Kings Heath (historically, and still occasionally King`s Heath) is a suburb of Birmingham, England, five miles south of the city centre. It is the next suburb south from Moseley on the A435, Alcester road.
Kings Heath came into being as a village in the 18th century with the improvements to the Alcester to Birmingham road acting as a catalyst for new houses and farms. Prior to this the area was largely uninhabited wasteland run by the Royal Borough of Kings Norton.
The streets running off High Street are dominated by pre-1919 terraced, owner occupied housing. Due to the desirability of the area and the quality of local schools Kings Heath is steadily becoming gentrified, with houses becoming increasingly unaffordable for local people.
A number of independent shops have taken advantage of relatively cheaper rents in the side roads off High Street and recently there has been an influx of boutiques and even the start of an (organic) cafe culture. In 2008 the businesses agreed to a Business Improvement District, which top-slices a proportion of their local business taxes to go directly into improvements and promotion of the area.
The locals still refer to Kings Heath as a `village` even though it has been part of Birmingham for over a century. Its centre at the Vicarage Road junction has now been developed to form an attractive public square which is used as a venue for the monthly farmers` market and other events.
All Saints Church in High Street
On 28 July 2005, Kings Heath was hit by a major (by European standards) tornado which damaged several shops on High Street and All Saints` Church. The tornado then went on to damage many houses in Balsall Heath. There were no fatalities.
High Street has also suffered from flash floods on occasions, sometimes up to a foot of water in depth, although recently installed underground reservoirs at the junction of Station Road and High Street aim to combat this problem.
The central shopping area runs along High Street and Alcester Road, and the shops include branches of national chain stores, supermarkets, electrical retailers and opticians. There are also a number of pubs and churches and schools on and around High Street.
Kings Heath contains two parks: Kings Heath Park and Highbury Park, the former being famous as the setting for the popular ATV series Gardening Today.
Kings Heath Park also features a Victorian-styled tea room and is the venue for the annual Gardener`s Weekend Show, which comes under the Royal Horticultural Society and is one of the top regional events for gardening enthusiasts to show off their vegetables and floral displays etc. The park has `green flag` status. Highbury Park (on the border with Moseley) is adjacent to the Highbury Hall, which used to be a residence of Joseph Chamberlain.
The Hare and Hounds public house, in Kings Heath High Street, was the location of the first concert by UB40 on 9 February 1979, which is commemorated by a PRS for Music plaque. The pub was rebuilt in 1907, but is Grade II listed, as it has retained many original Art Nouveau internal fixtures. The pub is still an important, local, music venue.
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