Sutton Coldfield

 

Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham was granted a charter of incorporation to be a Royal Town from Henry VIII in 1528. As a result of a forced merger of land boundaries, a takeover by Birmingham Metropolitan District in 1974, Sutton Coldfield was forced to lose its Coat of Arms and no was no longer a Royal Borough.

The town is well known for its two thousand four hundred acres of natural parkland with seven lakes, originally the property of Bishop Vesey as a gift from Henry VIII. Old Moor Hall, the fifteenth century home of the Bishop still stands. He founded the Grammar School which is named after him.

Sutton Coldfield makes up a number of districts including Wylde Green and Boldmere to the south of the town centre, Mere Green and Four Oaks to the north and Walmley to the south east.

Sutton Coldfield has its own football club, Sutton Coldfield Town Football Club was first formed in 1879 and played their first game at ''Meadow Plat'' in Sutton Park against Birmingham which they lost 6-2. Now known as 'Sutton Town', the club has changed management in recent years and amalgamated with Brookvale Athletic FC. Sutton Coldfield has plenty of leisure activities including a synthetic 400m, 8 lane track at Wyndley Leisure Centre.

Sutton Coldfield Park extends across much of the Constituency of Sutton Coldfield, it is Birmingham's largest park and a remnant of an extensive forest that covered much of the Midlands, it has many activities including; walking, cycling, fishing, horse-riding and jogging, canoeing and sailing amongst others and enjoys annual visitors of over 2 million.