Great Barr is a large and loosely defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich (Sandwell; including the Great Barr with Yew Tree Ward) and Walsall (including Pheasey). The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as Perry Barr, which is still the name of an adjacent Birmingham district. "Barr" means "hill", and the name refers to nearby Barr Beacon.