Kings Heath
| Kings Heath | |
|---|---|
 Kings Heath High Street |
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 Kings Heath
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| Kings Heath shown within the West Midlands | |
| OS grid reference | SP073815 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode district | B14 |
| Dialling code | 0121 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
Kings Heath (historically, and still occasionally King's Heath) is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, five miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley on the A435, Alcester road.
Kings Heath came into being as a village in the 18th century with the improvements to the Alcester to Birmingham road acting as a catalyst for new houses and farms. Prior to this the area was largely uninhabited wasteland run by the Royal Borough of Kings Norton.
The streets running off High Street are dominated by pre-1919 terraced, owner occupied housing.
A number of independent shops have taken advantage of relatively cheaper rents in the side roads off High Street, and recently there has been an influx of boutiques and even the start of an (organic) cafe culture. In 2008, the businesses agreed to a Business Improvement District, which top-slices a proportion of their local business taxes to go directly into improvements and promotion of the area.
The locals still refer to Kings Heath as a 'village' even though it has been part of Birmingham for over a century. Its centre at the Vicarage Road junction has now been developed to form an attractive public square which is used as a venue for the monthly farmers' market and other events.
On 28 July 2005, Kings Heath was hit by a major (by European standards) tornado which damaged several shops on High Street and All Saints' Church. The tornado then went on to damage many houses in Balsall Heath. There were no fatalities.
Kings Heath is also home to several schools including Colmore Infant and Nursery School, St. Dunstans, Kings Heath Primary School, Kings Heath Boys, Wheelers Lane Technology College, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls and Bishop Challoner Catholic College.
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