You may know that Bournville in Birmingham was created by chocolate-maker and social reformer George Cadbury.

But did you know he also founded the charity Bournville Village Trust that still manages Bournville today? As Bournville Village Trust celebrates its 125th anniversary, here are ten facts about Bournville that may surprise you.

1: You can visit Bournville and there’s lots to do. Whilst Bournville may date back to 1879 it hasn’t stood still. The whole of the Bournville Estate is home to around 9,000 households and has a strong community spirit in each of its neighbourhoods. There’s also lots to do and see. Why not visit award-winning Selly Manor Museum, Cadbury World or immerse yourself in the village’s wonderful architecture with a self-guided trail?

2: Only some parts of Bournville are in conservation areas. There are two conservation areas on the Bournville estate – the Bournville Village Conservation area and the Bournville Tenants Conservation area. Conservation areas protect the special architectural and historic features that make a place unique. Other areas of the Bournville estate are classed as ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ zones and have different design guidance compared to conservation areas. You can read more about this in the Bournville Estate Design Guide.

3: Bournville helped to inspire the garden city movement. Whilst Bournville is a garden village rather than a city, Bournville did help to inspire the garden city movement. In 1901, it hosted the Garden City Conference. Many have credited Bournville with laying the foundations for the development of garden cities and introducing the benefits of open space into modern town planning. Bournville has also been used as a blueprint for many other model villages in Britain.

4: Bournville is ranked highly. We’re proud Bournville is one of Birmingham’s most well-known suburbs and it’s regularly listed in ‘best places to live’ rankings. And lots of our customers like living in Bournville too, with 71% of tenants satisfied that we make a positive contribution to their neighbourhood.

5: Not all homes are privately owned. The Bournville estate is a mixture of homes. There are privately owned homes, leaseholder homes (like shared owners) and homes that people rent. Bournville Village Trust manages nearly 3,700 social-rent and affordable homes.

6: Bournville wasn’t just built for Cadbury workers. Contrary to popular belief, homes in Bournville weren’t just for workers of the Cadbury factory. George and Richard Cadbury built the first 16 homes for factory workers in 1879 but in 1893, they bought 120 acres of land close to their new factory. They started to plan a model village – Bournville – with the aim, in their words, to ‘alleviate the evils of modern, more cramped living.’

7: Bournville Village Trust is 125 years old. George Cadbury founded Bournville Village Trust as a custodian of the Bournville Estate in 1900, following the death of his brother Richard in 1899. By founding Bournville Village Trust, it meant even after his death, the homes, buildings, amenities, parks and open spaces on the Bournville estate would continue to benefit the community. Today, Bournville Village Trust is a values-led charitable trust inspired by our foundation and heritage but not afraid to be bold and try new things – just like George Cadbury did.

8: You don’t have to be a Quaker to live in Bournville. It’s true that Bournville has proud Quaker foundations, but it’s a myth that you must be a Quaker to live there. In fact, George Cadbury was keen to cater for other Christian denominations. On Cob Lane, you’ll find a beautiful Serbian Orthodox Church – the Holy Prince Lazar. It was built for political refugees from Serbia after World War II and was the first purpose-built Serbian church in the UK.

9: Cadbury family are still involved. George Cadbury died in 1922, aged 83, but the Cadbury family connection to Bournville didn’t end there. Dame Elizabeth Cadbury (George’s wife) took over as Chair on George’s death and led and inspired the organisation for another 30 years. At this time (the early 1920s onwards), it was virtually unheard of for a woman to have a leadership role like this! Later Laurence Cadbury, George’s son, became Chair of Bournville Village Trust. His collection of antiques and furniture was gifted to Selly Manor Museum and is still on display for visitors to enjoy. Today, there are Cadbury family members on the Board of Bournville Village Trust, including George Cadbury’s great granddaughter Caroline Cadbury.

10: Bournville’s name is ‘tres bon’! Did you know Bournville’s name was inspired by two things? The Bourn part is named after the stream that runs alongside the factory – the Bourn – whilst ‘ville’ is French for ‘town’. The French sounding influence elevated the quality of chocolate at the time, as people associated good quality with France.