Quinton is nowadays a western suburb of Birmingham but has a history stretching back into early medieval times.
The name Quinton is thought to derive from Cweningtun meaning the Queen's settlement, Quinton was also known as Ridgeacre. This was the name of a grange of the convent of Hales in early Norman times (or earlier). Quinton was a chapelry of the ancient parish of Halesowen and was part of Shropshire until 1844 when it was transferred along with Halesowen to Worcestershire. In 1909 Quinton became part of Birmingham.
The major trades in Quinton were agriculture, nail making and construction. Quinton retained a village feel well into the 1930s when large scale housing helped turn it into a suburb, in the 1960s the construction of the M5 motorway passing through the heart of Quinton also changed it's character. Quinton is nowadays almost entirely residential in nature. One reason for this was that residents in Edgbaston did not want heavy industry in Quinton in case the fumes came their way!
