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Sixteen churches are readily identifiable from Ackers Hill. The oldest is
St. Edburgha's, Yardley Parish Church, whose magnificent tower and spire
were built in the 15th century. St Mary's Acocks Green (1866-82) was
restored in the 1950s after bomb damage. St.Cyprian's (1873), built by James
Horsfall, and St John's Sparkhill (1889-95), are daughter churches. St
Gregory's (1902-1916), St Benedict's (1905-10) and St Agatha's Sparkbrook
(1901) were initially chapelries within Aston Parish. St Ann's (1874) and St
Agnes (1884-1932) in Moseley, and All Saints' Kings Heath (1895) were
chapelries of Kings Norton. The Baptist churches on the Stratford Road, in
Sparkbrook and on Oxford Road, Moseley, were built in 1878-9 and 1888. The
Methodist church on the Warwick Road, Tyseley, was opened in 1914, that in
Cambridge Road, Kings Heath, in 1897, and that on the Warwick Road, Greet,
replaced a bombed church in about 1950. The Catholic churches of English
Martyrs, Sparkhill, and Holy Family, Small Heath, were opened in 1923 and
1928.
Not all the schools in the district whose staffs and pupils are interested
in "the Ackers" can be seen from the hill. Those visible include Moseley
Grammar School (built as Spring Hill College in 1853) and now part of
Moseley Comprehensive, the Horsfall School beside St Cyprian's (1863 -
closed), King Edward VI Camp Hill Schools (1883-93), Waverley (1892),
Oldknow, (1905), Yardley Secondary 1910-53 (now Lower School of Yardleys
Comprehensive), St Benedict's 1913, Commercial School (1931) and now
Sparkhill Centre, and Holy Family (1950). The tower of Marlborough School
(1898) is just to be seen when the Digby Estate's trees are bare.
Schools within a 2km radius of the hill are as follows: their dates like
those of churches are a true indication of the period of their district's
urbanisation, except for those built or rebuilt since World War Two. Acocks
Green 1909, Alston 1926, Anderton Park 1896, Archbishop Ilsley 1957, Arden
(Sparkhill) 1970, Bierton 1928, Billesley 1925, Bordesley Green 1902,
Clifton 1878, Christ Church 1871/1958, Conway 1900, Cottesbrooke 1933/1968,
English Martyrs 1911 rebuilt 1950, Gilbertstone 1950, Golden Hillock 1910,
Greet 1892, Hall Green 1893/1925-9, Hartfield (Ninestiles) 1929, Highgate
1967, Holy Family 1904/1950, Holy Souls 1907/1968, Hobmoor 1933, King David
(from St Luke's Road) 1965, King Edward VI Camp Hill Schools, Kings Heath,
1956, Ladypool 1883-98, Lakey Lane 1935, Montgomery 1879, Moseley C. of E.
1828/1969, Moseley Secondary 1955, Oaklands 1929, Park Hill 1954, Percy
Shurmer 1967, Pitmaston 1931, Oueensbridge 1952, Redhill 1892, Regents Park
1973, St Bernard's 1967, St John's, Sparkhill, 1856/1884/1970, St Martin's
1969, St Monica's 1970, St Michael's Jenkins Street 1873-1931, St Peter's,
Highgate, 1873/1933, Severne 1930, Small Heath 1977, Somerville 1894,
Springfield 1900, Starbank 1927, Stechford 1894, Tilton 1891, Tindal 1880,
Waverley, Hobmoor Road, 1925, Wheelers Lane 1939, Wyndcliffe 1878/1973,
Yardley, Church Road, 1909, Yardleys, Forman's Road, 1907, Yarnfield 1928,
Yorkmead 1937.
Other buildings identifiable from the Hill include Yardley Rural District
Council House 1902 (directly behind the English Martyr's Church Tower),
Moseley Library and Baths 1895/1907, the University clock tower 1910, the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1938, the Rotunda 1965, Aston University from the
1950s onwards and the Post and Mail Building 1965. The many steel and
concrete towers in view have been erected during the last three decades.
Introduction
What can be seen from Ackers Hill
The natural landscape
Watercourses
Early settlement and boundaries
The Manors
The Warwick canal
Railways
Industry
Urbanisation
Parks and open spaces
Churches and schools
The Ackers leisure park
Itinerary
Maps |
