from the year 626.
Despite the origin of the name not being set in stone, the recording of the place name in the Domesday Book tells us that Pendeford was in existence at the time of the
Norman conquest, and that at the time, Pendeford was held by two Englishmen, Ulstan and Godwin. After the conquest, the land was confiscated and given to a Norman knight called William Fitz-Ansculf, as a reward for serving William the Conqueror
.
At this point in time, Pendeford would have been little more than a few scattered buildings amongst woodland, bordered on its eastern side by a lake known in more recent times as Alleycroft Lake[2] (the lake no longer exists, having been drained upon the construction of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal during the 18th century, though a marshy area remains on the site of the new I54 project to the north of Wobaston Road).
Pendeford lay near the farthest south-west reaches of
early medieval
times.
Location
Despite the modern day Pendeford, with the housing estates Dovecotes, Pendeford Park and Pendford Rise being within the Wolverhampton city border, parts of Dovecotes Estate are within South Staffordshire boundaries. The former site of Pendeford Hall, today the Pendeford Hall Residential Park,[3] constructed after the demolition of the hall in 1968,[4] as well as Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve are in South Staffordshire. The new i54 site is a joint project of Wolverhampton City Council, South Staffordshire District Council and Staffordshire County Council.[5]
The area has a small brook running through it, but it has been moved and culverted. The majority of the brook now runs underground, although it is above ground next to the subway which goes underneath Blaydon Road. It then carries on for around quarter of a mile before disappearing back underground next to Marholm Close.
Pendeford Airfield
In the 1930s, Wolverhampton Council decided to establish an airfield at Pendeford, on 178 acres (0.72 km2) of land at Barnhurst formerly used for sewage disposal.
Hawker Demon, making a flight in August 1936.[7] Boulton Paul also built their own designs including the Defiant fighter (which had its first flight at Pendeford in August 1937, almost a year before the airfield was officially opened).[6]
During the
Second World War the airfield was also used for training air force pilots, with over 100 de Havilland Tiger Moths stationed there at one stage.[6] No.28 Elementary Flying Training School commenced operations at Pendeford on 15 September 1941 and was operated for the Royal Air Force by Air Schools Ltd. It was renamed No.25 Reserve Flying School on 26 June 1947, and ceased to operate on 31 March 1953.[8]
Post-war, the airfield was used for private and training aircraft, with limited scheduled services from 1953.
Kings Cup air race. By the end of the 1960s the airfield was losing money and there were safety concerns over its close proximity to houses, and the airfield was closed on 31 December 1970.[6] Remaining aircraft transferred to Halfpenny Green airport to the southwest of Wolverhampton. A memorial to the airfield can be seen on the walls of an estate within Pendeford.[6]
Shortly before the airfield's closure, on 9 April 1970, a
stalled at a height too low for the crew to regain control.[9] An occupant of the house and the two people on board the aircraft were killed in the accident; two more escaped the burning house by jumping out of an upstairs window and were slightly injured.[9]
On Monday 5 July 1999 the Wolverhampton area was hit by storms which included a twister. This caused torrential flooding across Pendeford with water reaching depths of 5 feet (1.5 m) in places. Just as families were recovering from the "twister" storms, some faced second insurance claims for new damage to their properties when a second storm hit on Sunday 1 August. Residents were ferried to safety on inflatable rafts by firemen as flood water up to 4 feet (1.2 m) deep from torrential rain swept into their homes. Temporary accommodation was made available at Pendeford High School.[11]
IWA National Festival 08
During August Bank Holiday 2008 (23–25 August), the Inland Waterways Association held their National Festival at Pendeford. Over 300 boats, with 300 tents and caravans attended, accompanied by over 250 exhibitors, and the site was visited over the weekend by some 24,000 people. The playing fields behind Halesworth Road and Emsworth Crescent were used for the exhibitions and car parking.[12]
Housing
Today, most of the area is a housing estate built during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The first section to be built was Dovecotes Estate, named 'Dovecotes' because of the old dovecote[13] that still stands to this day, on land that was previously Barnhurst Farm, followed by Pendeford Park and new housing on the north-east side of the Shropshire Union Canal, such as the 'Penwood' estate at Clewley Drive. The newest part of Pendeford, known as 'Richmond Park', was completed in the late 1990s with 'Pendeford Rise' being completed in the early 1990s. All of the estate has been built on the site of the former Wolverhampton Aerodrome, the Boulton Paul Ltd aircraft factory and Barnhurst Farm.
Public houses
There is currently only one
pub
in Pendeford, called the Pendulum. This can be located near the entrance of the shopping centre car park on Blaydon Road. 'The Pendulum' has a bar & lounge area, as well as benches outside. It regularly shows sport, and also has a food menu.
Fordhouses Cricket Club (formerly Dowty's until the late 1990s) is situated on the border of Pendeford & Wobaston / Fordhouses, on Wobaston Road. As the name would suggest, Fordhouses Cricket Club is located there. As well as the sports aspect, it is a social club which requires a yearly membership to gain access. On a Sunday night there is live entertainment in the form of a singer / band / disco / comedian, as well as a bingo session in the main room. There is also an adjacent bar room with snooker tables.
Previously there was a pub in Dovecotes called the Dovecote at Ryefield, though this closed in the mid-2000s and after a refurbishment became Pendeford Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2006.
Education
There are two primary schools in Pendeford – St Paul's Church of England Aided Primary School, which is situated in the Pendeford Square near the local amenities, and Dovecotes Primary School on Dovecotes Estate. Nearby in neighbouring Oxley, is Rakegate Primary School. There are also two high schools nearby on opposite borders of Pendeford – Alderlsey High School to the west and Pendeford Business and Enterprise College to the east. A third school, Priory Green Primary School, existed until relatively recently, but was shut down due to an ofsted report. The school building are now used by Wolverhampton City Social Services.[citation needed]
St Paul's Church of England Aided Primary School
St Paul's School opened in Pendeford on 25 January 1982. The church was established within the school later that year. The church font, which dates back to Norman times, was placed in the chapel after being moved from St. Michael's Church in Tettenhall. In 1987 a new porch was built at the entrance to the church where a cross and bell were added at a cost of £7,000. Today the church is still located partially inside St Paul's Primary School however in 2005 a new chapel was built and it is now accessible during the daytime. The "Oasis" community café, built as an extension to the church/school building, was opened in September 2005.
Priory Green Primary School
Priory Green was originally opened as Priory Green Infant School in 1981 and Priory Green Junior School in 1984. Following the departure of Mr Colin Edwards, the headmaster of Priory Green Primary School, a decision was made to merge the two schools and create a combined primary school under the former headmistress of the Infant school, Ms Pursehouse. This happened in c.1997. Priory Green Primary School was placed under special measures in 2009, and the school closed at the end of the 2009/2010 academic year on 31 August 2010, allowing the neighbouring school, St Paul's, some of the land.
Dovecotes Primary School
Dovecotes Primary School is located within the neighbouring estate of Dovecotes. There are pupils from Pendeford who also attend this school. Dovecotes Infants School opened in 1978 with Dovecotes Junior School being built in 1979.
Rakegate Primary School
Rakegate Primary School is located within the adjoining estate of Oxley. Like Dovecotes Primary School there are pupils from Pendeford who attend this school. The original school was built in the 1950s but has since been redeveloped and is now a brand new 21st century modern primary school which opened in 2007 for the 2007/2008 academic year. Like Priory Green, Rakegate was originally an Infants and Junior school but became a new Primary School in 2003 for the 2003/2004 academic year.
Aldersley High School
Aldersley High School is situated on Barnhurst Lane, and is school of choice for the majority of children from the Dovecotes area. Despite the name, Aldersley High School is not in Aldersley, but straddles the Wolverhampton / South Staffordshire border on the western edge of Pendeford, surrounded on two sides by countryside.
North East Wolverhampton Academy
Previously known as 'Pendeford High School', it started life as a
North East Wolverhampton Academy
, and was originally located over both former school sites before relocating to a newly constructed and refurbished campus in September 2014 at the former Pendeford Business and Enterprise College site.
The sculpture near the front entrance of the Lower School is made from Portland stone and sculptured by John Paddison, a former pupil of the Technical High School and a former lecturer in the Fine Art department of the
Wolverhampton Polytechnic
, also a Fish pond was also installed in an courtyard near the assembly hall in Upper School