Knowle, West Midlands

Coordinates: 52°23′17″N 1°43′55″W / 52.388093°N 1.73181°W / 52.388093; -1.73181
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Knowle
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSolihull
Postcode districtB93
Dialling code01564
PoliceWest Midlands
FireWest Midlands
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
West Midlands
52°23′17″N 1°43′55″W / 52.388093°N 1.73181°W / 52.388093; -1.73181

Knowle /ˈnoʊl/ is a large village situated 3 miles (5 km) east-southeast of the town of Solihull, West Midlands, England. Knowle lies within the Arden area of the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands. It lies 2.5 miles from the Warwickshire border and had a recorded population of 10,678.

Knowle is in the parliamentary constituency of Meriden.

Present day

Knowle still retains a considerable village charm, despite being on the outer edge of the West Midlands conurbation. It is contiguous to the south with the similar-sized communities of Dorridge and Bentley Heath, both of which are mainly residential in nature. The affluent district of Copt Heath is a suburb of Knowle to the north, with Tilehouse Green to the south. The village is considered to be amongst the most prosperous areas in the entire English Midlands.

Shops and businesses

Knowle has many shops. Most of these are located on the High Street, though there are a number of side roads and a shopping precinct. Knowle Library is maintained by Solihull Council in a building called Chester House dating back to Tudor times. At the rear of the building a Knot garden has been restored. The small shopping area also has restaurants of all varieties, making Knowle a popular destination for dining out. In 2011 a Costa Coffee opened on the High Street. Tesco retains a medium-sized 'Metro' store in St. John's shopping precinct.

Recreation

Knowle is near to the

Silhillians Rugby Union Football Club
which is the home of Warwickshire Hockey as well as Old Silhillians Hockey Club.

There are also many clubs in the village for all ages. There are various

Guide
groups including a karate class and church groups. The Knowle Society exists to help maintain the village and its heritage. Knowle Local History Society also holds a wealth of historical information about the village and its people from very early times. Knowle also has drama groups and a Village Hall and Knowle and Dorridge Round Table meet locally.

Housing and schools

Knowle has two schools, a

sixth form centre
commenced with over 50 students. The project cost approximately £4 million and has attracted students from many of the surrounding schools. A new design and technology block called ‘The Smart Centre’ has also been recently completed with another similar building which has also recently been completed. They are considered to be well performing schools, even considering the advantaged catchment area.

Church of St. John the Baptist, St. Lawrence and St. Anne

The main church is a Church of England Parish Church and there is a United Reformed Church on Station Road. The Parish Church offers many services using modern equipment, the old Guild house and much newer St. John's Hall.

The housing in Knowle is mainly detached or semi-detached with the occasional terraced street and some apartment blocks. More recently, developers have bought up housing for demolition and are building "windfall developments" of apartments on its outskirts. House prices are considerably higher than the national average due to the demand for housing in the highly affluent southeastern fringes of the West Midlands conurbation and high achieving schools.

Community Groups

The village has strong local community organisations, including the Knowle Society, a Neighbourhood Forum, Round Table, Lions, and several Scout groups.

Neighbourhood Forum

Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Forum was formed in 2015 with the purpose of bringing together the people from the three adjoining villages to define how they would like to see the villages develop in the future. The Forum will collate the policies developed into a draft Neighbourhood Plan for the three villages during 2017, and subsequently arrange for a local referendum to create the Neighbourhood Plan as a statutory planning document for the area. The Forum is run entirely by volunteers, and by Spring 2017 had a membership of over 800.

Transport

The village lies on the

A4141 road and is close to the M42 motorway. Knowle does not have its own railway station, but nearby Dorridge railway station, on the Chiltern Main Line, was previously known as Knowle and Dorridge and for a period just as' 'Knowle' '. Another station lies a few miles north at Hampton-in-Arden on the Coventry-Birmingham (West Coast) line and Birmingham International railway station is nearby for express services to London Euston. Knowle is also close to Birmingham Airport and is linked to Solihull by bus services A3 and A3W operated by Landflight. Junction 5 of the M42 motorway
runs a little over a mile from the western edge of the village.

The Grand Union Canal Birmingham Main Line lies to the east of Knowle, between Birmingham to the north and Leamington Spa to the south and east.

Nearby places of interest

Surrounding villages include Bentley Heath,

Hampton-in-Arden, Balsall Common, Hockley Heath and Henley-in-Arden. To the northwest is Solihull and Birmingham, to the east Coventry, and to the south Warwick, Leamington Spa and, further afield, Stratford-upon-Avon
.

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ "Solihull Ward population 2011". Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  2. ^ The war of the words | Science | The Guardian

External links

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