Meriden, Hampton-in-Arden & Temple Balsall

Meriden, Hampton-in-Arden and Temple Balsall sit within Solihull borough as neighbouring villages built around village greens, lanes and farmland. Meriden is known for the stone marker on the A45 that records its long claim as the centre of England beside the village green. Hampton-in-Arden retains a linear high street and a small railway station on the line between Birmingham and Coventry, with a scattering of timber-framed houses and a parish church at its core. Temple Balsall preserves the footprint of a medieval Templar estate, including a moated plot and surviving old buildings that reflect its ecclesiastical past.

The area is crossed by country lanes and public footpaths that link fields, hedgerows and the scattered settlements, and local services centre on parish halls, a few shops and village pubs. Agriculture and small holdings shape much of the surrounding land, while the main roads and the rail connection support daily travel to nearby cities. Historic churchyards, manor remains and the village layouts make the cluster of villages legible on foot or by short drives.