Thought for a Friday: The Smith's Wood apostrophe

THIS week I thought I’d highlight something that’s often forgotten and sometimes downright ignored… The apostrophe in Smith’s Wood.

Yes the sprawling wood that once stood on the housing estate belonged to a man named Smith. Or possibly someone who was a smith. One way or another, I’ve lost count of the amount of times that the apostrophe has gone missing.

From signs and websites and even documents put out by official bodies like the council. In fact I even asked a few years ago if there were plans afoot to follow Birmingham’s policy and roll out a blanket ban on the punctuation mark being painted on borough roadsigns.

Solihull insisted that it would not be imitating the second city; that the apostrophe wasn’t in peril. That hasn't stopped it being dropped with increasing frequency, in fact some people do away with the space mark as well and insist on christening the area Smithswood. This is a bit bizarre as no one ever talks about Bentleyheath or Cheswickgreen. 

Perhaps I sound pedantic, but let’s not forget how easily the Norton was taken from the King or how the Acocks family were robbed of their Green. Make no mistake that the same could happen in Smith’s Wood.