With its leafy roads, large, secluded properties and upmarket eateries, Barnt Green has long been a favourite enclave for the Midlands’ top football stars.
Now the village, which is the area’s answer to Cheshire’s Alderley Edge, could be set to welcome perhaps its biggest name yet – England talisman Jude Bellingham.
The attacking midfielder has bought a plot of land in the affluent Worcestershire village, which is situated little more than a goal kick away from the home of his Three Lions teammate, Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. Another England footballer, ex-Villa player Jack Grealish, 28, also owns a house there.
A five-bedroom, four-level home is currently being built on Bellingham’s plot, formerly part of the garden of a house which has now been demolished. A second, similarly designed five-bedroom house is being built by the same developer on the spot where that house stood.
England talisman Jude Bellingham (pictured) has bought a plot of land in the affluent Worcestershire village of Barnt Green
England footballer, ex-Villa player Jack Grealish, 28, (pictured with his girlfriend Sasha Attwood) also owns a house in the village
The development – rumoured to be worth a combined £7 million – has led locals to speculate Real Madrid star Bellingham might be planning to keep one of the new homes for himself and secure the second for his parents. The 21-year-old was born in Stourbridge, 11 miles north, and was seen walking down the High Street in nearby Bromsgrove last month, just after England’s 2-1 Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.
Bellingham and his mother, Denise, paid £825,000 for their plot in April last year.
The house now being built on the site will include a basement area boasting a cinema, swimming pool, sauna and gym and an entertainment area – complete with bar. Living space upstairs includes a large kitchen, five ensuite bedrooms, two lounges and a snug, while a central lift shaft links all floors.
A woman who lives near the development said: ‘The word is that he’s buying one house for his parents and he’s going to have the other. I’m not really into football but everybody’s heard of Bellingham.’
Another resident added: ‘It’s a very wealthy area and people here appreciate their privacy. There are plenty of footballers in Barnt Green, people don’t bat an eyelid.’
A source told the Mail that Bellingham was keen ‘to have a base in the country even though he lives and plays football in Spain’.
Bellingham was said to be keen on Barnt Green because it was ‘nice, quiet and friendly’
Barnt Green features a thriving main street full of independent businesses including a cafe and deli, pizza restaurant, bar, dry cleaners and multiple estate agents
Bellingham was said to be keen on Barnt Green because it was ‘nice, quiet and friendly’.
Like Alderley Edge, Barnt Green is situated below a wooded beauty spot, the Lickey Hills.
It also mirrors its better-known northern cousin with a thriving main street full of independent businesses including a cafe and deli, pizza restaurant, bar, dry cleaners and multiple estate agents.
The village is considered among the most prestigious locations in the Midlands and also boasts two upmarket country pubs and a cricket club.
It is home to businessmen such as Gymshark tycoon Ben Francis and singer Jamelia, while former Manchester United and Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson is said to live nearby.
The average cost of a detached house is £963,000.