Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located 5 miles (8 km) northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutton Coldfield.

It had developed from a small fortified homestead constructed by an Anglo-Saxon named Eardwulf in the area of Bromford.

Until 1912 another building stood, but this was demolished for the construction of the Tyburn Road, though a small section remained until World War I.

Erdington developed as a village as a result of settlers travelling up the course of the River Tame from Tamworth in the 9th century.

It is believed that the Roman track 'Ridgeway', now Chester Road, was another route for settlers, since the early nucleus of the village which was a very short distance from the path.

[2] At the time of the Norman conquest the Earls of Mercia had possession of the village: Edwin, grandson of Lady Godiva, owned the property.

As Erdington was near Sutton Forest, the Normans imposed strict laws on the village forbidding the hunting of wild animals and the keeping of sheep.

As the English Civil War erupted, Erdington was expanding rapidly through the purchase of land for agricultural purposes.

After his victory in Birmingham, Prince Rupert passed through Erdington and Sutton Coldfield with his troops on their way to Lichfield.

Erdington has had historic ties with both Castle Bromwich and Water Orton through administration, governance and land ownership whilst being part of Aston parish.

[6] Erdington shopping centre formed the core of the area with most of the older housing being located close to it.

The building, sanctioned by the Poor Law Board, was originally a workhouse providing housing to paupers, idiots, tramps, seniles, lunatics and imbeciles (terms used at the time with distinctive definitions).

In 1961, the estate won the Civic Award for Housing for the retention of the original trees from the villas and the architectural qualities of the tower blocks which included an exposed concrete frame, a sweeping staircase and a false upper storey to hide the laundry facilities on the roof.

One of the most well-known features in the area is Spaghetti Junction, situated on the southern edge of the district and on the border of Aston and Gravelly Hill.

Britain's longest bridge, Bromford Viaduct starts here, carrying the M6 to Junction 5, Castle Bromwich.

At its peak, it employed 10,000 people but its industrial usage has declined since, with Dunlop maintaining only a small presence in the area.

The area surrounding Fort Dunlop is used by logistics companies and also features showrooms operated by several car manufacturers, including Birmingham's only Lamborghini dealership.

Opposite Wilton Market and Swannies on the High Street is a Cooperative Store which has been there since at least the 1950s and is the largest Supermarket in the town centre.

Erdington itself borders the traditionally working class areas of Aston, Perry Barr and Hodge Hill as well as Kingstanding, Tyburn, and Stockland Green and the affluent, spacious districts of Sutton Coldfield, Minworth, Castle Bromwich and Water Orton (North Warwickshire).

[19] 71% of the population of Erdington stated themselves as Christians, the same figure for the rest of the country although higher than the Birmingham average of 59.1%.

Muslims represented 2.2% of the population, below the Birmingham average of 14.3% and the lowest number in the city (together with the Sutton Coldfield wards).

Erdington railway station lies on the Cross-City Line, which runs northwards to Lichfield and southwards to Redditch via Birmingham New Street.

The M6 motorway forms the southern border of the district, with connections at Junction 6 (Gravelly Hill Interchange).

There is a well-established network of bus routes through Erdington with connections to Birmingham city centre and Sutton Coldfield, the majority of which are operated by National Express West Midlands.

There was much surprise when Conservative Robert Alden won a seat in Erdington ward de-seating the Labour candidate Susannah McCory in 2006.

Again in 2007, McCory lost to the Conservatives, this time to Gareth Compton who replaced the retiring long serving Labour councillor Renee Spector.

Since a boundary review implemented in 2018, the area is now covered by wards of Erdington, Pype Hayes, Gravelly Hill, Castle Vale, Stockland Green and Perry Common.

Noted members of parliament have included Robin Corbett, Julius Silverman and Jack Dromey.

Previously the areas Member of Parliament have included Sutton Coldfield to form a singular constituency.

It was formerly home to the famous rock music venue, Mothers (previously the Carlton Ballroom), which from 1968 until it closed in 1971 played host to bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Who.