Neighbouring Sutton Coldfield may look down its leafy, suburban nose at us sometimes, but there’s plenty of things about Kingstanding to be proud about.
Yes, you know you live in Kingstanding when:
Lily Hudson
…the local bingo hall is a world-famous art deco masterpiece.
The Debonairs
…you have your very own '80s novelty record, The Debonairs’ Hoochie Coochie Man (from Kingstanding).
Tom Lennon
…you’re in a hurry to get to town by bus and face a quandry. Do you play it safe and jump on a super-regular 33, or risk waiting around for a 934, 935 or 936 that’ll ultimately get you there quicker by creating a temporal wormhole between Perry Barr and Newtown? Choose wisely.
Tom Lennon
…short-sighted Game of Thrones fans look at you with envy.
Edie Lennon
…your ridiculously huge Kingstanding Circle roundabout (approximately 50m in diameter) is significantly larger than many islands on the Indonesian archipelago, and none of those have bus stops along their shores.
Tom Lennon
…a pimple is more than just an unsightly skin condition: it’s a massive hill covered in grass that no amount of Clearasil will shift.
Tom Lennon
…you still call the junction between Kings Road and Hartley Road ‘The Charlie’ after a pub that was bulldozed decades ago.
Tom Lennon
…your local video shop is Netflix-proof and built to last.
Tom Lennon
…sky diving, bungee-jumping and parkour do not impress you, for no dangerous sport on earth can quite compare to the adrenaline rush of hurtling down Dyas Road’s near vertical drop on a Raleigh Chopper.
Drongos for Europe
…you have your very own punk rock band. Drongos for Europe were formed in 1979 in Kingstanding, played their first gig in Kingstanding and their bassist Dek Drongo still proudly lives in Kingstanding. They remain one of the UK’s hardest-working punk bands.
Tom Lennon
…your newspapers are delivered by blue-eyed soul legend Steve Winwood. Not these days, of course, that would be ridiculous: he’s now in his late-60s and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to local legend, though, as a 1960s schoolboy living on Atlantic Road (technically Great Barr, but only just), he’d deliver newspapers along Hawthorn Road and the streets surrounding Burford Playing Fields. This experience was said to be a major influence on his '80s chart-topper ‘Valerie’.
Wiki Commons
…you have your very own SAS base.
Can you think of any more? Just let us know!
Alternatively, you know you live in Sutton Coldfield, Harborne or Longbridge when...