General Information and history of Hollywood.
Hollywood is 7 miles south of the city of
Birmingham and is partly within the city boundary with the greater part
being in Worcestershire. It is within the Parish of Wythall. which
includes part of Shirley, Solihull at Majors Green boundaries of post code
area can be very confusing at times. The main Road
from Birmingham is the A435 Alcester Road South. Hollywood was by-passed
in 1969 by a
dual carriageway way running from Maypole island to Wythall. Up to the
1950's Hollywood was a very rural area with an abundance of fields and
farms. Post war development saw a large increase in housing with new
estates and schools emerging on many of these fields. Today Hollywood
still has a rural atmosphere, new housing development continues on a much
smaller scale with the building of exclusive homes from 3 bed semis detached
and mews homes to luxury 4 & 5 bed detached houses.
Schools
There are two schools on Shawhurst Lane: The Coppice (Primary School) and Woodrush High School.
and Silvermead Junior School (Previously known as Silver Street School and is on Silver Street, now closed
down. This site now contains houses). Other schools nearby are Meadow Green Primary (near Becketts Island, Wythall) and Hollywood Primary School (near the Maypole)
Pubs
There are two pubs in the area, the White Swan and the Pack Horse. The Pack Horse has recently been renovated and turned from a
Harvester into a Sizzling Steaks pub. Other pubs nearby (you'd probably need a car), include the Horse and Jockey (off the A435), the Coach and Horses (a traditional pub near Weatheroak) and the Peacock.
The Drawbridge at Majors Green is a pleasant canalside pub. There are number of pubs in the Moseley area (via the 50 bus from the Maypole, or the less frequent 177 from Hollywood), Bull's Head and Reservoir (both in Earlswood), The Bell and the Old Royal Oak (both in
Tanworth-in Arden) and a number of Ember Inn pubs in Shirley.
Shopping
There are three main shopping areas in Hollywood & Wythall. Hollywood Lane has a small newsagents, a foodstore and a DIY shop. May Lane's shops include a hairdressers, a chemist, stars news shop, a clothes shop, a butchers, a
Chinese takeaway and a pet shop. On the other side of May Lane there is the Library and the Doctors Surgery. At Drakes Cross (Off Alcester Road) the shops include a Spar Shop, a video rental shop, a florist, a chip shop and Morgam News. There are two estate agents in the Drakes Cross area, Kelly Homes (Drakes Cross Parade) and Darren Blower (Near the White Swan).
A new supermarket (Sainsbury's) opened in 2003, in the Maypole area.
Major shopping areas such as Shirley, Solihull, and to a lesser extent, Redditch, are only short drives away, and Birmingham
City Centre can be easily reached by car, train (Whitlocks End or Wythall Stations) or bus (50 Maypole, 177). 2003 saw a major change complete at the Bullring - the new shopping centre and the redevelopment of Moor Street Station.
Sport and Leisure
Woodrush Sports Centre is on Shawhurst Lane, Gay Hill Golf Club is on located at the junction of Hollywood Lane and
Alcester Road Gay Hill it is an old established Club which was first formed in 1913, moving to the present site in 1921. The Course is laid out in a valley with gently sloping sides, through which runs a stream and its tributary. Subtle use is made of the sloping terrain and streams on several holes. It is not a particularly long Course, measuring just 6406 yards from the white tees and comprising of 10 par 4's, 4 par 3's and 4 par 5's, producing a par for the Course of
72.
Wythall Park in Silver Street has facilities for a range
of sports including, Football, Rugby, Tennis, Bowls, and others.
Walks: There are 55 Public Rights of Way in the Parish of Wythall.
'The North Worcestershire Path' is a regional route, east to west for 27 miles.
It starts in Majors Green passing Berry Mound
(an early
Iron Age earthwork) and through Hollywood and
Wythall ends at Kinver Edge (can be navigated in either direction).
Horse riding is popular in the area with a riding
schools in Truemans Heath Lane just over the border in Shirley.
Museums: Birmingham and Midland Museum of Transport, is situated close to the A435 in Chapel Lane.
Recent changes
A new supermarket (Sainsbury's) opened in 2003, in the Maypole area. This took up waste land which housed the RAC Centre a long time ago, and a number of small shops and houses were demolished too. Other changes in 2003 include the closure of the Petrol Station at the top of Hollywood Lane (last known as Total, although previously Elf) and the Private Primary School Innisfree House closed down (Dec 2002).
The crossroads on Hollywood Lane at Truemans Heath is now a mini
roundabout.
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