General Builders Sutton Coldfield
General Builders Sutton Coldfield West Midlands
Approximate Population: 105,452
Sutton Coldfield ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a town within the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton (as it is often abbreviated to) is located about 8 miles (13 km) from central Birmingham, in the northeast of the city, with a population of 105,452 recorded in the 2001 census. It forms part of the West Midlands conurbation.
At the turn of the 18th century, Sutton Coldfield was introduced to industry. The manufacture of blades, gun barrels, spades and spade handles as well as the grinding of knives, bayonets and axes, further helped the town prosper. Mills were set up along the pools in Sutton Park and on the banks of Ebrook. A cotton spinning machine was tested at Powells Pool Mill (demolished in 1936) by John Wyatt with the help of Lewis Paul. These mills were not the first in Sutton Coldfield, as there had been windmills at Maney Hill and Langley Hall, but these were the first mills constructed for industrial purposes in the town. It has been claimed that the first all-steel garden fork was produced in the town. Pools that had been drained during the 17th century for rich meadow land were recreated in the 18th century, as well as new pools such as Blackroot Pool and Longmoor Pool.
Sutton Coldfield’s economy witnessed a boom in that the residents were now experiencing new luxuries, such as seafood. Products for sale in the town were 10% more expensive than in the neighbouring villages. In 1791, following the Priestley Riots in Birmingham, William Hutton, whose home had been attacked by protesters, travelled to Sutton Coldfield to stay for the summer. Rioting was supposedly due to spread to Sutton Coldfield. It was believed that John Horsfall’s home at Penns, in the south of Sutton, was a target for the protesters and so cavalry arrived to protect it. No rioting took place. Despite this, Hutton was forced to move to Tamworth when local residents objected to his arrival, fearing his presence would encourage the rioters to come to the town.
