Pheasey is a residential area of
Walsall Metropolitan Borough in the
West Midlands of England, often considered to be part of
Great Barr. The area was predominantly developed for housing, as the Pheasey Estate, in the 1930s, but work was not completed until after the
Second World War
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 ...
.
Barr Beacon, a hill, is a local landmark.
Geography
Pheasey is situated in the east of the
Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and is located adjacent to the
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
and
Kingstanding districts 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 ...
.
Being on the south-facing slopes of
Barr Beacon, which separates the area from the rest of Walsall, the area is hilly.
Government
Historically, Pheasey was in
Staffordshire.
As a result of the
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...
, from 1894 to 1966 it was part of
Aldridge Urban District,
and from 1966 to 1974, part of the merged
Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District. Both these Urban Districts were in Staffordshire, and under the aegis of
Staffordshire County Council, but in 1974 the area became part of
Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, and the newly formed
West Midlands county
West Midlands is a Metropolitan county, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the larger West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. A landlocked county, it is bordered by Staffordshire to the north ...
.
The local government ward for the area is 'Pheasey Park Farm'.
Its population at the
2011 census was 11,010.
Pheasey is still considered to be in the Staffordshire
vice-county for the purposes of biological recording.
History

Land on the southern side of Barr Beacon was known as Barr Lea.
Record show that in 1559 one Simon Veysie purchased 162 acres, plus a house, garden and orchard, from A John Reddell, for £80.
Over time, the name Veysie became corrupted to Pheasey.
In the 17th century, much of Barr Lea came into the ownership of the Scott family, whose house
Great Barr Hall was later built nearby.
The land was largely consolidated into two farms, Pheasey Farm and Park Farm.
George Smith became the Scott's tenant at Pheasey Farm in 1902.
In July 1921, the Scotts put the farm up for auction, but withdrew it and made a private sale to Smith.
In 1935, he sold the land to the
First National Housing Trust (FNHT), a subsidiary of
Henry Boot & Sons Limited, of Sheffield, for development for housing.
Boots asserted that they had evidence of demand from people in Birmingham for better housing, recording 90-100 requests per week.
In total they acquired 303,203 acres at Pheasey, a small part of which was on the south side of Queslett Road, and thus in the City of Birmingham.
Their proposal was to build 4,225 houses, at 12 houses per acre to be available for rent chiefly to
working class people moving from
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 ...
in inner-city Birmingham
There were also to be shops and other amenities. The request for
planning permission was refused by Aldridge Urban District Council, who wanted no more than three to six houses per acre, with 150 acres reserved as open space.
The refusal was overturned on appeal, but Boots agreed to sell 68 acres to Aldridge UDC to be kept as open space "in perpetuity".
A ceremonial "
first sod" was cut on 13 July 1937, by
Kingsley Wood, the then
Minister of Health. The FNHT's published proposals for the estate included a public square, shops, cinema and public house at the junction of Wimperis Way and Romney way.
These never materialised. Shops were built on Collingwood Drive. A planned community centre on Collingwood Drive eventually opened later, and as of 2018, still operates.
At the outbreak of the
Second World War
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 ...
, in September 1939, around 1,700 houses were complete.
During the
Birmingham Blitz, demand for housing on the estate increased. Later in the war, some houses that were already constructed but not occupied were requisitioned by the
War Office for use by American troops who were preparing for the
relief of Europe.
At the end of the war, the requisitioned houses, in a poor state of repair were sold off, to high demand.
Park Farm was sold for development in 1955.
In the early 1960s, the FNHT offered to sell houses to their tenants, and many converted their rents into
mortgage
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners t ...
payments with the
Banner Building Society.
The estate is featured on one of the
Silver Thread Tapestries.
Facilities
The estate in 2017 includes two primary schools, a community centre, and library. These were all anticipated by the Trust's 1937 plan.
Barr Beacon School, built to serve the estate, lies just across Beacon Road from it.
A former
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
, ''The Trees'', built with the estate, is now ''Buffet Island'', a restaurant. Another ''The Old Horns'', built in the 1960s on the site of one predating the estate, is extant.
Pheasey Evangelical Church, behind ''Buffet Island'', was built by volunteer labour between 1954 and 1962, on a site once earmarked for the pub's
tennis court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...
and
bowling green.
Notable places and places of interest near Pheasey
*
Barr Beacon (opened 1919)
* Doe Bank Park
* Barr Beacon Quarry (closed 1920s, now public area)
*
Great Barr Hall (built 1777, abandoned 1978, to be renovated.)
*
St Margarets Mental Hospital (opened 1918, closed in stages 1992–2004, mostly demolished 2008.)
Public transport
The only public transport is operated by bus. These are operated by
NXWM and Walsall Community Transport (service 25).
Routes include:
*5
West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...
–
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
*25
Bloxwich –
Aldridge –
Kingstanding
*33
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 ...
– Pheasey
*934
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
-
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 ...
*936
Brownhills –
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 ...
*997
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
–
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 ...
References
{{Reflist
Walsall
Great Barr
History of Birmingham, West Midlands