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A remarkable survival of a medieval village retaining much of its rural character located in the east of Birmingham. The village probably has its origins in the late Saxon period and had developed into a nucleated settlement around St Edburgha's church by the 13th century. The church is not generally open but check with the parish office to find out when access is possible www.stedburghas.com .

Next door to the church is the impressive timber framed building known as the Old Grammar School dating from the late 15th century and in use as a school until 1908.

Until the early 19th century the village consisted of a group of small farmhouses and cottages with barns clustered around farmyards with smallholdings behind. Whilst many of the buildings were replaced in the 19th century and the village was engulfed by development as Birmingham expanded in the 20th century, a farmhouse and other agricultural buildings survive from the 18th century.

Opposite the Grammar School Nos 423 – 425 date back to the 1700s starting as a modest cottage then extended in the mid-19th century for use as a slaughterhouse and butcher's shop; the red brick building with the small barred window being the slaughterhouse and the pebbledash house with a cast iron openwork frieze above an inserted door and windows marking the original butchers shop front.

Continue north along Church Road.

Penny Cottage was built in 1826 for the uses of the local blacksmith.

Nos 437-443 are built on the site of an early farmhouse in the 19th century and the end property was once the post office. (no photo)

Next to these the white painted pair of houses Nos 445-447 were built in the 18th century and originally used as a malthouse before conversion to cottages in the 19th century.

The medieval village was surrounded by open fields some of which now form Old Yardley Park. Take the path through the formal gardens on the frontage next to the Grammar School and as you walk towards the children’s playground the remains of a moated site (Rents Moat), in a small area of woodland on your left, can be explored.

About 10 minutes walk to the east you can find the well preserved remains of Kent’s Moat. Follow the path through Old Yardley Park and then continue along Sedgemere Road, turning left at Partridge Road then right at Broadstone Road and right again at the crossroads into Sheldon Heath Road. The earthwork remains of a medieval moated site will be seen on the right-hand side at The Hay’s Kents Moat.

The moat belonged to the Sheldon family who built a house here in the early 13th century and rebuilt it during the 14th century. The house was abandoned in the 1600s. The moat, which is now dry but originally filled from a natural spring, is approximately 9m wide and 3.3m deep and surrounds a rectangular platform 78m by 54m. An original entrance is preserved as a causeway across the north eastern arm of off Sheldon Heath Road, now called Fleetwood Grove.