Pype Hayes
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Pype Hayes is a modern housing estate area and council ward in the east of the
Erdington Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...
district 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 was within the Tyburn ward until 2018. Covering the postcodes of B24 and B76.


Etymology

The name of the area derives from a major landowner in Erdington called Henry de Pipe. On this land he built a house which later developed into
Pype Hayes Hall Pype Hayes Hall is a former mansion house in the Pype Hayes area of Erdington, Birmingham, England. The hall's grounds now form Pype Hayes Park. It was formerly in the historic county of Warwickshire before being transferred into the new county ...
.


History

Pype Hayes developed mainly during the 20th century as a result of the expansion of Erdington northwards towards the Chester Road. The Chester Road follows the line of the ancient drover's road called the Welsh Road. It developed during the 17th century as a major thoroughfare through Birmingham.
Stage coach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
es used the road and it developed a reputation as a haven for
highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...
. All the land in Pype Hayes was owned as part of an estate with
Pype Hayes Hall Pype Hayes Hall is a former mansion house in the Pype Hayes area of Erdington, Birmingham, England. The hall's grounds now form Pype Hayes Park. It was formerly in the historic county of Warwickshire before being transferred into the new county ...
at its centre. This was a prominent hall in the area and the nearest settlement was Holifast Grange to the north-west. The construction of the
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is a canal of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. Its purpose was to provide a link between the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and thereby connect Birmingham ...
in the south of Erdington prompted the establishment of industries near
Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...
, which is close to Pype Hayes. However, Pype Hayes remained unaffected by the industry. In the 20th century, Pype Hayes became the focus of residential developments for the expanding Erdington area. Also, the public wanted houses so that they could live near their workplaces at Tyburn. Eachelhurst Road was selected as a main housing development location. As Eachelhurst Road was on the boundary of Pype Hayes, the area remained relatively untouched. The houses were constructed between
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
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 ...
and were of a
semi-detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single-family Duplex (building), duplex dwelling that shares one common party wall, wall with its neighbour. The name distinguishes this style of construction from detached houses, with no sh ...
style. They were constructed of
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
and
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
. The areas surrounding Pype Hayes developed quickly.
Walmley Walmley is a suburban village situated in the civil parish of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. It lies within the City of Birmingham on its northeastern outer fringe, where it forms part of the Sutton Walmley and Minworth electoral ward. It is ...
in
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 ...
expanded massively and
Castle Vale Castle Vale is a housing estate located between Erdington, Minworth and Castle Bromwich. Currently Castle Vale makes up the Castle Vale Ward of Birmingham City Council which is part of Erdington constituency (having previously been part of H ...
to the south-east became a major industrial area with the construction of a large aerodrome. The landowners lost power within the area and so the Chester Road became developed. During the war, Pype Hayes was bombed, however, this was mainly haphazard bombing aimed at Erdington. Walmley Ash, nearby to Pype Hayes, witnessed 70-80 bombs being dropped on the area in just one night. Pype Hayes was extensively developed for council housing in the 1920s, as Birmingham City Council had recently started a huge process of rehousing people from inner city slums. More than 1,300 homes were built at Pype Hayes on land between Chester Road and Tyburn Road, with concrete walls and steel subframes – typical Dunlop Boswell style. The first school opened on the estate in 1928 – Paget Council School, which had capacity for 824 pupils aged 5–15 years. Gunter Road Council School was added in 1930 for 432 children aged 5–11 years, with wooden huts being added in 1930 and even the hall of St Mary's Church being used as an annex from 1952 to 1954 to cope with increased pupil numbers. By the 1980s, most of the houses at Pype Hayes were plagued with "concrete cancer" – a structural defect which renders buildings beyond repair. As with many large council housing estates, car crime, drugs, burglaries and "hooligan" behaviour were becoming a widespread problem. Also demolished as the Norton public house, which was replaced by a supermarket. It was soon decided that the defective homes all had to be demolished, and in 1992 the Pype Hayes Regeneration Programme began. Several tower blocks were built on Pype Hayes during the 1960s, as part of further rehousing from inner city slums, but these homes were no better than the older ones in the area, despite being some 40 years newer. They too would have to be demolished. On 7 July 2005 the council approved the demolition of properties 189-235 Pype Hayes Road, which were built by Dunlop Boswell. Demolition cost an estimated £60,000. The last houses to be were demolished were around 2010–2011. The twelfth and final phase of the regeneration was approved by the Cabinet on 27 October 2003. The successful tender submission by Barratt Homes and Prime Focus was then approved in 2002. Most of the properties in Pype Hayes were demolished, with the exception of Sorrel House which was retained and refurbished, and were replaced with a modern housing development. The regeneration of Pype Hayes continues with Persimmon Homes completing the final phase in 2009, ending the estate's regeneration process which had lasted 17 years.


Notable Places

Pype Hayes Hall Pype Hayes Hall is a former mansion house in the Pype Hayes area of Erdington, Birmingham, England. The hall's grounds now form Pype Hayes Park. It was formerly in the historic county of Warwickshire before being transferred into the new county ...
remains today and was auctioned by Birmingham City Council in February 2012. It is now in private hands. The hall was sold in November 2013 for £25,000 to private investors with plans to create a hotel and leisure complex. As of November 2019 the hall still lies derelict with no development. Surrounding the hall is a park called Pype Hayes Park which hosts a
funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
and used to be the site for a large City Council funded
bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...
and
firework display Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
to celebrate
Guy Fawkes Night Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration list of minor secular observances#November, observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and firewor ...
. This has not been held for a number of years due to cuts in City resources. Adjacent to the park is Pype Hayes Golf Course, which was opened in 1933. The two are separated by
Plants Brook Plants Brook (originally Ebrook, Ebrooke''The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield - A Commemorative History'', Douglas V. Jones, 1994, Westwood Press () or East Brook
which flows beneath the Eachelhurst Road and drains into the River Tame after flowing underneath
Castle Vale Castle Vale is a housing estate located between Erdington, Minworth and Castle Bromwich. Currently Castle Vale makes up the Castle Vale Ward of Birmingham City Council which is part of Erdington constituency (having previously been part of H ...
. The parish church for Pype Hayes is St Mary's Church, which opened in 1929.


The Bagot Arms

At the Eachelhurst Road – Chester Road junction was a
pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
called ''The Bagot Arms''. This closed in 2019 and a
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
farm was later discovered in the empty lot. June 2021 saw an alleged arson attack followed by another in August 2021 which resulted in the demolition of the remaining parts of the building in late 2023, with the site now sitting empty to date, although plans for the site to be converted into 51 apartments were approved in 2022.


Transport

The A38 passes through the area. The road is used by several
National Express West Midlands National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is bus operator in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. It is a subsidiary of Mobico Group (formerly National Express Group) and is the largest bus operator in the region, as well as one of ...
services which travel through Stockland Green to the
Aston Expressway The A38(M), commonly known as the Aston Expressway, is a motorway in Birmingham, England. It is long and was opened on 24 May 1972.Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. It borders the rest of the borough to the south east, Sutton Coldfield to the east and north east, Shard E ...
. There are no rail facilities in the area, however, further up the Chester Road is
Chester Road railway station Chester Road railway station serves the areas of Pype Hayes, Erdington and Wylde Green in north-east Birmingham, in the West Midlands county of England. It is sited on the Cross-City Line between / and , via . Pedestrian access to the station ...
on the
Cross-City Line The Cross-City Line is a suburban rail line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs for from Redditch and Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, its two southern termini, to Lichfield, Staffordshire, its northern terminus, via , connecting the ...
. Also in close proximity are
Erdington Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...
and
Water Orton Water Orton is a village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire borough of Warwickshire in the West Midlands, England near the River Tame. It is located between Castle Bromwich and Coleshill, and borders the West Midlands metropolitan c ...
railway stations.
Mayor of the West Midlands The mayor of the West Midlands is a directly elected political post who chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, covering the local authorities serving Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. The most ...
Andy Street Sir Andrew John Street CBE (born 11 June 1963) is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician who was the managing director of John Lewis from 2007 to 2016 and Mayor of the West Midlands from 2017 to 2024. He was Britain's first o ...
included a tram stop in Pype Hayes, as well as one in the nearby
Minworth Minworth is a village situated in the civil parish of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, within Minworth there are three hamlets Wiggins Hill, Peddimore and The Greaves. Minworth lies within the City of Birmingham district on its northeastern ...
, and the reopening of the abandoned Penns railway station as Walmley, which would serve as the closest railway station for the eastern portion of Pype Hayes.


Election results

The
Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local authority for the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropo ...
ward of Pype Hayes was created from the Tyburn Ward for the 2018 election. Basharat Mahmood is the current councillor for the ward of Pype Hayes.


References


Further reading

*''The Story of Erdington – From Sleepy Hamlet to Thriving Suburb'', Douglas V. Jones, 1989, Westwood Press ()


External links


Birmingham.gov.uk: Pype Hayes ParkBirmingham.gov.uk: Pype Hayes Golf CoursePype Hayes Golf ClubKier: Pype Hayes EstateThe Church of England: St Mary's ChurchBirminghamnet.co.uk: Pype Hayes photograph gallery
{{coord, 52.5274, -1.8109, region:GB-BIR, display=title Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands