Harborne

Harborne is an area of southwest Birmingham, England three miles (5 km) southwest from Birmingham city centre. It is a Birmingham City Council ward in the formal district and the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Edgbaston.

As a non-Quaker area of the city, Harborne became well-supplied with public houses compared to nearby areas such as Edgbaston and Bournville. There is a famous “Harborne Run” pub crawl consisting of from 10 to 15 pubs (the agreed itinerary varies).

The spelling of Harborne has appeared with several variations through the centuries, and the derivation of the place name has often been disputed. One of the more probable suggestions is ‘boundary brook’, although ‘high brow’ and ‘dirty brook’ are also possibilities.

The 2011 census revealed that 23,001 lived in Harborne and that 17% of people were aged under 16, 69% were aged between 16 and 64, while 14% were aged over 65. The minority ethnic population made up 33% of the ward’s population, compared with 41% for Birmingham. The census found that 75% (11,997) of the population aged 16 to 74 were working or seeking work, this compared with 69% for Birmingham.

Eat & Drink

Harborne has a thriving restaurant scene, including a Michelin-starred restaurant – making it the perfect place for an evening out and a real alternative to the city centre.

HARBORNE KITCHEN
STAND ALONE BAR & RESTAURANT: Either unwind with a craft beer, cocktail or glass of wine in our bar area or sample the true Harborne Kitchen experience in our open kitchen restaurant, where you can feel the buzz of the kitchen from the comfort of your table.

THE PLOUGH
Serve homemade food, stone-baked pizza, squishy burgers, local ales, lovely wines and very good coffee. The Plough has been fortunate enough to have been awarded the following accolades

Best 25 places to have Sunday Lunch the Times 2014
Open table readers choice top 50 beer gardens 2014
Best 25 places to have Sunday Lunch the Times 2014
Runners up in the Observer’s annual food and drink awards 2013 for the best place to drink and for the best Sunday lunch.
The 50 best coffee shops – Independent newspaper 2013
OpenTable’s diners choice 2012.
Winner of the 2011 Northern design awards
Best restaurant and bar design.
CAMRA’s “Rising Star of the Year in Birmingham 2010“
Voted one of the “Top 20 Pubs in the UK” by The Morning Advertiser 2009
‘Charity Supporter of the Year Award Queen Elizabeth Hospital’.

The Junction Harborne
‘Home-grown hospitality and a village vibe – a vibrant British pub offering the warmest of welcomes

Loved by locals and embodying the friendly vibe of its Harborne neighbourhood, The Junction brings the best in British hospitality to this welcoming Birmingham suburb.  With original period features set against a stylish modern interior, this quirkily handsome pub provides the perfect setting in which to drink, dine and relax.

Whether it’s a laid-back lunch, a sumptuous Sunday roast, a family dinner or a lazy brunch, we offer fresh and flavoursome home-cooked food, a diverse and explorative drinks menu, and the warmest of welcomes.

Buonissimo Italian Restaurant
At Buonissimo we aim to produce a new menu for each season, providing fresh, modern Italian cuisine in a relaxed ambience at moderate prices.

All of our meat is supplied by our local butcher, Mr R Brown (Butchers of Harborne) who specialises in organic and free-range produce.

What’s so good about it?

Rumour has it that in the 19th century Harborne was where the degenerates of Bournville and Edgbaston came for a tipple. Unlike its highfalutin neighbours, with their Quaker or Jerry-and-Margot scruples, Harborne was a proper Sodom, with pubs and everything. Today, it’s not so different.

Bournville remains as squeaky-clean as The Sound Of Music, and Edgbaston is still prim and proper. Harborne is a bit more normal. There are pubs. Betting shops. Carpet shops. Though the neighbourhood has come up in the world. It has its gentrification and blossoming avenues. The golf club rules. There are beauty salons and, praise is, a Waitrose.

Schools 

Primaries: Harborne, St Peter’s CofE, World’s End, Welsh House Farm, Water Mill and Paganel are all “good”, says Ofsted, with Our Lady of Fatima Catholic and Chad Vale “outstanding”.

Secondaries: a mixed bag – Hillcrest is “good”. Local independents are very popular.

Market values 

Large detacheds, £500,000-£1m. Detacheds, £275,000-£500,000. Semis, £125,000-£650,000. Terraces, £125,000-£475,000. Flats, £100,000-£225,000. Rentals: one-bed flats, £400-£600pcm; three-bed houses, £700-£1,500pcm.