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During Birmingham Heritage Week at the beginning of September, we organised a heritage walk along the River Rea. This followed six bird portraits by local artist Stephen Earl Rogers positioned in community gardens run by Fruit & Nut Village, and a talk on route about the history of the Rea in Stirchley by Jen Dixon.

This guide provides an outline of the walk so you can go hunting for the six birds yourself, with the aid of the map (above).

The walk began in the Forest Garden at the rear of Stirchley Library …

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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).

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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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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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