V.D.S. - 7 Buildings Parish Council
	The keyword here is diversity. There is a tremendous variety in the type of housing within the parish. Victorian villas will be found along Greenhill, Twatling Road, and Plymouth Road Many in Blackwell were designed by a well-known local architect -John Cotton -and have good architectural features. Linthurst First School, is over 110 years old. Edwardian houses followed along Linthurst Road, Shepley Road, Brookhouse Road and Mearse Lane. Individually the Victorian/Edwardian houses may not be of sufficient value to be listed but where there are several such houses together, they have a significant impact on the character of the area. Some have been demolished, such as the Victorian Recovery Hospital at Blackwell, and a Victorian house on Greenhill. In-fill development, loss ofmature trees and an important frontage hedge has had an urbanising effect in a semi-rural location.
Figure 17 -Victorian Doorway, Greenhill, with interesting stone figures and small steeple.
Conservation Area status is contemplated for Greenhill and parts of Lickey are already so designated. Many old, large buildings have been taken over by institutions and used for a variety of purposes. For example -residential and nursing homes, special schools (The Uplands, Hunters Hill), educational and training centres (Wadderton), and meeting places for local groups (scouts meet in the old Victorian school at Lickey). This is a very valuable way of preserving buildings of character, as well as meeting important social and recreational needs.
	Figure 18 -Greenhill Lodge.
	There are older houses of the parish that have historical value, reflecting past events or links with famous people. Some have already been demolished (Archbishop of Birmingham's residence). Lord Austin's home has been restored and converted into flats. Barrow Cadbury's cottage is now a family home once more.
Figure 19- 42 Greenhill designed by John Cotton.
Dotted amongst the older, big houses are other types of houses. There aHill), fannhouses (Upper Shepley Lane), a modem estate (Blackwell), old railway workers terraces (Linthurst Newtown), new flats (Woodend Drive and Lord Austin Drive) and town houses (Blackwell Heights). There are examples of 'Arts and Craft' and 'Garden City' houses in Blackwell.re old cottages (Dale Hill), fannhouses (Upper Shepley Lane), a modem estate (Blackwell), old railway workers terraces (Linthurst Newtown), new flats (Woodend Drive and Lord Austin Drive) and town houses (Blackwell Heights). There are examples of 'Arts and Craft' and 'Garden City' houses in Blackwell.
	The historical emphasis on high quality housing has, generally, continued. Whatever the design, however, the main influence the houses have had on the area is by their natural, green boundaries of trees and hedges. This is particularly true in Twatling Road, Mearse Lane, Linthurst Road, Greenhill, St. Catherine's Road and Brookhouse Lane. Even in less treed areas there is an abundance of greenery between properties and the road, for example, Station Road, Linthurst Newtown, Old Birmingham Road and Monument Lane. All this greenery has a dual effect. It hides much of the housing, just giving glimpses of these character houses. It also gives the residential areas a rural air -unifying the developed parts of the parish with the surrounding countryside. Therefore, the green boundaries of mature trees and hedges are as important to the character of the parish as the houses themselves. Some newer properties have been built near the footways, which means they are clearly seen and 'obvious'. They have substituted hedges with brick walls and large metal gates. These are out of character with the tree and hedged boundaries in the rest of the parish.
Figure 19a -Stone Mullioned Doorway, 42 Greenhill, showing there are many features that could be reflected in newer designs such as the variety of bricks used and different coloured stone.
Figure 20 -Peterscourt, Plymouth Drive. Here is a wealth of detail that could be emulated. This plot has been subdivided and the house is now in full view having lost some of its surrounding greenery.
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Last Updated 27/06/2005