The “Selly Oak” Plaque

Title: The “Selly Oak” Plaque

Built in: Built 1909

Location: Selly Oak Park, 69 Gibbins Road, Birmingham B29 6PQ

Short intro: A commemoration of Selly Oak’s namesake

Description: The “Oak” in Selly Oak’s name comes from an oak tree that once stood on the crossroads between bristol Road and Oak Tree Lane. This spot is now commemorated with a victorian street sign from 1880, declaring it to be “Oak Tree Place”.This was a tree planted by John Rodway in what were then the grounds of his Selly Oak House in 1830 to celebrate the coronation of William IV. However, in 1909 the dying tree had to be felled, its roots damaged by the building of the nearby houses.

In February 1899, Thomas Gibbins and his wife Emma Joel Gibbins and her four sons, William, Thomas, John and Benjamin (of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company,) donated 11 acres of land, arranging for Selly Oak Park to be laid out, and for a shelter, public conveniences and a park-keeper’s lodge to be built. The formal opening of the Park occurred at 3 pm on Easter Monday, 3rd April 1899.

The original oak’s stump was moved to Selly Oak Park, and a brass plaque commemorates its significance to the history of the area. Two ‘new’ Selly Oaks have been planted since then, one in 1985, and one in 2000, and can be seen growing on Harborne Lane and the Bristol Road.