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Solihull Council Heritage & Local Studies Service

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Interests

  • General

    We're really interested in all places within the Solihull borough and are keen to collect everything we can about the local area. From Chelmsley Wood to Castle Bromwich, from Kingshurst to Knowle, Smith's Wood to Shirley and all points in between. We have maps, books, photos, newspapers - anything we can find relating to the local area...
  • Music

    You may be surprised at how many bands and musicians have a Solihull connection: - grindcore/death metal band Napalm Death was formed in Meriden in 1982; band members from Ocean Colour Scene attended local schools; the 1960s 'Brumbeat' group The Applejacks was formed in Solihull; guitarist Gordon Giltrap lived in Hockley Heath; violinist Nigel Kennedy grew up in Solihull; Wally Lowe, former member of the heavy rock band Magnum, was born in Meriden; Jeff Lynne, co-founder of ELO, was also resident in Meriden; Reggae singer Bitty McLean is a former resident of Chelmsley Wood; soprano Margaret Preece is a resident of Dickens Heath; John Ruddick, Musical director of the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra and winner of the BBC's Outstanding Musician of the Year award in 1996 and 2004 is a resident of Hampton-in-Arden; DJ Tushar Makwana was resident in Castle Bromwich until his tragic death in 2004. Other DJs with a Solihull connection are Phil Upton and Johnnie Walker. Have we missed anyone out? Let us know.
  • Movies

    Film stars with a link to Solihull include Lucy Davis (daughter of Jasper Carrott, who is also known for appearing in long-running radio series The Archers and in the TV series The Office
  • Television

    TV personalities and actors with a Solihull connection are: Newsround presenter Lizo Mzimba; 'Sherlock Holmes' actor, Jeremy Brett, who was born in Berkswell; journalist and newsreader Michael Buerk; actor and comedian Jasper Carrott OBE; actor Stephanie Cole OBE; TV presenter Richard Hammond; actress Felicity Kendall; comedian, writer and director Stewart Lee (of comedy duo Lee and Herring); and comedian and presenter Don MacLean MBE.
  • Books

    Solihull Heritage & Local Studies tries to collect everything written about places within the Solihull borough. You can search the library catalogue at www.solihull.gov.uk/libraries
  • Heroes

    Solihull Council held the "S-Factor" exhibition and online poll in 2006 to find the borough's favourite Silhillian. The eventual winner was the actor Stephanie Cole, who was born in Solihull. Other local heroes featured include all those mentioned in the sections above, plus: Balsall Common artist Trevor Boult, whose work has been presented to the Queen; squash player Jonah Barrington; tennis player Jeremy Bates; athlete Daniel Caines; athlete Patricia Cropper MBE; ice skater John Curry OBE; Kingshurst artist Steve Farley; Berskwell suffragette Lettice Floyd; motorcyclist and former Shirley resident Harry 'Rem' Fowler, winner of the first Isle of Man TT Race in 1907; boxer Jack Hood; rugby player Martin Johnson CBE; Olton resident and engineer F W Lanchester, credited with building the first British petrol-driven four-wheeled motor car in 1896; judo champion and former Kingshurst resident Sharon Lee; racing driver Nigel Mansell OBE; golfer Peter McEvoy MBE; motorcyle racer and Shirley resident Ted Mellors; singer Maggie Moone; show jumper Ann Moore MBE who grew up in Chadwick End; Holocaust survivor Paul Oppenheimer MBE; cartoonist and illustrator 'Larry'; athlete Mike Rawson; ceramic artist Vinitha McWhinnie; sculptor Ian Walters; tennis player and winner of the fist Wimbledon ladies' singles title in 1884, Maud Watson MBE; and metallurgist James Fern Webster, who carried out the world's first commercial production of aluminium at his factory in Solihull Lodge.

Blurbs

About me:

Solihull Council's Heritage & Local Studies Service is based in Solihull Central Library and covers the history and heritage of all places now within the Solihull Borough. If you're interested in local history or family history, check out our web pages at www.solihull.gov.uk/heritage









Solihull High School for Girls, Malvern Hall



The Misses Blizzards' shop





Who I'd like to meet:

Anybody with an interest in Solihull past or present. Contact us via MySpace or directly by phone on 0121 704 6934 or via our e-mail heritage@solihull.gov.uk.

Whether it's local history or family history, we'll do our best to help if you have any query. If you have a school or college project you're researching, come and visit us - you'll be able to access stuff that you just can't find on Google. We have hundreds of maps of the borough and over 10,000 photos, not to mention all the books, newspapers and other material we hold. Contact us - we're happy to help!

Details

  • Status: Single
  • Zodiac Sign: Taurus

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