Yardley is an area in east Birmingham. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.
Yardley's main shopping area is known as Yew Tree, named after the yew that stood on the roundabout at the junction in the centre of Yardley. It was damaged during work to the roundabout, and as a result was removed. It was later replaced by another tree located in the centre of the island.
Yardley once had a local pub owned by the brewery company Bass, called The Yew Tree. It was shut down in June 2000 after being stripped of its liquor license and told by police that it was a magnet for crime. Some years earlier, the Yew Tree had been the venue of one of Birmingham's top Rock nights: every friday night in the Rio Grande suite, also known just as 'the Rio'.
Click on this link to find some music from the Rio.
Rio Grande Rock Music, YewTree, Yardley, Birmingham
The pub has since been demolished and replaced by a Co-op supermarket and new restaurants. A new, characterless, Yew Tree pub has now opened within the premises.
History
Yardley is not a new town. Yardley is named in the Domesday Book and was referred to as early as 972 in King Edgar's Charter where it is named Gyrdleah. It was mentioned as being under the possession of Pershore Abbey.
The parish of Yardley, historically considered part of Worcestershire, was added to Birmingham and Warwickshire in 1911. The ancient parish of Yardley also included the areas known as Stechford and Hall Green.
Yardley has a Tudor hall called Blakesley Hall and an old church, St Edburgha's, that dates back to the 13th century, with the church tower and spire dating to the 15th century.
A sizeable amount of Yardley, called Old Yardley, was granted conservation area status in 1969, becoming Birmingham's first conservation area.
In 1981, an Arcon V prefab home on Moat Lane was dismantled and transported to the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings.
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