Goosemoor Lane Glossary

(Unofficial glossary for the Goosemoor Lane area, Short Heath, Erdington, Birmingham, B23, United Kingdom)

Monday 25th May 2009 Edition

This page has been added hopefully to clear up confusion to local journalists etc. Terms like The Spinney or The Anstey etc. Also I've "christened" certain areas in the hope it ends confusion amongst those reading the site living in the area (e.g. the maisonette blocks on the Top Croft Estate have become North, West and South Blocks). Top Croft people are now raising issues which may not make sense to those on say, Enstone Road.

If anyone knows if there is an official name or number for those blocks or for the set-back bit of Goosemoor Lane on the odd-side between Sycamore Road and Bowling Green Close (which I've christened `the Inset') let me know.

We can change names and terms later on. Whatever people accept. This should be useful all round over time (e.g. if the police read the site and learn the names they'll know quickly where to come to. It must be a nightmare in those maisonettes as they only have numbers referring to Baldmoor Lake Road and Top Croft Road I think. Likewise that Inset bit could easily be missed if you are just looking for the house number. Imagine that if you are attacked by a burglar and ned to summon help quickly).

(There is another place called The Spinney nearby, if you go along Court Lane into Sutton Coldfield and along Antrobus Road it's on the left. Mossy Bank is on the right, alleys lead to both).

The Park (click for photo)
Short Heath Park, which is off Goosemoor Lane and also bounded by Court Lane, the Court Lane Allotments and the Top Croft Estate. This view looking down Goosemoor Lane, park is on the right.

The Sub-Station (click for photo)
Lots of electicity sub-stations in the area of course but if you see just "the sub-station" on the site it means the one on Goosemoor Lane in a corner of Short Heath Park nearly opposite the Bowling Green Close junction. Court Lane also has a sub-station in Short Heath Park in the corner nearest Jarvis Road, the Kirkwood Avenue one is just a few yards up from the Goosemoor junction, and Beech Road has one at the Chester Road junction.

(Goosemoor Lane) Inset (click for photo)
It probably doesn't have a proper name, so "The Inset" is what I have christened the small area of housing on Goosemoor Lane on the short road set back from the main street, lying between the Sycamore Road and Bowling Green Close junctions, built around 1988. (I've always thought it should have been named a separate road but that's another story).

(Beech Road) Inset (pic to come) This doesn't have a proper name either, so The Beech Road Inset is what I have christened the small area of housing on Beech Road on the short road set back from the main street, lying on the odd-side near the Chester Road junction.

The Woodyard (click for pic)
The Travis Perkins timber-merchants and builders suppliers. Yards away from the Sycamore Road junction down towards Kirkwood Avenue on the odd-side. Has changed it's name a few times over the years (Sycamore Sawmills etc). This term has stuck however. Opening hours; Mon - Fri 7.30am - 5pm. Sat, 8am - 12pm. Sun, closed.

The Common (pic to come) aka Littlecote Drive Public Open Space. The common grassland behind the Woodyard.

Goosemoor Lane Bend (click for pic)
Future updates on the site will probably just say "The Bend" when talking about that area as and when more people grow familar. Goosemoor Lane of course has a roughly 70 degree bend in it and this is that area. Unofficial name obviously.

The Anstey (click for pic)
aka Goosemoor Lane Playing Fields. The now disused field at The Bend. Now bounded by Goosemooor Lane, Hawthorn Close, Enstone Road, Gravelly Lane, Chester Road, Cherry Close and Highfield Drive. From the fact it was once part of and was used by the Anstey Sports College, the main buildings of which were off Chester Road between Boldmere Road and Marston Road (about where Lennox Grove now is).

S+D News  (click for photo)
The newsagents/grocery store at the junction of Top Croft Road and Goosemoor Lane. Opening hours; Mon - Sun, 6am - 9pm.

Cooke's (click for pic)
Cooke's Furniture store near the Goosemoor Lane/Gravelly Lane junction. Opening hours; Mon - Sat, 9am - 5.30pm. Sun, 11am - 5pm.

The Church Of God (click for pic)
The small Church Of God on the even-side near the junction of Gravelly Lane and Goosemoor Lane. Changed it's name recently and it's worshippers use that new name Church Of God but local non-worshippers like me still call it the Church Of Christ (that congregation in fact have moved to the old YMCA on Turfpits Lane).

Spar (click for pic)
The Spar newsagents/grocery store at the junction of Gravelly Lane and Goosemoor Lane. Opening hours; Mon - Sat, 7am - 8pm. Sun, 8am - 3pm

(Top Croft Estate) North Maisonette Block (click for pic)
This is the one stretching along very near the back of Goosemoor Lane. This is the block furthest north obviously.

(Top Croft Estate) West Maisonette Block (click for pic)
The block running lengthways parallel to Short Heath Park. Stretches roughly parallel to the west.

(Top Croft Estate) South Maisonette Block
The remaining one, nearest Cayton Grove. Lies south of the other two of course.

(Top Croft Estate) Large Island (click for pic)
The large block of houses forming an "island" on the estate, with the foot-paths running through it. Bounded by both Top Croft Road and Baldmoor Lake Road.

(Top Croft Estate) Small Island (click for pic)
The small traffic island area of land with no housing on it, bounded by the West and South Maisonette Blocks and Large Island.

(Green Leigh) Apartment Blocks A-D (click for photo)
Block A is the one nearest the cricket-field and nearer to the exit to Sycamore Road than Block B, which is alongside the cricket-field too. Then just count across for the other two.

The Ring (click for photo)
The new name for Witton Lodge Circle (where Witton Lodge Road meets now Kingfisher Road and the defunct Enderby Road) but both terms are still used and accepted. I use the latter as that is what is was called when I first knew it. Some elderly people still call it The Rec) as that was another previous name. However Dovedale Park is called The Rec by some (Perry Common Recreation Ground). See below.

Perry Common Recreation Ground (pic to come) aka Dovedale Park and also The Rec. This park with a stream running through it lies on Witton Lodge Road opposite the Maxted Road junction and stretches across to Perry Common Road. (Dovedale Park is now the name for a housing complex on Dovedale Road)

Pronunciation Of Knipersley Road (click for pic)
This road lies off Chester Road near the railway station and leads to Bretby Grove via an alleyway. The k is silent and it has only one p so is like sniper rather than snipper so is "ny-persley" not "nip-persley". That is how locals there pronounce it.

Pronounciation Of Raford Road (pic to come) This road lies off Jerrys Lane. It is pronounced "rayfud" not "raffud". That is how locals there pronounce it.

Wendover Road - Kingfisher Road (pic to come) The 2002 A-Z still says Wendover Road is off Witton Lodge Circle/The Ring but that part of what was Wendover Road has been renamed Kingfisher Road (Wendover Road is now only further down towards Perry Common Road). Assuming the maps will be changed, everyone should use this new name from now on when referring to this road off Witton Lodge Circle.

Head And Shoulders Island (click for pic)
I'm not entirely sure how often this is used now, but it was the local slang name of the traffic island at the junction of Chester Road and Orphanage Road (because of the Sir Josiah Mason bust there, get it?)

The Norton Crossroads
The biggest commercial area in Erdington is formed along Kingsbury Road and Tyburn Road. Between Chester Road and Gravelly Hill they form a very large X. This is and remains a hugely confusing layout in what is a very large commercial area (e.g because the order of the respective junctions with Chester Road is the opposite to those with Gravelly Hill, and because at "Tyburn Island" where the Tyburn pub is it's Kingsbury Road!) The number of commercial vehicles trying to find places is huge.

I didn't know there was an official name for the centre of the X but The Norton Crossroads is it (where the Norton pub used to be - now a Lidl supermarket). I suggest people make others familiar with this official name so looking for exact places along Tyburn Road and Kingsbury Road becomes less difficult - the two roads are easily confused along their lengths.

At least it will become more known that Tyburn Road and Kingsbury Road do NOT run parallel but form an X. At the moment this is surprisingly not apparent to an awful lot of people yet concerns Erdington's biggest commercial area.

The Hovel (pic to come)
The Grade II listed building on the small estate at the junction of Jerrys Lane and Streetly Road - quite a story behind it.

Additions? Comments? Queries? Corrections? email Gary O'Brien - [email protected]

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