Ashted (alternatively spelt ''Ashstead'' and ''Ashtead''
) is an area of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, within the
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of
Nechells
Nechells () is a district ward in central Birmingham, England, whose population in 2011 was 33,957. It is also a ward (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, England#Districts, formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ...
. The area is located approximately north-east of Birmingham City Centre near to the city's
Eastside district, and forms the western extremity of
Duddeston
Duddeston is an inner-city area of the Nechells ward of central Birmingham, England. It was part of the Birmingham Duddeston constituency until that ceased to exist in 1950.
Etymology
The name ''Duddeston'' comes from ''Dud's Town'', with Dud be ...
. It is within the boundaries of
Nechells Green, and provides mainly
estate
Estate or The Estate may refer to:
Law
* Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations
* Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries.
** The Estates, representativ ...
and
high-rise residences.
History
The settlement takes its name from the
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
John Ash,
who leased the property from Sir Lester Holte and in 1771 built a grand house surrounded by fields, gardens and orchards. He never occupied the house,
selling the lease to
John Brooke John Brooke may refer to:
Politicians
* John Brooke, 1st Baron Cobham (1575–1660), English politician and Royalist
* Sir John Brookes, 1st Baronet (c. 1635–1691), MP for Boroughbridge, also known as Sir John Brooke
* John Brooke (1755–1802) ...
, a Birmingham attorney. Brooke laid out streets and divided the property into parcels with the intention of bringing wealth to the area; many affluent entrepreneurs were living in Birmingham during the Industrial Revolution. In 1791, after Brooke added a cupola, Dr. Ash's house was opened as the church of
St James the Less.
The Ashted Barracks were erected next to the church in 1791 following the
Priestley Riots.
In 1809, the church passed into a trust and was
consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
in 1810.
Thirty-eight years later, in 1848,
Samuel Lewis's ''Topographical Dictionary of England'' counted the population as approximately 25,000, and stated that the settlement's proximity to the city centre gave huge advantage to trade and industry.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the status of the area dropped and it became a high-density
working class
The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
area, with many
slums
A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily in ...
.
The church was demolished in 1956, having sustained heavy bombing during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Transport
The
A47 and Jennens Road meet
The Middleway
The Middleway, officially designated as the A4540 and signposted as ring road, is an orbital road in Birmingham, England. Serving as the sole ring road of the city, it runs around Birmingham city centre at a distance of approximately . The A ...
at Ashted. The traffic light controlled junction was laid out in 2018–19 following infilling of the Ashted Circus roundabout and its pedestrian subways.
is to the north via Dartmouth Middleway; and Garrison Circus to the south via Lawley Middleway.
Ashted Tunnel on the
Digbeth Branch Canal
Digbeth is an area of central Birmingham, England. Following the remodelling of the Birmingham Inner Ring Road, Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is under ...
provides water transport under the
A47 Jennens Road.
References
{{Areas of Birmingham
Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands