The settlement is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and historically the parish included the manors of Church Bickenhill, Hill Bickenhill, Middle Bickenhill, Marston Culy (now Marston Green),[1] and Wavers Marston.[2]
The manor of Bickenhill was held by Edward the Confessor, by Alward, and then by Turchil.[3] The manor was recorded as Bichehelle in the Domesday Book of 1086.[2][4] The descendants of Turchil, the Arden family, settled in the area and adopted the surname 'de Bickenhill,' though spelt differently. The name developed into de Bickenhill in the 13th century.[5] In 1295, Alice de Langley gave herself the title Lady of Bickenhill.[3] A manor then developed in Bickenhill and by the 15th century, there were two manors. It is believed that both manors shared rights by the end of the century. The manors no longer existed by the end of the 16th century.[5]
The parish of Bickenhill also included Lyndon (or Lyndon Quarter), a detached portion of the parish two miles west. Lyndon was transferred from Bickenhill to Solihull in 1874. Its northern section was later transferred to Birmingham in 1931, while the south became part of Olton, now a suburb of Birmingham. In 1928, Marston Green became a separate ecclesiastical parish, and in 1932, part of Elmdon was added to Bickenhill.[2][3]
The parish maintained a rural setting in the 19th century but began to develop in the early 20th century into a populous area due to the industrial revolution. No railway station was opened near the village until Birmingham International at Birmingham Airport opened in 1976.[6] The M42 motorway and the busy A45 road run close by to the east and north of the village respectively. Junction 6 of the M42 is known as the Bickenhill Interchange.[7]
In 2001 there was a possibility that a replacement for Wembley Stadium might be built in the West Midlands. A campaign urging Londoners to oppose the plan used posters with an image of a young footballer saying "One day I'll play at Bickenhill".[8]
In 2003, a proposal was announced to build a second runway at Birmingham Airport which would have reportedly have involved demolition of between 100 and 150 buildings in the Bickenhill conservation area.[16]
The centre of the village is a Conservation area, and in a response to the Planning Inspectorate in 2019 Solihull Council described its value as "High" and said that it "has a focal building in the grade 1 listed mediaeval parish church on locally high ground at the heart of a group of historic and other buildings typifying an English midlands village. This includes the grade 2 listed Grange
Farm and several buildings on the Local List of Heritage Assets, served by narrow sinuous lanes with enclosing banks and hedgerows, beyond which are many surviving fields and paddocks often representing an historic layout".[17]
The two main local authorities responsible for the parish are Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Bickenhill Parish Council.[9] The Parish Council is responsible for maintaining facilities such as churchyards, cemeteries and parks in the parish[20] and its offices are located at a park near Marston Green.[21]
Bickenhill ward elects three councillors to the metropolitan borough council.[22]