The name Kingshurst comes from having previously been a Royal Manor, and "hurst" meaning wood. The earliest record of Kingshurst is in documents from the late 13th and early 14th centuries, when it is referred to as part of the Manor of Coleshill. Tenant farming was administered from here and Simon de Montford of Coleshill was an English nobleman who built a moated manor house near Kingshurst. The Hall had its own park and farmlands.

The Mountfords 1332-1618 edit

Kingshurst took on an independent existence from Coleshill with the arrival of the Mountfords. It is unclear how Kingshurst came into their possession although it is probable that they bought the area around 1332 from the Clintons, who were then Lords of the Manor at Coleshill. What is certain is that they were in possession by about 1352.

The end of Kingshurst Hall edit

The last proprietor of Kingshurst Hall, Walter Townsend, lacked the means to prevent the house from falling into a state of disrepair. All plans to salvage it came to nothing, due to a lack of funds. In 1960, Walter was moved to a house in Castle Bromwich and in 1962 the hall was demolished.

The remains of the moat of Kingshurst Hall are still visible today.

Yorkswood edit

During World War I, much of the woodland in Kingshurst was cut down to help with the war effort. The Birmingham and District Association of Boy Scouts were able to buy a patch of land at a bargain price and set up a permanent camp there. This land was halfway between Kingshurst and Shard End. It was called Yorkswood and opened in 1923. There were five camp fields, covering an area of 25 acres (100,000 m²). The total site was over 200 acres (0.81 km²). The site benefited from permanent washhouses and latrines, a swimming-pool, a training centre and headquarters, guesthouse, warden’s hut and other huts. A small brook from a fresh water spring ran past the camp and Cock Sparrow Farm was about 100 yards (91 m) away to provide fresh milk.

The entrance to the camp was flanked by a series of griffin statues. These had come from the roof of Lewis's Department Store on Corporation Street in Birmingham when it was being renovated. After the camp closed in 1972, they were placed on the housing estate (Kendrick Avenue and nearby roads) built upon the site of the camp.

Kingshurst is now mainly a suburban/semi-rural residential area. Built in the 1950s in the Meriden Rural District, it lies within the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull

Babbs Mill Lake is located to the south of the village adjacent to the Yorkswood forest amid the vast Kingfisher Country Park on Fordbridge Road. The River Cole, West Midlands runs through the southern most point of the village within the park.

There are three primary schools Kingshurst Primary School, St. Anthonys Catholic Primary School, Yorkswood Primary School, and four Kindergarten preparatory groups.

The most attended secondary schools for Kingshurst children are Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst on Cooks Lane, John Henry Newman Catholic College on Chelmsley Road, The Coleshill School in Warwickshire, and Smith's Wood Academy across the Chester Road in Smith’s Wood. The nearest independent school is Solihull School in Solihull town centre.The library is located on Marston Drive above a post office, optician, hair salon, pharmacy and a village Co-op. The shopping area is currently undergoing major redevelopment.

The Anglican church is dedicated to St Barnabas and is situated off Church Close, the Catholic church is dedicated to St Anthony, the Pentecostal Church situated in Gilson Way, New Testament Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). And the Evangelicalism church, Connection Church Centre, situated on Cooks Lane.

Kingshurst Park is located off Gilson Way/Marston Drive behind the New Testament Church of God car park. Popular with dog walkers, cyclists and joggers. It is popular in the summer months with the field being a popular picnic spot. The children's play area is the main facility with the freedom to play outdoor games and activities.

There are four main bus routes that run through Kingshurst. The A9 from Kingshurst to Blythe Valley Park, the X12 to Solihull, the 95 into Birmingham, and the 71 to Sutton Coldfield.

According to the 2021 census, Kingshurst has a population of 8,344.^[2]

Gary Shaw, the former Aston Villa footballer, was born at a house on Meriden Drive in January 1961 and lived there until the 1980s, by which time he was established as a key player at Villa.

Rapper Lady Leshurr was born and raised in Kingshurst.

Mike Kendall Famous sleuth and traveller attended Kingshurst Boys School in the 1970s. Reportedly his ideal travel destination is Vindication Island, although he has not yet been.

Kingshurst has a parish council, to which it elects 12 members every four years.^[3] Kingshurst is currently under a Conservative council, with David Cole as Councillor.

Kingshurst is in the Meriden (UK Parliament constituency), with Saqib Bhatti MBE as the Conservative MP since 2019. Subject to a boundary change in the next genereal election, some roads in the northern part of the village will be merged into the Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North (UK Parliament constituency), though the majority of the village will remain in Meriden.

• Map of Kingshurst
• City Technology College
• North Solihull Regeneration website