Shirley
Shirley has held its own, side by side with the wider urban areas around the city of Birmingham. It’s a friendly, leafy suburb, and actually a town in its own right, with a reputation for being one of the most popular residential and shopping areas in the West Midlands. That’s a great starting point for life in your new home. Shirley has got excellent transport links both into Birmingham and out into rural Warwickshire and it shares some great amenities with neighbouring Solihull.
Local facilities
This is a really well-served area. There are plenty of shops for your day-to-day needs, including the Parkgate Shopping Centre for some larger stores, the fun of browsing with a friend, places to eat under one roof and 3 hours of free parking. If you want to keep fit, you can choose between the Tudor Grange Leisure Centre, the Bannantyne Health Club & Spa, Village Gym Solihull and The Gym Group.
Local schools
There are a number of primary schools to choose from and Shirley has its own secondary school, Light Hall School. Kingswood School is the local independent school. There are plenty of other options in Solihull, including the Solihull Sixth Form College
Getting around
Shirley is just inside the loop of the M42 which connects the M5 with the M6. It’s a key route so it’s busy, but very convenient for going around Birmingham without going through the city. It makes access to Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre easy too. Shirley Railway Station is on the North Warwickshire Line, with services operated by West Midlands Trains. It takes less than 20 minutes to get into Birmingham city centre. There are direct trains to London Marylebone from Solihull, taking about an hour and a half. The National Express West Midlands No 6 bus is the main service into the centre of Birmingham stopping in Shirley.
Great for the kids
From city museums to country parks, from indoor soft play centres to outdoor adventures, there’s always something for the kids to enjoy. The Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum has got over 200 hands-on displays over 4 floors. The Bear Grylls Adventure will challenge the whole family or you can head out of town on the M40 to visit Kenilworth and Warwick castles, Royal Leamington Spa and Stratford-on-Avon.