Balsall Heath Station delays as trains fly by
Exciting news for Birmingham Commuters as the Kings Norton to New Street lines reopens. This investment in our local infrastructure has been much anticipated but for those of us in Balsall Heath, the news comes with disappointment. Despite being a key feature of the 2015 Neighbourhood Plan – it is a policy in the statutory plan – Moseley, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road open without Balsall Heath Station.
A Tale of Two Stations
Camp Hill Station stood at the junction of Moseley Road and Highgate
Road. Both Camp Hill station opened in 1840 when the railway was first laid through Balsall Heath. The Camp Hill site is now occupied by Logmoor, and the original stationmaster’s house can still be seen just by the bridge over the road in the picture below.
Brighton Road station was the second station on the line to Gloucester from Birmingham and was opened in 1875 by the Midland Railway. Its close proximity to the city centre meant it was always vulnerable to competition first from the trams which had a terminus nearby and later the No. 50 bus.
John Bagwell was appointed station master in 1876 and he held this position until the station was placed under the supervision of the Camp Hill station master on 15 July 1907. The station was hit by bombs in 1941, closed and never reopened.
A Bad Joke
We’ve been digging in the archives and have some nineteenth century train humour for you, as well as a 2026 shaggy dog story:
From ‘The Dart’satirical mag Aug 1891 Shaggy dog story
A friend who lived at Mosely owned a highly educated retriever dog. He exercised the
dog in this way. It would see its master off by the early morning Moseley train then trot
off down the road to Mr Higgins newspaper shop, purchase a Post and deliver it to his
master at Camp Hill Station.
The dog did this for a month and then died. It caught a severe cold through having to frequently wait for the arrival of his master’s train at Camp Hill.
June 1884
Why is Camp Hilll Station like a good pork pie?
Because it never lack for pepper. (The stationmaster who lived on site was called Mr Pepper.)
April 1882
Travelling to Moseley the other evening , the train due in town at 10.18 rushed by.
It is called by locals “Adam” because it is the first mail. The second one is called “Cain”
April 2026
A group of drinkers recently left New Street Station after waiting eighty years for the train home. They are now in the Shakespeare Pub, but expect to be back in Balsall Heath soon.
Find more history IN CHANGING TIMES