For the larger local government district see Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. Coordinates 5224'46N 146'20W 52.412903N 1.772094W 52.412903 1.772094 Solihull (160'slhl or 'solihl or soli'hl) is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94753.1 It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles (14.5160km) southeast of Birmingham city centre. It is the largest town in and administrative centre of the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull which itself has a population of 200400. Historically part of Warwickshire Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands.2 Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in Country) edit History edit Toponymy Solihull is commonly thought to have derived its name from the position of St Alphege parish church on a soily hill.3 The church was built on a hill of stiff red marl which turned to sticky mud in wet weather. edit Early history The town has existed since medieval times when it was founded as a market town and it later became an important coaching and mail coach stop.citation needed Solihull probably came into being about a thousand years ago as a clearing in the forest to which people would come to trade.citation needed The town is noted for its historic architecture which includes surviving examples of timber framed Tudor style houses and shops. The historic Solihull School dates from 1560 (although not on its present site). The red sandstone parish church of St. Alphege dates from a similar period and is a large and handsome example of classical British church architecture with a traditional spire 168 feet (51 metres) high making it visible from a great distance. It is located at the head of High Street and is a Grade I listed building.4 It was founded in about 1220 by Hugh de Oddingsell. A chantry chapel was also founded there by Sir William de Oddingsell in 1277 and the upper chapel in St Alphege was built for a chantry. The priest lived and had his sacristy in a crypt chapel underneath and the fireplace can still be seen there.citation needed edit 20th century St. Alphege's Church Solihull Unlike nearby Birmingham the Industrial Revolution largely passed Solihull by and until the 20th century Solihull remained a small market town. World War II also nearly passed Solihull by. Neighbouring Coventry and Birmingham were severely damaged by repeated German bombing raids but apart from some attacks on what is now the Land Rover plant the airport and the local railway lines Solihull escaped largely intact. In 1901 the population of the town was just 7500. However by the 1960s the population had grown to over 100000.citation needed This growth was due to a number of factors including a large slum clearance programme in Birmingham the development of the Rover car plant the expansion of what was then Elmdon Airport into Birmingham International Airport and perhaps most significantly the release of large tracts of land for housing development attracting inward migration of new residents from across the UK. Until the early 1960s the main high street remained much as it would have been in the late 19th century with several streets of Victorian terraced houses linking High Street with Warwick Road. The construction of the central shopping area known as Mell Square (named after W. Maurice Mell the town clerk who planned the work) involved the demolition of