Birchills
{{for|the narrowboat|Birchills (narrowboat)}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| official_name = Birchills
| static_image_name = The Rose ^ Crown (1), 55 Old Birchills, Walsall - geograph.org.uk - 2802448.jpg
| static_image_caption = The Rose and Crown Pub, Old Birchills, Walsall
| coordinates = {{coord|52.592470|-1.999059|display=inline,title}}
| map_type = West Midlands
| pushpin_map =
| metropolitan_borough = Walsall
| metropolitan_county = West Midlands
| region = West Midlands
| constituency_westminster = Walsall and Bloxwich
| population = 16,024
| population_ref = (2021 Census){{cite web |title=United Kingdom: West Midlands (Local Authority Districts and Wards) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/westmidlands/wards/ |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=12 November 2024}}
| post_town = WALSALL
| postcode_district = WS2
| postcode_area = WS
| dial_code = 01922
| os_grid_reference = SP004993
| type = Suburb and ward
}}
Birchills is a residential area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. The appropriate Walsall ward is Birchills Leamore. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 14,775.{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689809&c=Birchills&d=14&e=62&g=6367605&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1450532343062&enc=1|title=Walsall ward population 2011|accessdate=19 December 2015}}
Geography
It is situated several hundred yards west of the town centre and is an established area containing many different housing types, though Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses and inter-war council houses are the most frequent type.
Amenities
Reedswood Park is located in Birchills, as is Pouk Hill - a hill which inspired a 1970s Slade song.
Demographics
At the 2021 census, the ward profile population was 16,024 which includes the nearby suburb of Leamore. Of the findings, the ethnicity and religious composition of the ward was:
| class="wikitable"
| colspan="14" style="text-align:right;" |Birchills Leamore: Ethnicity: 2021 Census |
| Ethnic group
!Population ! % |
|---|
| White
| style="text-align:right;" |11,444 | style="text-align:right;" |71.4% |
| Asian or Asian British
| style="text-align:right;" |2,631 | style="text-align:right;" |16.4% |
| Black or Black British
| style="text-align:right;" |1,138 | style="text-align:right;" |7.1% |
| Mixed
| style="text-align:right;" |543 | style="text-align:right;" |3.4% |
| Other Ethnic Group
| style="text-align:right;" |251 | style="text-align:right;" |1.6% |
| Arab
| style="text-align:right;" |18 | style="text-align:right;" |0.4% |
| Total
| style="text-align:right;" |16,024 | style="text-align:right;" |100% |
The religious composition of the ward at the 2021 Census was recorded as:
| class="wikitable"
| colspan="14" style="text-align:right;" |Birchills Leamore: Religion: 2021 Census |
| Religious
!Population ! % |
|---|
| Christian
| style="text-align:right;" |6,918 | style="text-align:right;" |45.5% |
| Irreligious
| style="text-align:right;" |5,488 | style="text-align:right;" |36.1% |
| Muslim
| style="text-align:right;" |2,102 | style="text-align:right;" |13.8% |
| Sikh
| style="text-align:right;" |421 | style="text-align:right;" |2.8% |
| Hindu
| style="text-align:right;" |144 | style="text-align:right;" |0.9% |
| Other religion
| style="text-align:right;" |92 | style="text-align:right;" |0.6% |
| Buddhist
| style="text-align:right;" |32 | style="text-align:right;" |0.4% |
| Jewish
| style="text-align:right;" |6 | style="text-align:right;" |0.2% |
| Total
| style="text-align:right;" |16,024 | style="text-align:right;" |100% |
Transportation
Birchills formerly was served by Birchills railway station which was on the Chase Line but closed in the 1930s.
Estates
Several tower blocks, built during the 1960s, are situated in the east of Birchills, near Walsall town centre. Murderer Raymond Leslie Morris was living in one of these flats with his wife at the time of his arrest on 4 November 1967.
Birchills Power Station
A power station was opened in the north of Birchills in 1949, just a few years before the Beechdale council estate was developed at the far side. This power station served the Walsall area for 33 years until its closure in October 1982, although it was not demolished until March 1987. The site of the power station was redeveloped for housing and commerce during the 1990s.