Balsall Common

There is a large village known as Balsall Common in Solihull, England. There are 4.5 miles (7.5 km) between it and Kenilworth, 12.1 miles (23.5 km) between it and Coventry, 8 miles (13 km) between it and Solihull, and 15 miles (24 km) between it andLondon. The name Balsall comes from the Anglo-Saxon words “Baelle” meaning corner (or angle) and “Heale” meaning shelter.

This village is relatively young; most of the shops and houses were built during the 20th century. The village used to be made up of a couple of hamlets with about six to twelve houses each, and a few scattered cottages. The village grew after World War II when the 1930s brought the development that linked these isolated buildings.

History of Balsall Common

A corner of land is called a Baelle, and a sheltered place is called a Heale. In close proximity to rivers and streams that drain into Lake Balsall Common and The River Avon and River Severn to the north, and River Teme and The River Trent to the south, the common is situated on a flat site in gently undulating country. This heavy clay soil results from keuper marl as the underlying rock.

It was largely a heathland with no main roads until the mid-19th century when it became major. A couple of hamlets, Balsall Street and Catchems Corner, had 6-12 houses each, and there were a few cottages scattered around. The name Balsall was historically used to refer to Temple Balsall, which was an important area, much more important than the isolated hamlet of today.

Heale is a shelter, and Baelle is a corner of land. There are a number of rivers that drain into Lake Balsall Common to the north, River Avon and River Severn to the south, and River Teme and The River Trent to the west. The common is situated on a flat area in gently undulating terrain. Normally, keuper marl is the rock beneath this heavy clay soil.

Until the mid-19th century, most of the area was heathland. Catchems Corner and Balsall Street each had six to twelve houses, along with a few cottages. In the past, the name Balsall referred to Temple Balsall, a much more important area than the isolated hamlet of today.

Balsall Common owes its growth in part to the development of turnpike roads, as it is situated at the intersection of two of them: the road from Kenilworth to Stonebridge (A452) and the road from Coventry to Knowle (B4101).

After the Second World War, Balsall Common began to develop in phases with ribbon development from the early scattered development of the village.