MomJaz,,
You really must reconsider the essence of the matter and not lead us off at tangents and smokescreens about streets that move and change their names as quickly as the buses change colours and shall we say ''root(s)'' numbers.
You see until I was about 6 y.o. logically enough, I thought ''the black country'' was just another name for ''the Dark Continent'' and thus without putting too fine a point on a lady's age, let us say that as you can perhaps give me at least 7 years, I'd have assumed that you were essentially African, but having been born when the British Empire ensured that over a third of the World map was loyal, and royal pink, you had been drawn into the Empire and some of your country folk transported to England to fill in parts of the spare bits of what were formerly Walsall, Sutton and West Brom (just as brum was once part of Worcester) - and the Baggies have always needed a boost - accordingly you may not be aware that Great Barr is derived from two sources: Great, obviously to give you a sense of status in a new country, whereas Barr has less obvious roots and is clearly far removed from any dives, pubs or other establishments of that ilk. In many parts of Africa particularly among the Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele and Ojibwa ''bhala'' indicates literacy, through the ability to write.....now that can't be bad can it, to be transported to a new continent and hailed as Great Writers.......indeed such was the reputation of these foreigners, legend has it that when the late King Sobhuza II, of Swaziland requested the aid of HMG's Foreign Office in finding a new wife from UK there was obviously nowhere better to select the lucky lady from, and who was guaranteed a life of ease as the King already had 67 wives......just think instead of that long voyage to the Antipodes you could have skipped onto a royal yacht bound for Mbabane (which happens to be landlocked) but without doubt, His Majesty King Sobhuza, would have found a way ''to transport you with delight''.