Centre of the Midlands nail making industry during the 19th century and home to both the Kalamazoo paper factory and the Austin motor company's Longbridge factory in the 20th century, today Northfield is predominantly a residential and dormitory suburb of metropolitan Birmingham.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,839 |
The name was original nord feld, an Anglo-Saxon phrase and Northfield Birmingham was probably named because the area is to the north of Bromsgrove.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,840 |
Northfield Birmingham was near the northern edge of the Saxon kingdom called Hwicce as were Kings Norton and Yardley and was near the northern edge of the area settled by Saxons arriving from the south.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,841 |
Northfield Birmingham was in a Saxon settlement or a Celtic area that Saxons had conquered in North Worcestershire, which in 1086 became part of the lands of William Fitz-Ansculf, a Norman knight.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,842 |
In 1762 this route was turnpiked and the Northfield Birmingham tollgate was on the site of the modern-day corner of Rochester Road.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,843 |
Major housing development in Northfield Birmingham was the Egghill Estate in the west of the district.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,844 |
Northfield Birmingham is built on a well-drained stretch of gravel and sand that had been laid down under a prehistoric shallow sea and enriched by sediments from ice age glaciers.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,845 |
The Northfield Birmingham area includes a wide geological range of rocks of various ages.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,846 |
Northfield Birmingham stands on a small part of the Northfield Birmingham—Dudley plateau, which constitutes part of the South Staffordshire Uplands and was covered by a massive glacier that stretched all the way from Wales during the last ice age approximately 10,000 – 13,000 years ago.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,847 |
Merritt's Brook rises as springs in fields to the south-west of Northfield Birmingham, crossing Bell Holloway and flowing parallel to the Bristol Road South until it flows into the lake at Manor Farm.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,848 |
Northfield Birmingham is perhaps most famous for the Longbridge plant, the Austin Rover car factory located in the Longbridge Ward.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,849 |
Northfield Birmingham assets were bought by Chinese carmaker Nanjing Automobile three months later, and low volume production began in May 2007 with just over 200 workers employed at the factory making MG TF sports cars.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,850 |
However, with Northfield Birmingham falling within the various catchment areas for several secondary schools others choose to travel to:.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,852 |
Northfield Birmingham is served by the NHS Trust Selly Oak Hospital, now part of the University Hospital Trust and due to close shortly to move into new premises, occupies the premises of the former Kings Norton Union Workhouse although the infirmary buildings have not been used as wards for many years, but as offices and consulting rooms.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,853 |
Northfield is centred on the main A38 road, which runs southwards from Birmingham and leads to Bromsgrove, Worcester, Gloucester, Bristol, Exeter and eventually Bodmin in Cornwall.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,854 |
The section of this road through Northfield Birmingham was traditionally very congested around the old village centre, but in 2006 a relief road was built, which has significantly improved the situation.
| FactSnippet No. 2,091,855 |