The West Midlands boasts some seriously talented exports, from movie stars and musicians to world class football players.
Recently, we’ve had a look at the famous faces - actors, musicians and even politicians - who were raised in and around Birmingham. Now, we’ve decided to take a look at the famous celebrities who grew up in the north west areas of the city: Great Barr and Perry Barr.
Many famous people grew up in the Birmingham districts which have plenty to offer and are steeped in history. Great Barr Hall is a Grade II* listed building. St. Margaret’s Church also stands nearby, and Birmingham Canal Navigations‘ Tame Valley Canal runs through Great Barr.
And in Aston Villa actually first played in Perry Barr. The club opened their Wellington Road ground in Perry Barr in 1876, playing there until 1897. It’s also home to the international athletics stadium Alexander Stadium.
A number of actors, sportspeople and other famous faces all come from the areas. With this in mind, we’ve taken a look at the most famous people who are from Great Barr and Perry Barr, including those who were born in the areas, as well as those who have lived there at some point during their lifetime.
Let’s take a look:
5. Dave Swarbrick
Swarbrick was an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. His style has been copied or developed by almost every British and many world folk violin players who have followed him. He went to school in Great Barr | (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)
6. Ozzy Osbourne
The Black Sabbath frontman grew up in Aston but also attended Birchfield Secondary Modern in Perry Barr before embarking on his rock n roll career | Getty Images
7. Tony Iommi
It was at Birchfield Road School that Ozzy met his future bandmate Tony Iommi. Iommi was ranked number 25 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” | Getty
8. Geoff Morris
Born in Great Barr, Morris was an English footballer who played for Walsall, Shrewsbury Town, Bangor City, Port Vale, Kidderminster Harriers, and Brisbane Lions (Australia). A winger, he scored 58 goals in 305 league games in an 11-year career in the Football League. He won promotion out of the Fourth Division with Shrewsbury Town in 1974–75. Photo: PremierCards.com