Smethwick

Smethwick (pronounced 'Smethick') is a town adjacent to Birmingham and West Bromwich in England.

History

Smethwick means "The settlement on the smooth land". Until the end of the 18th century it was an outlying hamlet of the south Staffordshire village of Harborne.

Related Topics:
18th century - Staffordshire - Harborne

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From the 18th century, three generations of canal were built through Smethwick, carrying coal and goods between the nearby Black Country and Birmingham.

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• James Brindley built the first in 1769
• his design was improved upon by John Smeaton in 1790
• Thomas Telford built a more direct, route, in deeper cutings and without locks, in 1829.

Grade I listed Galton Bridge spans the canal and railway. When built, it was the longest single-span bridge in the world. Its name commemorates Samuel Galton, a local landowner and industrialist.

Related Topics:
Grade I listed - Galton Bridge - Bridge - Samuel Galton

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Matthew Boulton and James Watt opened their Soho Foundry in the North of Smethwick in the late 18th century. In 1792, William Murdoch's cottage there was the first domestic residence in the world to have gas lighting. The foundry was later home to weighing scale makers W & T Avery. It should not be confused with the nearby Soho Manufactory, arguably the world's oldest factory, founded earlier by Boulton and of which only faint archaeological traces remain.

Related Topics:
Matthew Boulton - James Watt - Soho Foundry - 1792 - William Murdoch - Gas lighting - Weighing scale - W & T Avery - Soho Manufactory - Archaeological

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The world's oldest working engine, made by Boulton and Watt, the Smethwick Engine originally stood near Bridge Street, Smethwick. It is now at Thinktank, the new science museum in Birmingham.

Related Topics:
Boulton and Watt - Smethwick Engine - Thinktank

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Other former industry included railway rolling stock manufacture, at the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company factory; screws and other fastenings from Guest Keen and Nettlefolds, engines from Tangye, tubing from Evered's, steel pen nibs from British Pens and various products from Chances Glassworks, including lighthouse lenses and the glazing for the Crystal Palace. The London works, in North Smethwick, has, interestingly, manufactured the metalwork for the Crystal Palace.

Related Topics:
Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company - Guest Keen and Nettlefolds - Tangye - The Crystal Palace

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The Ruskin Pottery Studio, named in honour of the artist John Ruskin, was in Oldbury Road. Many English churches have stained glass windows made at Hardman Studios in Lightwoods House, or, before that, by the Camm family.

Related Topics:
Ruskin Pottery - John Ruskin - Church - Hardman Studios - Lightwoods House

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Former Prime Minister John Major's parents married at Holy Trinity Church, Smethwick there while they were on tour with a music hall variety act. Actor Julie Walters and comedian Frank Skinner are both from Smethwick.

Related Topics:
Prime Minister - John Major - Julie Walters - Comedian - Frank Skinner

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In 1966, Smethwick ceased to be a single County Borough and was absorbed into the new County Borough of Warley, geographically although not administratively in Worcestershire.

Related Topics:
1966 - County Borough - Warley - Worcestershire

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In the 1960's, a large council estate in the west of Smethwick was built. It was officially known as "Galton Village" but as all of the homes were concrete blocks the estate was known locally as the 'concrete jungle'. The estate quickly became unpopular and was redeveloped in the early 1990s with modern low-rise housing.

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Politics

The town has often enjoyed a somewhat turbulent polical history. Smethwick was created as a separate parliamentary constituency in 1918, having previously been part of Handsworth. At that year's general election, Christabel Pankhurst, standing as a Coalition candidate, was defeated by Labour.

Related Topics:
Parliamentary constituency - 1918 - Handsworth - That year's general election - Christabel Pankhurst - Labour

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Labour held the seat until 1931, from 1926 the MP being fascist Sir Oswald Mosley. Mosley resigned the Labour whip in March 1931 but continued to represent the constituency until it was taken by the Conservatives at that year's general election.

Related Topics:
1931 - 1926 - Fascist - Oswald Mosley - Whip - Conservatives - That year's general election

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Labour won in the UK general election, 1945 on 26 July. However, the victorious MP, Alfred Dobbs, was killed in a car accident the very next day. He is the shortest-serving Member of Parliament in British history, if one discounts a few cases of people being elected posthumously. In the ensuing by-election, Patrick Gordon Walker won for Labour.

Related Topics:
UK general election, 1945 - 26 July - Alfred Dobbs - Member of Parliament - Patrick Gordon Walker

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In the UK general election, 1964, Gordon Walker, who was Shadow Foreign Secretary, was defeated in controversial circumstances in the constituency by Conservative candidate Peter Griffiths. Smethwick had been a focus of immigration from the Commonwealth in the economic and industrial growth of the years following World War II and Griffiths ran a campaign critical of the government's policy. There were rumours that his supporters had covertly circulated the slogan If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Liberal or Labour. Hardly had the heat of the election subsided when, on February 12, 1965, US black activist Malcolm X visited the region just nine days before his assassination. He fueled further controversy when he told the press:I have come here because I am disturbed by reports that coloured people in Smethwick are being treated badly. I have heard they are being treated as the Jews under Hitler. I would not wait for the fascist element in Smethwick to erect gas ovens.

Related Topics:
UK general election, 1964 - Foreign Secretary - Constituency - Peter Griffiths - Immigration - Commonwealth - World War II - Nigger - Liberal - February 12 - 1965 - US - Malcolm X

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Labour candidate, actor Andrew Faulds, defeated Griffiths in the UK general election, 1966 and was MP for the constituency until his retirement in 1997. (The constituency was renamed Warley East in 1974.)

Related Topics:
Andrew Faulds - UK general election, 1966 - MP - 1997 - Warley East - 1974

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