Lickey is a "linear development" in the north of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, England approximately south west from the centre 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 ...

. It lies in

Bromsgrove District Bromsgrove is a non-metropolitan district, local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England. It is named after its only town, Bromsgrove, where its council is based, but also includes several villages and surrounding rural areas ...

and is situated on the Lickey Ridge, amongst the

Lickey Hills The Lickey Hills (known locally as simply ''The Lickeys'') are a range of hills in Worcestershire, England, to the south-west of the centre of Birmingham near the villages of Lickey, Cofton Hackett and Barnt Green. The hills are a popular coun ...

, its proximity to

countryside In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically describ ...

and the city makes it a popular

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

area. The

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Lickey and Blackwell has a population of 4,140.Census 2001
/ref> The name of Lickey dating back to 1225 is thought to have derived from 'leac' (a clearing) and 'hey' (an enclosed space), including perhaps referring to a clearing in the forest. Various names have included La Lecheye, La Lekeheye, Lechay, Lekhaye. The area forms part of the

Lickey Hills Country Park Lickey Hills Country Park is a country park in England. It is south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. The park is situated just south of Rednal and close to Barnt Green. It is half a mile west of Cofton Hackett. It is one of ...

which covers 524 acres.

People

The Birmingham-born watercolourist Elijah Walton (1832–1880) lived at Beacon Farm in Lickey towards the end of his life, and died there in 1880. The area was populated rapidly from the 1870s onwards by

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

s and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

s such as Herbert Austin, who moved to Lickey Grange in 1910 and lived there until his death in 1941. He is buried in the graveyard of the local church of

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

. The First World War fighter ace Oliver Bryson was born in Lickey on 18 August 1896. The author Jonathan Coe was born in Lickey in 1961. Today the area has a mainly professional and entrepreneurial population.

Landmarks

Opposite Holy Trinity Church, Lickey is a drinking trough for horses and drinking fountain for travellers. The Monument, a 60–80 ft tall obelisk, is situated behind the trees bordering the old Birmingham road directly opposite the petrol station in Lickey. The inscription reads "To commend to imitation the exemplary private virtues of Other Archer 6th Earl of Plymouth". The Earl had land at

Tardebigge Tardebigge () is a village in Worcestershire, England. The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 30 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the county of Worceste ...

, near Lickey.

Houses

Lickey has some late Victorian houses but there was steady development of housing in the 20th century. Since the 1990s, there has been 'infill' housing.

Transport

Lickey is served by hourly buses to

Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about north-east of Worcester and south-west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 34,755 in at the 2021 census. It gives its name to the wider Bromsgrove District, of which it is ...

Rubery Rubery is the name of two adjacent settlements; one a village in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, the other a suburb of Birmingham in the West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. It is from Bromsgrove town centre, and from Birmin ...

, Droitwich and

Halesowen Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, ...

. These are operated by Diamond Bus. The nearest railway station is

Longbridge Longbridge is an area in the south-west of Birmingham, England, located near the border with Worcestershire, historically being within this place. Public transport Longbridge is described as a hub for public transport with a number of bus ...

in Rubery with a frequent

West Midlands Trains West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within the West Midlands region as West Midlands Rai ...

service to Birmingham New Street.

References

External links