Martyn's Blog

On Wednesday 26th July 2023, I returned to the Cross-City Line which runs between Lichfield and Bromsgrove/Redditch, through Birmingham. My destinations were Longbridge and Barnt Green, the latter of which is the junction where the line splits and goes on to Bromsgrove in the west and Redditch to the east.

The trip began at Burton on Trent station, where I eagerly awaited the 0941 train to Birmingham New Street. Unfortunately for me, half of Burton seemed to be also awaiting the train. It arrived in good time, but the train was already packed before anyone else got on, so I made the decision to return home and come back for the next train an hour later.

After a cup of tea and a cheese and pickle sandwich, and a quick revision of my itinerary, I returned to Burton on Trent station, which was not as busy as before, and I caught the train to Birmingham New Street, where I had a short wait for the Cross-City Line service to Longbridge.

Longbridge was one of the few stations newly-built for the Cross-City Line in 1978, replacing another station in the town which was used mainly by workmen at the nearby Longbridge car factory. That station closed to passengers in 1960 and to freight in 1964. Longbridge was the original southern terminus of the Cross-City Line until it was extended to Redditch in 1980. The station underwent a £1.7million refurbishment in 2018-19 to build a new ticket office, accessible toilets and improve the concourse of the station.

My first port of call was to be Cofton Park, around a 15-20 minute walk (uphill) from the station.

The park was purchased by the council in 1933 for £10,640 from the estate of local industrialist William Walter Hinder, who left great swathes of his estate in his will to benefit the people of Birmingham. In 2010, the then-Pope Benedict XVI gave a mass in the park and canonised Cardinal John Henry Newman in front of 51,626 people. The park is also used for concerts, with Pixie Lott, Jess Glynne and McBusted having played in the park in recent years.

The weather was glorious as I strolled through the park, which was busy with dog walkers and children enjoying the start of the summer holidays. I left the park to the west, and started on the journey to Holy Trinity Church in Lickey. I had to walk up a road called Rose Hill, not really realising that it was a hill, despite the name. After almost bursting my lungs on the climb, I arrived at the church and sat in the churchyard to take a drink of water and admire the sunshine.

The church was built between 1855 and 1856. Across the road from the church, on the junction of Rose Hill, Monument Lane and Twatling Road (yes, really), is the local war memorial, which I forgot to photograph, and an old water trough.

The trough was erected in 1906 by public subscription, to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. It was restored ahead of its centenary in 2006. Further up nearby Monument Lane is a sight which caused my jaw to drop in awe.

The Lickey Monument was built in 1834 of Anglesey marble in memory of the 5th Earl of Plymouth, with funds raised by public subscription. He helped to form the Worcestershire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry. It measures at least 60ft in height. It was restored and cleaned in 1995, but could do with another clean, in my opinion. The monument sits in the middle of a public woodland, with paths veering off in many directions. I left the monument and headed back up the road to the next point of interest.

Beacon Hill toposcope was built by the Cadbury family (of confectionary fame) in 1907 to mark their donation of the land upon which it sits to the public. The castle-like building which houses it was rebuilt in 1988 to mark the centenary of the country park. Beacon Hill was used as a vantage point during World War II to look out for enemy planes heading for Birmingham, and the local car manufacturing plants in particular.

The surrounding area was full of families enjoying the summer holidays, with a game of football happening in front of the toposcope, with jumpers being used as goalposts.

I walked back down Monument Lane, towards Holy Trinity Church. A coach passed me with “Rail Replacement” on the destination board. My heart sank, so I checked my phone and saw that a points failure was affecting trains between Longbridge and Bromsgrove. I soon remembered that I was heading the other way, so my trip home wouldn’t be affected, I hoped.

The sunshine from the early afternoon had all but abated as I entered Lickey Hills Country Park. The 524 acre park includes a visitor centre, a children’s play park and a vast woodland with a network of pathways.

The park was busy, again with families on a day out. In bygone years, the park was a popular destination for people to escape the grime and dirt of industrial Birmingham and get out into the countryside. The original Birmingham trams used to run from the city to a terminus at nearby Rednal, but this closed in 1953. I spent about 45 minutes walking through the park with no idea where I was going. I followed a pathway to a stile next to a farmer’s field. I walked through the field, which was a public right of way, until I came to another stile which took me back into the park. Five minutes later, I was out on the road.

It was a race against time for me to make the train back home, but I made it to Barnt Green station with plenty of time to spare.

Barnt Green station first opened in 1844. It sits on a Y-shaped junction, with one line branching off towards Redditch, and another which goes to Bromsgrove and beyond. The station’s original buildings are long gone, with just waiting shelters and footbridges left. Doctor Beeching threatened to close the station in 1963, but it was reprieved in 1965. It was given a new lease of life with the arrival of the Cross-City Line in 1978, and the electrification of the line in 1992.

My trip home involved a change at University station rather than New Street. I mentioned that station in the Alvechurch blog post, including the brand new station buildings which had yet to be opened back in April. And they still aren’t finished. The rain had come on, but the train took me all the way back to Burton on Trent, and I even got a seat on the train, which was a bonus.

Thanks very much for reading.