To many, the West Midlands is a foreign country. You start naming places in and around Birmingham and they look at you like you’re listing Chinese cities. What’s even worse is when they try to pronounce them themselves. Suddenly, we understand the agony that other countries suffer when face with Brits abroad. But rather than suppressing our laughter (and/or anger), we wanted to help people get it right. That’s why we asked you to help come up with the most mispronounced Birmingham place names, and you didn’t disappoint.
The most mispronounced Birmingham place names:
Alcester
Mispronounced: ‘Al-ces-ter’
Pronounced: ‘Al-ster’ / ‘Ul-ster’
Origin: The name may derive from River Alne, while the suffix ‘cester’ comes from the Old English word for a Roman fort or town, ‘ceaster’.
Alvechurch
Mispronounced: ‘Al-ver-church’
Pronounced: ‘Av-church’
Origin: Alvechurch means ‘Ælfgyth’s church’ – the church of St. Laurence was founded In the eighth century.
Alum Rock
Mispronounced: ‘Al-an Rock’
Pronounced: ‘Al-um Rock
Origin: Named after a powder, mistakenly thought to be alum, that coats the rocks in the park.
Coleshill
Mispronounced: ‘Cole-sill’
Pronounced: ‘Coles-hill’
Origin: Takes its name from the River Cole.
Cradley Heath
Mispronounced: ‘Crad-ley Heath’
Pronounced: ‘Cray-dley Heath’
Origin: Simply, Cradley Heath was an area of heathland between Cradley. The name origin of Cradley, however, is a bit more complex. Dating back to 950, the Saxons named forest clearings (aka Leys) after whoever lived there. Cradley comes from Cradda’s Ley.
Lozells
Mispronounced: ‘Low-zells’
Pronounced: ‘Loz-ells’
Origin: In 1546, the area was documented as Lorres Hill or Lowsill and may come from an Anglo-Saxon name, ‘Lor’s Hill’. Another belief is that it derives from a Middle English word (lorel, or losel) meaning ‘loser’.
Moseley
Mispronounced: ‘Moss-ley’
Pronounced: ‘Moe-sley’
Origin: In the Domesday Book, it’s listed as ‘Museleie’, which means ‘mouse clearing’. It’s thought to mean ‘a small (mouse-sized) clearing’ rather than a ‘clearing for mice’.
Nechells
Mispronounced: ‘Ney-chells’ / ‘Nee-shells’ / ‘Netch-ells’
Pronounced: ‘Nee-chells’
Origin: Its Anglo-Saxon name was Atten Echels which meant ‘at the piece of land added on’ to an estate. Over time, ‘Atten Echels’ became ‘Attenechels’ and later ‘Nechels’.
Smethwick
Mispronounced: ‘Smeth-wick’
Pronounced: ‘Smeth-ick’
Origin: There are two competing theories. It either means ‘smiths’ place of work’ or ‘the settlement on the smooth land’.
Solihull
Mispronounced: ‘Sole-e-hull’
Pronounced: ‘So-lee-hull’
Origin: The local parish church, St Alphege, was built on a hill of stiff red clay that turned to mud in rain. ‘Soily hill’, seriously.
Weoley Castle
Mispronounced: ‘Wee-o-ley Ca-stle’
Pronounced: Wee-ley Ca-stle’
Origin: Taking its name from the ruins of a moated and fortified manor house, the Grade II listed building castle ruins’ name comes from the Old English, ‘Wēo-lēah’ – meaning ‘temple clearing’.
Winson Green
Mispronounced: ‘Win-ston Green’
Pronounced: ‘Win-zon Green’
Origin: Another Anglo-Saxon name. Wine’s Dun might mean Wine’s Hill, while ‘green’ refers to common grazing land.