Acocks Green

Coordinates: 52°26′46″N 1°49′23″W / 52.446°N 1.823°W / 52.446; -1.823

Acocks Green is an area and ward of south Birmingham, England. It is named after the Acock family who built a large house in the area in 1370. Acocks Green is one of the four wards making up Yardley formal district. The place name is occasionally spelled "Acock's Green" with an apostrophe, although nowadays "Acocks Green" is more usual. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.

Stockfield, located in the north of the ward, was once a separate village to the Acocks Green area. However, the two merged as a result of housing developments during the 20th century. The ward now covers an area 4.773 square kilometres (2 sq mi). Areas covered by the ward include the Edenbridge Road Estate, Gospel Estate, Pemberley Road Flats, Stockfield Estate, part of the Tyseley Estate and the Yarnfield Estate. The ward covers part of the B27 and part of the B11 postcode areas.

History

Acocks Green first developed north of the current centre at the roundabout where the Warwick Road meets Shirley and Westley Roads. This area was known Tenchlee or Tenelea, meaning 'ten clearings'. The settlement that developed here has completely disappeared. Hyron Hall and Broom Hall were moated manor houses located in the area. The area of Fox Hollies in the ward receives its name from the time when the Fox family bought the farm belonging to the atte Holies in the 15th century. The earliest known reference to Acocks Green is in the Yardley Parish Register of 1604. In 1626, Acocks Green House and other estates were given by Richard Acock to his son as a wedding gift. In 1725, the Warwick Road was turnpiked. During the end of the 18th century, the Warwick and Birmingham Canal was cut through Acocks' Green. This resulted in wharfs being constructed at Stockfield Road and Yardley Road. The increased prosperity brought by the canal prompted the construction of farms and large residences.

Acocks Green (ward)

Acocks Green ward is an electoral ward in south-east Birmingham, England, and includes the districts of Acocks Green, Fox Hollies and Tyseley.

Ward History

The parish of Yardley was included within Birmingham County Borough from 1911. The Birmingham ward was created in 1911 from part of the parish (which also created Sparkhill and Yardley wards). The electorate steadily climbed from 4,972 in 1911 to 17,333 in 1939.

The boundary changes to wards of 1934, saw Acocks Green ward lose its western area to Sparkhill ward and its southern portion to a new created Hall Green ward.

After the war the electorate again jumped to 24,556 in 1945 and climbed again until in 1949 it stood at 26,242. In the boundary changed of 1949/1950 the area south of Warwick Road was lost to Fox Hollies ward, and additional areas in Hay Mills and South Yardley (the northern boundary was the Coventry Road) were added. This moved the area covered substantially northwards. In the 1950 election the electorate had reduced to 16,412.