Historic Wildflowers of the River Rea

September 5, 2024

In 1886 the Midland Union of Natural History Societies published the Midland Naturalist, which outlined some of the areas natural history. One of the sections was entitles “Notes on the Rea Valley” by Henry Boyden, and his essay included wildflowers he found at several sites in Stirchley. These were in Lifford, Dogpool, and a bit further north up the Rea, near Holders Wood (although he called it Stocks Wood).

LIFFORD WILDFLOWERS
Silaus pratensis (Meadow Parsnip) – Showing slender stems with yellow umbel-shaped flowers and delicate foliage.
Stachys palustris (Marsh Woundwort) – Displaying tall spikes of pink-purple flowers with serrated leaves.
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Urgent action needed to save Stirchley Library

August 30, 2024

The Council has published a Phase 2 Consultation Pack outlining its plans for each library in the city, announced in-person consultation meetings for each library, and issued a new online survey. Stirchley’s consultation meeting is next Wednesday 4th September 10.30am-12pm.

Option 1 and Option 2 from the original consultation document have been dropped, Option 3 and 4 remain with more detail about what this will mean for individual libraries.

Under Option 3 Stirchley Library will close. This is unthinkable and must be strongly opposed.

Under Option 4 Stirchley Library will open just 14 hours a week, along with 18 other …

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Stirchley Oral Histories: Three Sisters (Part Two)

August 8, 2024

This is an undated interview of three sisters. Similar interviews were taken in the 1980s.

Miss. Brettle: What other shops were there?

Mrs. Porter: Well there was a chemist. He was a bit of a doctor, he used to help the women out in Stirchley didn’t he, Mr. Churchill.

Mrs. Langley: Oh yes the chemist. He’d take teeth out as well.

Mrs. Porter: Our mom used to say he was ever so good with all the mothers in Stirchley. They used to go to him for a bit of help hadn’t they, if they couldn’t afford the doctor.

Mrs. Langley: …

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Stirchley Oral Histories: Three Sisters (Part One)

August 7, 2024
G. J. Croome, drapers, on the corner of Hazelwell Lane – known to the sisters as the “haberdashery”.

This is an undated interview of three sisters. Similar interviews were taken in the 1980s.

Interviewer: Where did you live in Stirchley?

Miss. Brettle: We lived in Ivy Road and we lived at the bottom and I mean if you walk down there now it’s nothing like it was. Well I mean Marge [Mrs Langley] can remember cows opposite you see.

Mrs. Langley: Well when we lived down there we lived in a yard with four houses.

Mrs. Porter: With a pump …

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Change to Stirchley Library opening hours

July 17, 2024

Birmingham City Council has announced that Stirchley Library will be closing for a further day each week from 22nd July. They have described libraries as being in a ‘transitional period’, and advised that a reduced number of available community library staff means a temporary timetable needs to be introduced for the majority of libraries during the summer which will see them close for an additional day each week.

From 22nd July Stirchley Library will be closed on Thursdays, leaving only two days a week of BCC-staffed library provision (Tuesdays and Saturdays). Kings Norton and Kings Heath libraries will also be …

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