Birches Green
Birches Green is a small area of Tyburn in Birmingham, England. It is located between Gravelly Hill and Bromford.
Historically Birches Green was part of Aston parish and consisted mostly of farmland however since it has been incorporated into the expanding city of Birmingham it is now mostly a residential area. In the early 1900s the city council considered building a gas works in Birches Green on the site of the Glenthorne estate but these plans did not come to fruition and instead a housing estate was built.
Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre
Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre, which opened in 1978[1] , provided long-term care for children aged between 12 to 18 who were "severely disturbed and disruptive"[2] and was referred to in the media as "Britain's toughest jail for young offenders"[3] .
The centre was one of only two units in the country at the time and could accomodate 68 children though this was later reduced to 30. The centre consisted of a mixture of secure and open accommodation.
The centre attracted a deal of controversy over the years with a number of incidents reported in the media including female inmates sexually assaulted[4] and being made pregnant by other inmates[5]. Inspectors in 1991 reported that the centre was "in crisis with staff barely able to control the inmates" with security breaches and staff failing to search inmates for illegal substances[6] . The centre was closed in 2002, the site is currently used by the Ardenleigh Adolescent Forensic Unit.
Birches Green House / Rookery House
Rookery House currently in Rookery Park,Erdington was originally known as Birches Green House and dates from the 1730s[7] . The house passed between a number of owners in the 18th and 19th centuries before it was renamed Rookery House by William Wiley the pencil case manufacturer in 1871. People who lived in Birches Green House included Barbara Spooner who later married William Wilberforce.
In the 20th century the house was purchased by the City of Birmingham Council and the surrounding gardens became Rookery Park. It is currently unused.
Education
Birches Green Primary School opened in 1929[8], it includes two adjoining schools Birches Green Infants School and Birches Green Junior School.
References
- ^ "Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre".
- ^ "Glenthorne,Erdington".
- ^ "Teenage killer gets pregnant in jail". Daily Mirror. Wed 23 Mar 1994 Page 8-9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Jail sex agony of girl, 13". Daily Mirror. Thu 28 Apr 1994 Page 13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Teenage killer gets pregnant in jail". Daily Mirror. Wed 23 Mar 1994 Page 8-9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Brindle, David (May 7, 1994 Page 11). "Offenders' centre in crisis". The Guardian.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Timeline : Rookery House" (PDF).
- ^ Stephens (Editor), W.B. (1964). A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham. pp. 501–548.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)
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