If there is one place where Birmingham's proud World War II history is evident, it is on the city's Black Country borders, but you have to look for it. Historic remains of World War II gun placements can be found at the edge of Handsworth's Hilltop Golf Course, wedged between Park Lane and Cradley Croft.
The city's wartime history has been showcased recently in the new Peaky Blinders movie. If you are inspired to see relics of those times, this 80-year-old gun battery site is the place for you. There are remnants of two anti-aircraft placements and a command post at the site.
I headed there and went to the Swan Pool car park at Sandwell Valley. It is a 30-minute walk from there, but one of the more attractive walks in Birmingham, or Sandwell, for that matter. So not easy, but worth it.
As I got closer, I could not help but imagine what it must have been like back then, protecting Birmingham and the Black Country from the Nazis at a time when this region was a major industrial target. It is a haunting reminder of the city's wartime past, hidden in plain sight among patches of overgrown grass and scattered trees, almost hidden from view despite being only minutes from busy Black Country roads.
Concrete Structures Bear Military Marks
The concrete structure, weathered by decades of rain, frost, and neglect, still carries the unmistakable outline of its military purpose. Built during the Second World War, the emplacement once formed part of Britain's defensive network against German bombing raids. During the Blitz, anti-aircraft batteries like this would have scanned the skies night and day, protecting Birmingham's factories, foundries, and densely packed neighbourhoods from attack.
Standing inside the circular gun position, it is difficult not to imagine the tension experienced by the crews stationed here more than 80 years ago. Nature has slowly reclaimed the site, with weeds pushing through cracks and birds nesting in sheltered corners.
Contrast Between Past and Present
What makes the location especially striking is the contrast between past and present. In one direction lies the peaceful greenery of the golf course, where players move calmly across neatly maintained fairways. In another, modern housing estates and busy roads stretch across Sandwell. Yet hidden between them sits this forgotten reminder of wartime Britain, largely unnoticed by many.
