Handsworth Wood | |
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Handsworth Wood shown within the West Midlands | |
Population | 27,749 (2011) |
• Density | 37.4 per ha |
OS grid reference | SP055905 |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BIRMINGHAM |
Postcode district | B20 |
Dialling code | 0121 |
Police | West Midlands |
Fire | West Midlands |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
EU Parliament | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Handsworth Wood is a rather affluent suburban area in the north west of Birmingham, England.
Located within the metropolitan county of the West Midlands since 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, it was previously a part of the county of Staffordshire. It is also a ward within the formal district of Perry Barr as well as other areas such as Great Barr, Sandwell and Hamstead/Hamstead Village.
Handsworth Wood is regarded as the premier residential area in North West Birmingham, due to the significantly large number of Victorian and imposing detached houses and semi-detached homes. Also the area is highly sought after due to the access to parks such as Handsworth Park, golf clubs and the open spaces of Sandwell Valley Country Park.
Handsworth Wood is regarded by estate agents as upmarket in comparison to the neighbouring district of Handsworth.
Typical Victorian Houses in Handsworth Wood
New Build Detached Homes
Typical Street in Handsworth Wood
Semi-Detached Homes in Handsworth Wood
Handsworth Wood was the woodland belonging to the manor of Handsworth and lay in the north of the manor. It is the 'woodland half a league long & the same wide' which is cited in the Domesday Book in 1086.
By the end of the 19th century there was only scattered building development in this rural area, some of it very large houses for the wealthy. Beyond Friary Road/ Handsworth Wood Road was still farmland. It was between the two World Wars and up to the 1950s that Handsworth Wood was developed largely with private housing. It is an area that has maintained its middle-class status to the present.
The area had its own Railway station until 1941 known as Handsworth Wood railway station. The station site lies in a cutting through Handsworth Park, adjacent to St. Mary's Church.