Smethwick in Birmingham
A Comprehensive Area Guide
If you are considering a move, Smethwick is an excellent choice for a new place to call home..
Formerly a Staffordshire locale, Smethwick is today based in Sandwell, just four miles from Birmingham city centre. It is well-connected to the bustling metropolis, and other suburbs nearby and distant.
Check out more of what it has to offer in our area guide below
Getting Around Smethwick; Transport Links in the Area
Smethwick is one of the many suburbs in Birmingham that flourished due to the industrial revolution, and the arrival of the railway. As a result, the area has had great transport links from as early as the 18th century. The suburb had it’s first railway line, the LNWR constructed in 1852, and before that, the Birmingham Canal Navigation Old and New Main Line Canals already ran through its industrial areas, connecting it to areas like Wolverhampton.
Today, the M5 motorway runs along west Smethwick, connecting the area to other burbs in the Midlands, and major destinations to the southwest like Bromsgrove, Tewkesbury, Worcester and Taunton. It is well-served by buses from the National Express West Midlands, allowing effortless access to and from Smethwick via public transport.There are even direct bus services to destinations like Harbone, Wolverhampton, and Oldbury among others.
If you prefer to take the train, Smethwick boasts not one, but three operational railway stations, namely; Smethwick Rolfe Street Station, Smethwick Galton, and the Hawthorns. Smethwick Rolfe Street Station operated by the West Midlands Railway offers excellent direct local links from Smethwick to areas between Birmingham’s New Street, Wolverhampton and Walsall.
The Galton Bridge is a split-level station with platforms for seamless interchange. The high level platforms offer six trains per hour to areas between Snow Hill and Stourbridge Junction while trains at the lower level call at every stop between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, and continue through to Liverpool, and other distant areas.
The Hawthorns station offers direct links to Snow Hill, Stratford-Upon-Avon and limited services to London Marylebone. Simply put, getting around Smethwick via public commute shouldn’t be a hassle as the area is pretty well-connected.
Schools in the Smethwick Area
Amenities in Smethwick
Living in Smethwick guarantees your access to the following local amenities:
Libraries
Smethwick prides itself on two public libraries; the large Smethiwck Library at the heart of High Street, and Thimblemill, a smaller, cozy library on Thimblemill Road just minutes from a swimming centre.
Check out the former if interested in Smethwick’s history as it houses the Sanwell Community History Service and head to Thimblemill if you’re looking to enjoy some free WIFI or borrow classic to latest blockbusters and films on DVD.
Health Centres in Smethwick
Smethwick falls under the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust, one of the largest in the country. As a result, residents get access to a range of quality, publicly-funded general and specialist health care services.
For NHS dentistry, Smethwick residents have options such as:
Food and Drinks in Smethwick
Whether you’re craving Italian cuisine, or woke up in the mood for some Asian cuisine, Smethwick has a restaurant, or cafe for it.
If you’re looking to indulge in a night of fun with some booze in a fantastic setting, the Bear Tavern might just tickle your fancy. And if it doesn’t you still have plenty of options such as the Pheasant Flaming Grill, an inviting pub serving locally-brewed beer.
If you’re out with kids, Smethwick has plenty of child-friendly restaurants too. These include Fish Cuisine Smethwick, Miller & Carter and The Red Cow Pub & Grill.
More Area Guides
Living in Smethwick
Moving to Smethwick? Great choice. It’s one of Birmingham’s best suburbs and living here guarantees not just convenient access to different parts of the city, but also a range of public-available amenities, including great schools, and NHS healthcare. This area also features nearly endless restaurants, cafes, pubs, and kid-friendly entertainment options you can’t exhaust.