Barnt Green
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Situation
Immediately above (in height) to the northwest are the Lickey Hills Country Park and the Victorian houses of Lickey. Almost immediately to the north is the Longbridge car factory and beyond that Birmingham.
Northeast is Cofton Hackett and the Bittell Reservoirs, with the Birmingham and Worcester Canal running alongside. To the east, farmland stretches from the edge of the factory right across to Hopwood. This large block of rural land forms a part the of greenbelt which encircles the settlement.
Southeast is the older village of Alvechurch and beyond that Redditch. South of the village, across the M42 motorway, is a large stretch of farmland which runs to the ancient seat of the Earl of Plymouth, Hewell Grange (now a prison).
To the southwest, the Lickey Incline, a famous stretch of railway, runs down the Bunter geological formation to Blackwell and Bromsgrove. The M5 motorway lies to the West.
Services
Barnt Green is a station on the Birmingham Cross-City Line. Many people still catch the train into Birmingham each morning, though the majority drive. The area is served by the M5 and M42 motorways, as well as the nearby A38.
In the centre of the village is a linear shopping street and small park. Other facilities include a sports club, a cricket club, a park and separate Quaker, Baptist and Anglican churches. St Andrew's Primary School is also based in the village.
Origins
The village has always been a commuter settlement; the key to the development of the village is the Birmingham & Gloucester Line. This railway was completed in 1840, however, all that is present on a map from 1880 (see map sources below) is Barnt Green House (probably the oldest recorded bearer of the name Barnt Green), the buildings at the railway station, and Sandhills Farm, which is dated from the 15th century.
The first shoots of what has come today to be known as the village came with the construction of The Victoria, the local pub; originally a temperance house. A map of 1905 shows several buildings, including 'the Vic' and many of the terraced houses which skirt todays shops.
Development
The vast bulk of the village is a product of the 20th century. A great deal of the village's development occurred between the wars. There are a few houses built between the forties and the seventies, and a rash of newer red brick houses.
Despite a population of around 4000 the area retains a rural feel as the sprawl of Birmingham is concealed by some well-appointed hills. Despite the proximity of the Birmingham conurbation, the area still provides an environment for wildlife, including birds, foxes and badgers.