Smith's Wood

Aerial shot of the Chelmsley Wood complex. Smith's Wood is just outside of the photo to the top-left corner. The M6 & M42 motorways run across the top of the photo. Fordbridge is in the bottom-left, Bacon's End is in the top-right, Chelmsley is in the centre-right, while Chelmunds Cross is in the top-right. View is looking north-east towards Coleshill in the far-top-centre and the now demolished Hams Hall Power Station in the far-top-left where 13 huge cooling towers stood until the early 1990s.

Smith's Wood is a large but narrow/stretched overspill estate for Birmingham in the Chelmsley Wood complex. It is situated to the far-east of the city in north Solihull. The A452 Collector Road defines it's border along with the M6 motorway. Smith's Wood was built in the late 1960s along with the rest of the complex. The estate had 10 tower blocks up until 2009 but as of 2015 there are 5 tower blocks remaining.

The estate is bordered to the south by Bacon's End, to the west by Kingshurst Hall Estate and to the north-west by Castle Bromwich. The skeleton of the estate takes on the appearance of a grid, similar to that of Castle Vale which is just north-west of the estate, the other side of the M6 motorway. Shard End and Bromford are a mile and 2 miles to the west respectively.

Tower blocks of the Chelmsley Wood Estates

The Chelmsley Wood complex had 51 tower blocks until the late 1990s. The complex consists of 7 estates that are all closely linked to Chelmsley Wood. As of 2015 there are approximately 43 tower blocks left across the estates. Right next to Chelmsley Wood is Buckland End which has 2 tower blocks and Shard End which had 7 tower blocks, 6 of them being on Kitsland Road.

Chelmsley - 12 tower blocks

• Richmond House, of Marlene Croft, buil 1967 - 11 storeys
• Trevelyan House, of Marlene Croft, built 1967 - 11storeys
• Chester Court, aka Hatfield House, of Dunster Rd, built 1967 - 10 storeys
• Warwick Court, aka Bede House, of Dunster Rd, built 1967 - 10 storeys
• Downing House, of Willow Way, built 1967 - 9 storeys
• Darwin House, of Alder Dr, built 1967 - 9 storeys
• Kingsgate House, of Winchester Dr (Area 3), built 1968 - 11 storeys
• Avoncroft House, of Winchester Dr (Area 3), built 1968 - 11 storeys
• Fircroft House, of Winchester Dr (Area 3), built 1968 - 11 storeys
• Woodbrook House, of Hedgetree Croft / Larch Croft, built 1968 - 13 storeys
• Dillington House, of Moorend Av / Town Centre, built 1968
• Chestnut House, of Moorend Av / Town Centre, built 1968

Chelmunds Cross - 4 tower blocks

• Selwyn House, of Waterson Croft, Yorkminster Dr, built 1967 - 13 storeys
• Somerville House, of Waterson Croft, Yorkminster Dr, built 1967 - 13 storeys
• Mansfield House, of Woodlands Way, Yorkminster Dr, built 1967 - 11 storeys
• Wadham House, of Woodlands War, Yorkminster Dr, built 1967 - 11 storeys

Fordbridge - 9 tower blocks - 1st to be built

• Balliol House, of Bosworth Dr, built 1966 - 11 storeys
• Linacre House, of Bosworth Dr, built 1966 - 11 storeys
• Merton House. of Bosworth Dr, built 1966 - 11 storeys
• Keble House, of Bosworth Dr, built 1966 - 11 storeys
• Oriel House, of Bosworth Dr, built 1966 - 11 storeys
• Greyfriars House, of Chapelhouse Rd, built 1966 - 9 storeys
• Dunford House, of Perch Av, built 1968 - 13 storeys - Demolished 1997
• Grantley House, Perch Av, built 1968 - 13 storeys - Demolished 1997
• Pendrell House, of Perch Av, built 1968 - 13 storeys - Demolished 1997

Tile Cross - 6 tower blocks

• Ledbury House, of Shirestone Rd
• Banbury House, of Shirestone Rd
• Monmouth House, of Shirestone Rd
• Redditch House, of Tile Cross Rd
• Stafford House, of Tile Cross Rd
• Leominster House, of Tile Cross Rd

Bacon's End - 4 tower blocks

• Bangor House, of Forth Dr, built 1968 - 14 storeys
• Keele House, of Forth Dr, built 1968 - 14 storeys
• Westham House, of Forth Dr, built 1968 - 14 storeys
• Wedgewood House, of Forth Dr, built 1968 - 14 storey

Smith's Wood - 10 tower blocks

• Newnham House, of Sheppey Dr (Area 10), built 1966 - 13 storeys
• Birbeck House, of Guernsey Dr (Area 10), built 1966 - 13 storeys
• Bedford House, of Sanda Croft (Area 10), built 1966 - 15 storeys
• Westfield House, of Arran Way (Area 10), built 1966 - 15 storeys - Demolished 2012
• Pembroke House, of Burtons Way, built 1967 - 15 storeys
• Clare House, of Burtons Way, built 1967 - 15 storeys
• Nuffield House, of Kingfisher Dr / Tamar Dr, built 1967 - 15 storeys - Demolished 2009-11
• Worcester House, of Kingfisher Dr / Tamar Dr, built 1967 - 15 storeys - Demolished 2009-11
• Gonville House, of Dove Way / Tamar Dr, built 1967 - 15 storeys - Demolished 2012
• Girton House, of Dove Way / Tamar Dr, built 1967 - 15 storeys - Demolished 2012

Kingshurst Hall Estate - 6 tower blocks

• Redwood House, of Broomcroft Rd
• Wingfield House, of Kingshurst Way
• Catesby House, of Kingshurst Way
• De Montfort House, of Stonebridge Cres
• Kingshurst House, of Stonebridge Cres
• Digby House, of Stonebridge Cres