Thornhill, Sutton Coldfield
B74 - Grid reference SP083974
A location at the southern end of Thornhill Road before its junction with the Chester Road. Thornhill Road runs along the west side of Sutton Park and is shown on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map. See also Thorn Hill, Soho.
An intriguing find made in Thornhill Road some years ago is now in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. A Romano-Celtic head about 30cm in height was unearthed in a garden and taken to the
Museum for identification. Although in fairly poor condition, the sandstone head appeared to be of a type commonly found in northern Britain and possibly originated from Roman fort of Letocetum
at Wall near Lichfield. Thornhill Road is a stone's throw from and runs parallel to the Roman Icknield Street which passes through the west of Sutton Park. However, there is more than a passing
chance that this is a 20th-century garden ornament.
William Dargue 04.03.09
For 19th-century Ordnance Survey maps of Birmingham go to British History Online.
Map below reproduced from Andrew Rowbottom’s website of Old Ordnance Survey maps Popular Edition, Birmingham 1921. Click the map to link to that website.
