Hi", SH, funny but the river rea had alot to do with birmingham becoming what it is today, there was a major highway that crossed the Rea that went from East to West, hence, tradeing, a lot of people had small shops there and the local farmers brought their animals there also, that became the Bull ring, ( which has been moved around a little to make way for houses and stalls) you can image all around was fields, later they had commers ............. its all there if you look close, the name of the streets, the area names and things like that,
If Andy and myself and most on this board went back about 400 years, we would still be living in small hamlet, south of B/ham, today its called Balsall Heath, and because there was work, a lot of people from all over the country came to live here...............John 2000