up by a local resident to raise money for charity. In November 2015 their first production, a version of the traditional pantomime, Cinderella, was performed at the Bearwood Corks Club raising money for BBC Children in Need. A total of just over £3,800 was raised. In July 2016 they performed Hairspray – The Musical, again at the Corks Club and raised £20,000 – again for BBC CiN. Since July 2016 the Bearwood Players have moved venues to the Windsor Theatre Bar on Bearwood Road.
The Bearwood Street Festival launched in 2017 and was reprised in 2019. A multi-venue event, it features three stages, a street food area, a family area with extra provision for SEN children, and a street market. The Festival is organised by local residents through the community group "We are Bearwood".
In 2011 a group of local people began to stage free music events at the bandstand in Lightwoods Park, these events are known as the Bearwood Shuffle and have attracted large crowds with an eclectic mix of local acts both established and unsigned.
Community facilities Shopping facilities along Bearwood Road include an indoor market, an Aldi supermarket, bakeries and pharmacies. There are several opticians and a NHS dental practice. The Birmingham Outer Circle bus routes (the 11A and the 11C), which link Birmingham's suburbs, have stops here. Bearwood also has a number of restaurants serving a range of different cuisines, including The King's Head, The Bear, Johnathan's in the Park, Mt Nemrut, (Turkish), A La Mexicana, Purnima (formerly Teknaf Cuisine), Haweli (Indian), Vaz (Portuguese), The Why Not Cafe, The Edge (Bus Station) Mi Tierra (South American) and The Old Dresser.
Bearwood Road leads northwards to Smethwick High Street, and at the southern end joins Hagley Road, one of the main arterial routes into Birmingham from the M5 at Junction 3. If the plans for the West Midlands Metro extension along the Hagley Road are realised, Bearwood will also have a tram stop.
Parks and green spaces
Lightwoods Park is located to the west of Bearwood, on the north side of Hagley Road. It consists of Lightwoods House and grounds. In 1902, following the death of Caleb Adkins, the house and grounds were put up for sale, with the risk that it would be demolished for building houses on the estate. A. M. Chance led a committee which by public subscription purchased the estate and handed it over to Birmingham Corporation as a public park.Greenslade, Baggs, Baugh & Johnston, A History of the County of Stafford, Volume 17 (Offlow Hundred), 1976 By 1905, further public subscriptions enabled more land to be bought and added to the park.Greenslade, Baggs, Baugh & Johnston, Op. Cit.
The bandstand and other features have the Birmingham City crest with the motto, "Birmingham Forward" in recognition of the former ownership of the park by Birmingham City Corporation, although the park itself has never been within the city boundaries.
A prior tenant of Lightwoods House was the Hardman company, which makes stained glass windows. In November 2010, by agreement between the two councils, Lightwoods Park was handed over to Sandwell MBC.
Features include a skateboard ramp and bowling green. "The Shakespeare Garden", a walled garden alongside the house, was planted with every identifiable plant in Shakespeare's plays. The bandstand is a grade II listed building. A drinking fountain also has City of Birmingham inscriptions. The historic Lightwoods House, a grade II listed building, underwent extensive renovation in 2016, and now houses a café and meeting rooms for a range of local activities such as fitness classes, community events such as theatre and concerts, and weddings.