Bournville Village Trust celebrates 125 years of homes, green space and community

Few places in Birmingham feel quite like Bournville, with its tree-lined streets, generous gardens and village green. Behind that character is Bournville Village Trust, which was founded in 1900 and marked its 125th anniversary in 2025.

The trust grew out of the vision of George Cadbury, the Quaker who, with his brother Richard, took over their father's business in 1861. His aim was to provide decent, affordable homes in a healthy environment, and he wanted one-tenth of the estate to be laid out as parks, recreation grounds and open space. More than a century on, that green thinking still shapes the area, which covers around 1,000 acres and is home to roughly 23,000 people.

The original houses were designed by the architect William Alexander Harvey, and the trust's work has since spread to neighbourhoods including Shenley Green, Bloomsbury in Nechells, Rowheath and Lightmoor in Telford.

The anniversary year brought the community together in a series of events. A Shenley Heritage Day in April celebrated one of the trust's estates, and in late summer a special exhibition, The Museum of Us, gathered stories from people across the trust's estates over its 125 years. The year also included Bournville Heritage Open Day on 13 September, when buildings across the village opened free to the public and the carillon rang out across the green.

At the centre of it all was the Rest House, the charming building on Bournville Village Green. Built by employees of Cadbury Brothers to mark George and Elizabeth Cadbury's silver wedding anniversary in 1913, it was designed by Harvey with inspiration from a medieval butter market in Dunster, Somerset, and opened in 1914.

In 2025 its management passed back to the trust after the Friends of Bournville Carillon decided to dissolve their charity. The trust's heritage manager, Daniel Callicott, said that "the Rest House will continue to benefit the community as a public heritage centre to celebrate Bournville," and the heritage team has been asking residents what they would like to see there.

The trust has also been recruiting heritage volunteers to help with events, tours and stewarding, a fitting way for a new generation to play its part in Bournville's story.

Details of heritage events and volunteering can be found on the Bournville Village Trust website.