Bournville
Bournville is a model village in south Birmingham built by the Cadbury family around their chocolate factory from the late nineteenth century, to give workers good homes and green space. The brothers George and Richard Cadbury moved the factory out of the crowded city centre in 1879, and George Cadbury began building the village in the 1890s.
In practice
Bournville's houses were built with gardens, wide roads, parks and sports grounds, a deliberate contrast with the back-to-back courts of the inner city. As Quakers, the Cadburys kept the village free of pubs, and the Bournville Village Trust still manages much of it. The factory still makes chocolate, and Cadbury World, next door, is a popular visitor attraction. The village green, Selly Manor museum and the carillon in the village's school tower are worth seeing.
Why it matters to newcomers
Bournville and neighbouring areas such as Selly Oak are popular with families and with staff of the nearby University of Birmingham. The village is a good example of the idea, born in Birmingham, that employers could plan healthier places to live.
Related
- Back to Backs - the housing Bournville was built to replace
- City of a thousand trades - the industrial city it grew from
Source: Birmingham City Council.