The name Handsworth originates from its Saxon owner Hondes and the Old English word weorthing, meaning farm or estate.

It was recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086, as a holding of William Fitz-Ansculf, the Lord of Dudley, although at that time it would only have been a very small village surrounded by farmland and extensive woodland.

Accommodation was built for factory workers, the village quickly grew, and in 1851, more than 6,000 people were living in the township.

[4] The development of the built environment was sporadic and many of Handsworth's streets display a mixture of architectural types and periods – among them some of the finest Victorian buildings in the city.

It also contains Handsworth Park, which in 2006 underwent a major restoration, the vibrant shopping area of Soho Road and St. Mary's Church containing the remains of the founders of the Industrial Revolution - Watt, Murdoch and Boulton.

The 1901 Red Lion public house was grade II* listed in 1985, but has been empty since 2008 and is considered "at risk".

During this time, there was direct recruitment for workers from the Caribbean and the area became a centre for Birmingham's Afro-Caribbean community.

Although it has since been demolished, a replica of the depot was created later in the 20th century at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.

In 1790, Heathfield Hall, also designed by Wyatt, was built for Boulton's business partner, the engineer James Watt.

The 'sus' law (Vagrancy Act 1824) saw black youths being disproportionately stopped, searched and arrested by the police, on the grounds of mere 'suspicion' of possible illegal activity; this, along with high unemployment and social alienation, was a key element of the backdrop to the 1981 riots.

The subsequent Scarman report (1981) concluded that the riots were "essentially an outburst of anger and resentment by young black people against the police".

Handsworth has produced some notable popular musical acts: Steel Pulse (whose first studio album Handsworth Revolution is named after the area), Joan Armatrading, Pato Banton, Benjamin Zephaniah, Swami, Apache Indian, Ruby Turner and Bhangra group B21.

The tenor Webster Booth was born in Handsworth in 1902, and began his singing career as a child chorister at the local parish church of St. Mary's.

A BBC Showbiz Hall of Fame article described him as "possessing one of the finest English tenor voices of the twentieth century.