IWalls & gates · listed 1972Galton BridgeOn the list as Galton Bridge Including Attached Railway Bridge Span, Roebuck Lane Birmingham Canal Birmingham LevelPhoto: Oosoom · CC BY-SA 3.0
Galton Bridge Including Attached Railway Bridge Span, Roebuck Lane Birmingham Canal Birmingham Level · Photo: Oosoom · CC BY-SA 3.0B+History Grade
History of Smethwick · Historic England
33 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
On the Historic England list, all of them stand inside Smethwick’s built-up area, 5.9 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 4 scheduled monuments. 39% of its homes were built before 1919. We have photos of 8 of its listed buildings. Smethwick grades B+ for history: #3 of 35 in West Midlands.
Listed buildings
33
5.9 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
1
exceptional interest
Grade II*
4
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
4
1 registered park or garden
Homes built before 1919
39%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Smethwick in 11 photos
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Soho Foundry Former Boulton and Watt Foundry Pattern Stores and Erecting ShopsGrade II* listed
Smethwick Old ChurchGrade II* listed
Old Chapel InnGrade II listed
Smethwick BathsGrade II listed
Warley Branch LibraryGrade II listed+6See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
The map
Where Smethwick’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monumentPark or garden
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
13 of 34neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 100% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
33 listed buildings by grade
1 Grade I4 Grade II*28 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The Grade I listed building in Smethwick
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
Grade II*
The 4 Grade II* listed buildings in Smethwick
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed.
II*House · listed 1996Soho FoundryOn the list as Soho Foundry Former Boulton and Watt Foundry Pattern Stores and Erecting ShopsPhoto: Oosoom · CC BY-SA 3.0
II*Church · listed 1949Smethwick Old ChurchPhoto: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
II*Walls & gates · listed 2007Engine Arm AqueductOn the list as Engine Arm Aqueduct, Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton LevelPhoto: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
II*Inns & shops · listed 1995The Waterloo HotelPhoto: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
What’s protected
The largest group of Smethwick’s listed buildings is walls, gates and bridges
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Walls, gates & bridges13
Houses, terraces & villas6
Churches, chapels & priories6
Memorials, crosses & tombs3
Public & civic buildings3
Inns, shops & warehouses2
6 entries (18%) are houses, terraces and villas. 6 are churches, chapels and priories.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
28 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 28 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Bottom Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks Immediately West of Bridge Street Birmingham Canal Woverhampton LevelCape HouseChurch of Holy TrinityChurch of St MatthewCouncil HouseFootbridge at Junction with Birmingham Canal, Smethwick Junction (Approximately 190 Metres East of Bridge Street) Birmingham Level Wolverhampton LevelFootbridge at Junction with Wolverhampton Level (Approximately 230 Metres East of Bridge Street) Birmingham Canal Birmingham LevelFormer Lloyds BankGatehouse and Adjoining Office Buildings at Soho FoundryGateway and Gates Approximately 50 Metres West of Canteen at Soho FoundryGuest Keen and Nettlefolds (GKN) War MemorialLightwoods House, Lightwoods ParkMecca Bingo ClubMiddle Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks (Approximately 140 Metres West of Bridge Street) Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton LevelOffice Row, West of East Gate at Soho FoundryOld Chapel InnRetaining Wall to Former Corporation YardRoman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St Gregory the GreatSmethwick BathsSmethwick New Pumping House Approximately 50 Metres North West of Brasshouse Lane Birmingham Canal Birmingham LevelSmethwick Technical SchoolThe Abbey Public HouseToll HouseTop Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks, With Attached Footbridge (Approximately 270 Metres West, South West of Bridge Street Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton LevelTowpath Bridge at Soho Foundry (Approximately 160 Metres East of Rabone Lane) Birmingham Canal Birmingham LevelWar Memorial at Mitchell and Butlers BreweryWar Memorial, Victoria ParkWarley Branch Library
Conservation areas
4 conservation areas cover 7.6% of Smethwick
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Smethwick Summit Galton Valley 198437 ha
High Street and Crocketts Lane 201223 ha
Smethwick Town Centre 20125 ha
Cape Hill Town Centre 20122 ha
67 hain conservation areas, of 879 ha inside the built-up area.
The first, Smethwick Summit Galton Valley, was designated in 1984; the newest, Cape Hill Town Centre, in 2012. 18 of the 33 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
13 of Smethwick’s 33 listed buildings were added in 1987
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1987 · 13
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 3 entries were listed in 1949. 13 came in 1987, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 2 have been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
4 scheduled monuments
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.
1 registered park or garden
Warley ParkGrade II
History Grade
Smethwick grades B+ for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (48 points, 9 per 10,000 residents)More than 45% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (39%)More than 93% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
39% of Smethwick’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
20%
Before 1900
19%
1900–18
14%
1919–29
10%
1930s
2.9%
1945–54
2%
1955–64
6.3%
1965–72
4.2%
1973–82
3.5%
1983–92
4.9%
1993–99
5.1%
2000–08
3.5%
2009–15
3.9%
2016–25
SmethwickEngland & Wales
20% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1900–18, which added 19% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (110 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Born here
39 notable people born in Smethwick before 1900
The 20 best known on one timeline, earliest first.
Douglas Fox
Joseph Barton
Ludford Docker
Dudley Docker
Frank Brettell
Frederick Heath
Walter Ashmore
Jack Graham
Alexander Higgins
Fred Davis
Josiah Roberts
Sydney Barnes
Harry Crump
S. Fowler Wright
Samuel Cole
Arthur Gardner
Claude Jephcott
Jack Dorrington
Archie Mitchell
Oswald Rayner
1800182518501875190019251950
Sydney Barnes1873–1967 · English cricketer (1873-1967)
DD
Dudley Docker1862–1944 · English cricketer, businessman and philanthropist (1862-1944)
SW
S. Fowler Wright1874–1965 · Writer, editor, poet
Oswald Rayner1888–1961 · MI6 agent, journalist (1888–1961)
Frank Brettell1862–1936 · Football player, manager and administrator (1862-1936)
DF
Douglas Fox1840–1921 · British engineer
WA
Walter Ashmore1867–1940 · Footballer (1867-1940)
JG
Jack Graham1868–1932 · Footballer (1868-1932)
Everyone born in Smethwick → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Smethwick
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smethwick | 56,343 | 33 | 1 | B+ |
| Oldbury | 45,188 | 35 | 0 | C |
| Blackheath | 6,950 | 1 | 0 | D |
| Rowley Regis | 39,052 | 6 | 0 | D− |
| West Bromwich | 103,099 | 61 | 2 | C |
| Birmingham | 1,121,367 | 1,410 | 24 | B+ |
| Halesowen | 60,103 | 32 | 2 | C |
| Cradley Heath | 18,819 | 8 | 0 | C− |
In brief
Smethwick in brief
More of Smethwick’s homes are old than in most places: 39% were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. In all there are 33 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I, including Galton Bridge. Its older streets lie in 4 conservation areas, the first designated in 1984. Of the 39 people born here before 1900, the best known include Sydney Barnes (1873), Dudley Docker (1862) and S. Fowler Wright (1874). Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has one Grade I building, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 1); per resident it sits near the middle of UK towns; and it also has 4 scheduled monuments.
Questions about Smethwick’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Smethwick?
Historic England lists 33 buildings inside Smethwick’s built-up area: 1 Grade I, 4 Grade II* and 28 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Smethwick?
One: Galton Bridge Including Attached Railway Bridge Span, Roebuck Lane Birmingham Canal Birmingham Level.
Are there scheduled monuments in Smethwick?
Yes, 4 scheduled monuments, including Engine Arm Aqueduct, Warley, Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho foundry and mint, Birmingham Canal, Smethwick, Smeaton's Summit Bridge and Smethwick Engine House.
How many conservation areas are there in Smethwick?
4, covering about 67 hectares of the town. The largest are Smethwick Summit Galton Valley and High Street and Crocketts Lane.
When were Smethwick’s buildings listed?
The first in 1949; the most, 13, in 1987.
Who was born in Smethwick?
Among people born before 1900: Sydney Barnes (1873), Dudley Docker (1862), S. Fowler Wright (1874), Oswald Rayner (1888) and Frank Brettell (1862).
How old are the homes in Smethwick?
39% of homes were built before 1919 and 64% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.