pic: Holy Name Catholic Church
Sitting close to junction 7 of the M6 and junction 1 of the M5, Great Barr is the perfect location for travelling to Birmingham City Centre, West Bromwich, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield – or even further afield.
It boasts a handful of local retail centres, the main one being the Scott Arms which has both food and clothes shops. It also has a couple of small supermarkets, banks, building societies, estate agents and travel agents.
Elsewhere there’s The Circle and Hawthorn Road shopping area in Kingstanding, and the One Stop Shopping Centre in Perry Barr and Hamstead Village. There is an Asda near to the Scott Arms, and another in Perry Barr.
But if you’re looking for more than shops from an area, there are plenty of other things to do to fill your leisure time.
pic: Red House Park
Great Barr has two bingo halls, plenty of family pubs, restaurants, a golf range, the Greyhound Racing Stadium, speedway racing, swimming baths and a handful of parks.
The area is also home to the Alexander Stadium, which hosts many international athletics meetings, and Villa Park is nearby.
And if the busy city life ever gets too much, countryside is just around the corner at Barr Beacon, which, at 227 metres high, provides stunning views of the area. It also has a farm which sells free-range eggs and locally-produced pickles and jams.
Great Barr is home to the country’s biggest secondary school – Great Barr Secondary School has more than 4,000 students and a sixth form centre.
Property in Great Barr
Great Barr provides a varied mix of homes, with some large detached houses in parts, and council terraces in others.
It is a large area at the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall, with its centre focused on the Scott Arms area, and the nearby Junction 7 of the M6.
However, smaller districts of Great Barr have their own centres – such as Handsworth Wood, Perry Barr and Kingstanding - meaning there is lots of choice when it comes to property, shopping, eating out and schools.
Areas in and around Great Barr
1. Great Barr
Where is it? It borders Junction 7 of the M6, with the busy A34 running through the centre.
It has main roads linking it to Birmingham City Centre to the south east, Walsall town centre to the north and West Bromwich to the south west.
What's there? Mainly three-bedroomed semi-detached houses, but there are some smaller two-bedroom terraced houses and a small handful of larger, four- and five-bedroomed detached houses.
Most recently, a number of luxury apartment developments have also sprung up.
Buyers: Popular with young families, and families with older children. Also popular with middle-aged couples with grown-up children who have moved away from home.
There are a limited number of properties for first-time buyers.
Pros: There are plenty of well-achieving schools in the area, and very easy access to shopping areas and the motorway.
Close to a couple of decent-sized parks at Perry Barr and Red House, both with children's play areas.
Cons: Europe's busiest road junction sits right at the heart of the area.
2. Handsworth Wood
Where is it? Handsworth Wood is a loosely defined area in the north west of Birmingham, neighbouring Great Barr and Perry Barr.
It is regarded by estate agents as 'upmarket' in comparison to nearby districts.
What's there? A range of upmarket, larger homes, both semi-detached and detached, mainly pre-war. Many properties have generous gardens.
Buyers: Usually the choice of professional people with families, due to its close proximity to Birmingham City Centre, and the quieter areas of Great Barr and Hamstead.
Pros: Close to the city centre with good transport links, and is well known for its vibrant multi-cultural community.
Cons: Used to be one of the most desirable areas to live, but has lost some of its prestige in recent years.
3. Kingstanding/New Oscott
Where is it? Kingstanding and New Oscott, in the north of Birmingham, are situated between leafy Sutton Coldfield and popular Great Barr.
Kingstanding has its own shopping area which is ideal for food, clothing and banking. Some famous brands have stores there including all the major banks, Iceland, Greggs, KFC, Boots and most recently Subway. There is also a Post Office.
What's there? Most of the houses are council-owned or ex-council-owned terraced houses, built between 1930 and 1940. There are some three-bedroom semi-detached houses on the outskirts of the centre.
Buyers: Young families and couples. There is also a high percentage of houses suitable for first-time buyers. A small number of flats and apartments are available.
Pros: Kingstsanding has its own self-contained shopping area, and has good access to the city centre and neighbouring Sutton Coldfield. It is also very near Sutton Park, which is the biggest urban park in the county.
There are plenty of primary and secondary schools.
Cons: Has become run-down recently, but is due for a major overhaul, with Birmingham City Council currently looking at plans to inject huge sums of cash into redeveloping the area.
Living Here
Transport:
Trains: Regular trains travel to Birmingham City from Perry Barr and Hamstead stations. However, there is no car parking at either station and neighbouring roads can be busy.
Buses: There is a good bus network linking the area to West Bromwich, Walsall and Birmingham. Buses around the area are frequent and fairly reliable.
Road: There is a good road network around Great Barr and the surrounding districts, including the A34 which runs through the area, from Walsall to Birmingham city centre.
Junction 7 of the M6, and junction 1 of the M5 are also in Great Barr.
Shopping:
pic: Scott Arms Shopping Centre
There are many local shopping areas dotted around Great Barr.
There's the Scott Arms in Great Barr with many banks, building societies, grocery stores and newsagents. There's also a couple of supermarkets there, and a handful of big name stores.
In Perry Barr, the One Stop Shopping Centre also has many big name stores, from clothes and shoe shops to carpet and DIY stores, as well as a market and a supermarket. A bus station and free car parking make shopping there easy.
Smaller shopping centres are located at Kingstanding Circle, and Hawthorn Road in Kingstanding, catering for all your local shopping needs.
Newsagents, off-licences and takeaways are also plentiful, often just a couple of streets apart.
Eating and drinking:
There are many places to eat around Great Barr and surrounds, if you want quality meals for a reasonable price.
Most of the pubs have a varied menu and cater for children, and there are many Indian restaurants.
KFC, Chinese takeaways, chip shops and pizza delivery places are also regularly located around the area.
Leisure and entertainment:
Cinema: There is no cinema in Great Barr, but travelling into Birmingham City Centre to the Odeon is easy thanks to reliable public transport.
Theatre: There is no local theatre, but again, plenty to choose from in the city centre.
Going out: The Greyhound Dog Stadium provides a fantastic night out.
There are also a couple of Bingo halls which attract visitors of all ages.
Many of the pubs have entertainment during the weekend.
Parks and Open Spaces:
pic: Red House Park
Great Barr: Red House Park has plenty of history, and includes the listed Red House, a striking redbrick Victorian building.
The park has a children's play area and multi-user games area, several football pitches, woodland and lakes.
There is also a children's play area at Calshot Park.
Sandwell Valley is a beautiful, expansive country park, with an adjacent RSPB sanctuary. There is a nature trail and a visitor centre.
Gorse Farm Wood is great for walking and wildlife-spotting.
Perry Hall Playing Fields has a children's play area, and a former boating lake. It is currently undergoing some redevelopment.
Handsworth Wood: Home to Handsworth Park, a Victorian-built urban park which has undergone extensive restoration in the recent past.
The park has a children's play area, leisure centre and beautiful grounds, and hosts various events including a music and entertainment festival.
Kingstanding: Perry Park lies on the border of Kingstanding and Perry Barr, and is home to a large lake, a fishing stream, bmx track and children's play area.
It hosts many events throughout the year, such as the Birmingham Carnival, flower shows, dog shows and a fairground twice a year.
Well-known athletics venue, the Alexander Stadium, is also situated within the park.
There is a children's play area at Kingstanding Circle.