24/09/25 - Icknield Street - Lifford to Beoley

Roman Roaming

The walk's premise is to trace the line of Icknield Street as it drives, arrow straight, through Birmingham.

Walk 2 from my 50 year old Guide Book

Before we get onto that, I have a simply perfect day, when everything aligns. Sometimes this happens with psychogeography. Unexpected finds and things tying together nicely, small and large. Let's detail the good luck;

• I made the connecting train to Kings Norton with 30 seconds to spare
• Kings Norton Church only opens on a Wednesday/Saturday at 10am. I arrived at 9:58am. On a Wednesday.
• The Coach and Horses is passed. It opens at 11:30am. I arrive at 11:27am.
• Through Geocaching, I find the tale of the only murdered policeman on active duty in Worcestershire. A change to plans, and I have found his final burial spot.

The walk is set to start at Lifford. This is the original name for Kings Norton Railway Station, so I alight there. It takes a bit of time to get through the housing estates of Walker's Heath before I pick up the trail, but there is time to explore the largest collection of Medieval buildings left in Birmingham.

The Grammar School and Kings Norton Church

Doors open to admire the Medieval Effigies

Icknield Street is a 2000 year old Roman Road that ran from Glevum (Gloucester) to Templeborough (near Rotherham).  In Birmingham, it linked Alcester and Studley, through Kings Norton and onward to Sutton Park. Previous Birmingham AZ Walks had shown me the Roman fort at Metchley

Plotting the walk proved much easier on an AZ Street Map than the OS Map. The arrow straightness becomes obvious and it's still called Icknield Street (and occasionally Ryknild Street) for the entire route. Its surprisingly car free and although completed on tarmac, a better walk than I could have really hoped for.

Street name

And it looks like this today

The Good Beer Guide perennial, the Coach and Horses is bang on route. First through the door and actually served 3 minutes before regulation opening hours. I have a named beer to compliment the walk. 

Country drinking at the Coach and Horses

Named Beer

A bit of local colour

Even the guide book states this is not necessarily a walk for the connoisseur, claiming the walker's first impression will be one of "surprise and disappointment". A geocache offers an alternative piece of local history for those interested in the macabre.

Lying on the side of the road is a simple memorial, containing initials and a date. There is no doubt I would have missed it and even if by some miracle I had spotted it, it would have meant nothing without the geocache to explain.  

JD 1885

PC George Davis holds a grim distinction – the only Worcestershire policeman ever killed on duty. In 1885, patrolling Icknield Street near Redditch at 3am, he challenged a man he suspected of poaching. The encounter turned deadly: Moses Shrimpton drew a knife and cut him down, leaving Davis bleeding in the road. Caught and tried, Shrimpton was condemned, and in 1886 he went to the gallows as the last man hanged at Worcester Gaol. Even that end was botched – the hangman misjudged the weight to drop ratio, and Shrimpton’s head was torn from his body.

Moses Shrimpton - with his head

Quite the tale. And imagine, a February night at 3am in the morning and there is a policeman actually patrolling. When was the last time you saw a policeman patrolling? At any time?

A little in-the-field research and I can slightly amend the route to find PC Davis' final resting place at Beoley Church. Located not far off route and atop a hill. Finishing the walk here avoids going through Redditch, which is something that should always be encouraged.

Beoley Church

The only murdered Worcestershire Policeman

A fitting location to complete the walk. With a nearby bus stop, I am whisked to travel connections in Redditch. Since my last visit - the Good Beer Guide Wetherspoons has closed. The Black Tap is still as bizarre as ever. 

It's best to return to Birmingham.

Walk Details

Distance - 9 Miles

Geocaches - 13

Walk Inspiration - 50 Weekend Walks Near Birmingham, Walk 2

Previous 50 Weekend Walks - Walk 1