# Selly Oak, Birmingham



## Fiended*** (Feb 24, 2009)

Currently live in the Black Country but want to move closer to South Birmingham College and the city in general for work purposes; for probably the next two years.

Can anyone share information about this area or surrounding areas where I could rent a flat at the £400 - 450 mark and be in a respectable neighbourhood?


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## MooChild (Feb 24, 2009)

Selly Oak is student central, you should be able to find somewhere around that budget (at a guess - been a while since i rented anything!), but as for respectable, highly doubtful for that area / price.


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## baldrick (Feb 24, 2009)

balsall heath?  friends of mine live there in a really nice flat.  think it costs them nearer £500.  you might struggle for somewhere nice at that price, tbh.


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## Fiended*** (Feb 24, 2009)

Yeah this budget promotes a poor quality of life, I agree.


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## Addy (Feb 24, 2009)

baldrick said:


> balsall heath?


 
Is that not Prostitute Lane?

It's been years since my nan moved from Balsall Heath road, but from memmory it wasn't the nicest place to be.
I went in the Earl Grey?? once.... talk about the room going silent and all eyes on the strangers


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## baldrick (Feb 24, 2009)

it definitely used to be.  i think they've been moved on these days.


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## Maurice Picarda (Feb 24, 2009)

baldrick said:


> i think they've been moved on these days.


 
Really? I used to live on Court Road, where each single house was a brothel (except for the Yardie gambling den at number 14), and so each window (except ours and number 14's) featured a chainsmoking matronly sort in comfortable knickers and non-matching bra. And I got lumbered with the front room and the task of directing confused small-hours punters to next door. 

Shame if they've been moved on, though. The shrieked haggling over whether "doubles" should cost more or less than twice a one-on-one encounter was moderately entertaining.


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## baldrick (Feb 24, 2009)

i'm not totally certain tbh, but my friend has a baby and they've recently moved there and when i visited saw no sign of any dubious activity


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## Blagsta (Feb 24, 2009)

Maurice Picarda said:


> Really? I used to live on Court Road, where each single house was a brothel (except for the Yardie gambling den at number 14), and so each window (except ours and number 14's) featured a chainsmoking matronly sort in comfortable knickers and non-matching bra. And I got lumbered with the front room and the task of directing confused small-hours punters to next door.
> 
> Shame if they've been moved on, though. The shrieked haggling over whether "doubles" should cost more or less than twice a one-on-one encounter was moderately entertaining.



Court Rd and Cheddar Rd haven't been the red light district for years now, since the mid 90's at least.


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## Spion (Feb 24, 2009)

I lived in Balsall Heath for a while in the late 80s. Absolutely fine. Handy for Moseley and King Heath pubs etc. The prostition was only ever in about 3 streets anyway, and I lived v close to one of them and never knew any hassle. I did always get asked if I wanted to buy hash when I popped to buy a pint of milk tho


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## damnhippie (Feb 25, 2009)

balsall heath was fine when i lived there, about 10 years ago - even back then it was known as former-prostitute-area...

cheap too. don't know what prices are like these days but likely to be cheaper than selly oak due to all the students wanting to live in the latter.


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## BigTom (Feb 25, 2009)

yeah, I live in balsall heath and it's no longer prostitute central, hasn't been since the mid 90s afaik.
rental prices are still relatively low though (compared to moseley/kings heath), a 3 bed mid terrace for around £500-£600, so I'd imagine you'll find flats/split houses for less than that.
cannon hill area of balsall heath (kind of enclosed by pershore road, edward road, a435, cromer road/edgbaston rd east and whatever road the cricket ground is on), rather than the 7 streets area (other side of the a435).
which sbc campus? balsall heath is good for getting to digbeth but if you're at hall green, you might do better looking round the hall green/acocks green/sparkbrook areas.  Not that it's hard getting to hall green from balsall heath,  I just waited 35min for the 1 bus this morning, rather than the normal 10min or so and am still feeling annoyed about it.


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## ouchmonkey (Mar 6, 2009)

Addy said:


> Is that not Prostitute Lane?
> 
> It's been years since my nan moved from Balsall Heath road, but from memmory it wasn't the nicest place to be.
> I went in the Earl Grey?? once.... talk about the room going silent and all eyes on the strangers



Local Indian community got together and drove the prostitutes out donkeys years ago but The Earl Grey, which I think is now closed down, used to be where they would all go.
Balsall Heath is still plenty rough round the edges but it's a nice enough area - I've a lot of mates there.


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## spacemonkey (Mar 6, 2009)

Selly Oak is a bit of a dump, it's noisy and has huge problems with litter. If you have a car it'll probably get wrecked. Top target area for thieves as well. I had various houses broken into 5 times in 3 years. 

Great fun to live there if you're a student. Probably a bit of a nightmare if you work.

It's not that cheap either because of its proximity to Birmingham University.


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## g force (Mar 6, 2009)

I'd maybe go more Stirchley way on Pershore Road slightly more residential than Selly Oak and less troublesome than all those roads off the Bristol Rd (Dawlish etc.). I lived in Selly Oak as a student and TBH it was fun but we did get burgled 3 times in a year and it's definitely student central.

Stirchley's a bit more laid back, good bus links to centre but not as pricey as Moseley or Kings Heath.


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## BigTom (Mar 6, 2009)

ouchmonkey said:


> The Earl Grey, which I think is now closed down, used to be where they would all go.



been closed for years, probably 8 or 10 by now, then just the other day, was driving past it, and the doors were open and what looked like an interior strip prior to a refit was going on.. wondering if whatever they put there can possibly have as much of a reputation for dodginess as the earl grey did/does


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## DaRealSpoon (Mar 6, 2009)

Balsall Heath is fine nowadays... got quite a few friends that live there and love it.

Plus your right on top of the Ladypool road... best damn curries in all of the universe!!!!!!!

hmmm, kings balti... Only a few weeks till I'm back in Brum and that place is high on the visiting priority.


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## rover07 (Mar 6, 2009)

ouchmonkey said:


> Local Indian community got together and drove the prostitutes out donkeys years ago but The Earl Grey, which I think is now closed down, used to be where they would all go.
> Balsall Heath is still plenty rough round the edges but it's a nice enough area - I've a lot of mates there.



Indian? Pakistani muslims from B'ham central mosque.


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## ouchmonkey (Mar 6, 2009)

rover07 said:


> Indian? Pakistani muslims from B'ham central mosque.



fair enough. pretty sure I remmeber sikhs been involved too.


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## bhamgeezer (Mar 9, 2009)

Why not just find somewhere to live in hall green? Your basically at the college (I used to go to the summer school programe there for the kids of students and employees  ) Its not the best or worst of areas, your right on the stratford road so you can easily get the bus into town. Plenty of flats above shops to rent that shouldn't be too expensive. The crime doesn't seem as bad as you get bit out of the city.


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