Willenhall
Willenhall | ||
---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Areas of the town (2011 census BUASD) | List | |
Post town | WILLENHALL | |
Postcode district | WV12, WV13 | |
Dialling code | 01902 | |
Police | West Midlands | |
Fire | West Midlands | |
Ambulance | West Midlands | |
UK Parliament | ||
Willenhall is a historic market town and
The town is historically famous for the manufacture of locks and keys. As early as 1770 Willenhall contained 148 skilled locksmiths and its coat of arms reflects the importance of this industry to its growth.[4] It was home to the National Union of Lock and Metal Workers from 1889 until 2004. Its motto is Salus Populi Suprema Lex – The welfare of the people is the highest law.
The
The northern border of Willenhall has always been adjoining open land, although the extent of Willenhall's expansion has meant in the last 100 years its northern border has been moved by about two miles. This is mostly due to housing developments in the
History
Willenhall has been described as "undoubtedly a place of great antiquity, on the evidence of its name it manifestly had its origins in an early Saxon settlement. The Anglo-Saxon form of its name Willanhale may be interpreted as 'the meadow land of Willa' – Willa being a personal name."[5] Alternatively, the name may mean willow halh, the first element of it being the Old English wilgen 'of willows'.[6] The Old English word halh meaning "a nook or corner of land, often used of land in a hollow or river bend."[7]
The first record of the settlement of Willenhall is from the eighth century when a treaty was signed there by King Ethelbald of Mercia, in which Willenhall was referred to as Willenhalch.[5] In 996 the town was referred to as Willenhale, and as Winenhale it was mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) [6] as a very small settlement, and it remained so until the growth of industry in the 18th century.
During the 10th century, Willenhall was in the
Willenhall was a small agricultural village throughout the Middle Ages. From Tudor times, the natural mineral wealth began to be exploited with ore being sent out to charcoal furnaces in nearby
Willenhall suffered its very own great fire in 1659, when most of the town centre was devastated. Most common homes at this time were still made of wattle and daub with glassless wind-eyes (windows), properties easily razed by fire. Rebuilding where money allowed was in brick; The Bell Inn Public House being a good surviving example from 1660, although now closed for business and in the ownership of a local heritage trust (the Willenhall Townscape Heritage Initiative).
Willenhall's first workhouse opened in 1741 adjacent to what is now Upper Lichfield Street; it was in operation for 100 years before merging with Wolverhampton. By 1801, the population was 3,143.
Poor housing and lack of any proper sanitation led to a cholera epidemic in 1849 when 292 people died. Many of those who died were buried in the Cholera Burial Ground "on land at the bottom of Doctors Piece." A commemorative plaque at the site reads:
THE PARISH OF WILLENHALL WAS VISITED BY CHOLERA IN 1849.THE FIRST DEATH BY THAT DISEASE TOOK PLACE ON THE 17TH AUGUST, THE LAST ON 4TH OCTOBER. IN 49 DAYS 292 PERSONS DIED, THE CHURCHYARD OF ST GILES BEING TOO CROWDED FOR FURTHER INTERMENT, THIS GROUND, A PORTION OF THE CHURCH ESTATE WAS (WHILE YET UNCONSECRATED) FIRST USED FOR BURIALS ON THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER. ON THREE DAYS THE BURIALS WERE 15 DAILY THE WHOLE NUMBER INTERRED HERE AND IN THE CHURCHYARD BEING 211.[9]
The epidemic shocked the town into improving conditions, and in 1854 the Willenhall Local Board of Health was founded: to reflect a growth in civic pride, it established a library building in Clemson Street in 1866. The board was a forerunner of Willenhall Urban District Council which took over in 1894.[10]
The clock in the Market Place was erected in 1892 by public subscription to the memory of Joseph Tonks, who was a doctor working in the town post-cholera. About the clock, Hackwood writes:
This was erected, as an inscription upon it testifies, as a memorial to the late Joseph Tonks, surgeon. "whose generous and unsparing devotion in the cause of alleviating human suffering" was "deemed worthy of public record."[11]
Tonks brought both health and sanitation to Willenhall, but died at the age of 35.
20th century
By 1901, the population of "Willenhall, minus Short Heath" was 18,515.[12]
Football returned to Willenhall in 1953 with the formation of Willenhall Town F.C., who played at a site on Noose Lane until 2013 and played in the local leagues until 2022.[13] Since 2010, the Noose Lane ground has been owned by, and the home of, local league club Sporting Khalsa F.C.[14]
Two war memorials were erected in the town after World War I to commemorate the hundreds of men from the town who lost their lives in the conflict. The memorial park was opened in 1922 in honour of those killed in that war.
The entertainment industry in Willenhall was boosted in 1914 by the opening of the town's first cinema, the Coliseum. It was followed a year later by the Picture House. A third cinema, the Dale Cinema, opened in the town in 1932. However, the closure of The Dale at the end of 1967 signalled the end of cinemas in Willenhall after 53 years. The building was later converted into a bingo hall and since December 1999 has been a
The growing population of Willenhall around the turn of the 20th century led to increased overcrowding and a need for new properties to be built. In 1920, the town's first
The majority of Willenhall became part of Walsall Metropolitan Borough in 1966. However, a percentage, mainly Portobello, came under the jurisdiction of City of Wolverhampton Council, and still continues to be so.
By the late 1970s, the local industry was in decline, and by the year 2000 most of the town's lock-makers had closed or relocated. The former
However, the town's high street retains many of its old buildings which have been local landmarks since the turn of the 20th century or earlier.[17]
Future
"Much of the town centre is a designated conservation area and a £2.1 million bid for the
There are plans to reopen Willenhall Bilston Street railway station to passengers in 2024.[19][20]
Parish churches
The town of Willenhall is the home of four different parish churches of the
St. Giles' Chapel was the most ancient chapel in the town of Willenhall. It was considered a chapel of ease before 1846 and was probably built "at the commencement of the 14th century."[22] "The medieval church was demolished in 1748" because it began to decay from old age.[23] The new church was completed in about two years and in 1750, the new church was again open for worship. In 1848, it became a parish church of the Church of England in Willenhall. St. Stephen's and Holy Trinity were finished in 1854, and St. Anne's was built about 10 years later.[24]
The Parish Church of St. Stephen's is named after
St Anne's Church was also built as a chapel of ease in 1858, but it became a Parish church in 1861. "In the 1970s the church interior was turned around by 90degrees, a raised dais being built on the south wall, with a new altar, the old Sanctuary becoming the Lady Chapel." However, after restoration in the 21st century, most of the lead was then stolen from its roof.[26]
Industry
Willenhall is famous for the manufacture of
To make trading easier, the New Road (a toll road) was built before 1820, acting as an effective bypass for the main high street. Outside the town itself, settlements grew up around local industries. The area around Lane Head and Sandbeds had a thriving mining community and Portobello grew around the brickmaking industry. There was much coal mining in the Willenhall area until the 19th century when the industry came to a dramatic halt after a strike when the mines were flooded and lost forever. Lockmaking began in the area in Elizabethan times mainly in Wolverhampton, Willenhall and Bilston. Eventually it became concentrated in Willenhall, where lock making had begun as a
As late as 1956 there were still local men who had humps. Some public houses even had holes in the wall behind the wooden bench seats to allow their patrons to sit comfortably with their hump in the hole. Nearly all examples of such pubs have been lost. The Bell Inn in Market Street is an example of such a pub with curved holes in the walls to allow hump backed drinkers to sit up straight. Rushbrook's was a bakery in Market Street, Willenhall. In 1853, Rushbrook's struck their own "Rushbrook Farthing",[28] a tradesman's token widely in use in the area. In the early 1960s the Spring Vale Tavern in St Anne's Road was renamed The Rushbrook Farthing in remembrance of this unusual practice.
Transport
Public transport
Willenhall is well served by buses. The town centre lies on the 529 Bus route, which links Walsall and Wolverhampton running every 10 minutes on average during weekdays.[29] This is mostly operated by National Express West Midlands but one positioning journey to/from County Bridge is operated by Let's Go. Other local bus routes link the town to Ashmore Park, Wednesfield, Wednesbury, Darlaston, Bilston and Bloxwich as well as the local areas of Coppice Farm, Pool Hayes, Short Heath, Lodge Farm, Little London, New Invention, Bentley, Portobello and Lane Head.
Most of these bus routes are operated by National Express West Midlands, which operates over 80% of the bus network in the West Midlands conurbation. Some services are also operated by Diamond West Midlands.
Willenhall is poorly served by other modes of public transport. Both of the town's two railway stations (Willenhall Bilston Street railway station and Willenhall Stafford Street railway station) have been closed for over 40 years, and although plans were brought to reopen Bilston Street, this never materialised due to the withdrawal of funding for the rail line it would serve. The station at Bilston Street was set to reopen by the end of 2021 after securing funding in March 2018, and will be the first time Willenhall has had a rail connection since 1965.
Willenhall is currently not served by the West Midlands Metro light rail network, but one of the numerous expansion plans for the system is the 5 W's Route, which would link Willenhall with Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury and Walsall and via Darlaston, Bentley, Reedswood, Birchills, New Cross Hospital, Walsall Manor Hospital and Heath Town. Currently, there are some plans to create a line from Stourbridge to Wednesfield via Willenhall, however this is not planned to open or even start construction until at least the late 2020s, once the other 3 metro lines are open.[30]
Road infrastructure
Willenhall is about 10 minutes drive away from Junction 10 of the M6. Many main roads run through the area including The Keyway (which runs from Willenhall to Wolverhampton/Willenhall border) and the A454, The Black Country Route.
Due to its central location, Willenhall is home to the main hubs of Poundland as well as transport companies Aspray and DX Freight. Additionally, dairy firm Müller Milk & Ingredients has a depot in the Ashmore Lake area of the town.
Location
Willenhall is located in between Wolverhampton and Walsall, near to Bilston, Darlaston, Bloxwich and Wednesfield.
Location grid
Landmarks
The main landmarks include: The Locksmith's House museum in New Road; the cholera burial ground in Doctors Piece; St Giles Church; the bandstand in Willenhall Park; the Clock Tower, The Bell Inn, the malthouse (now Davey's Locker shop), and the Lock and Key sculptures in the market place; Dale House (now a restaurant) and the Dale cinema (now a Wetherspoon's pub); the Toll House (now a restaurant), and the old Town Hall (now the library) in Walsall Street. [31]
Education
Willenhall is home to three secondary schools. St Thomas More Catholic School is located near to the border of Bilston and Darlaston, Willenhall E-Act Academy (formerly known as Willenhall Comprehensive School, which moved from Bilston Road) and is now located on the town's Lodge Farm estate. Finally Pool Hayes Academy (formerly known as Pool Hayes Arts and Community School) is located on the town's Summer Hayes Estate. There is also Moseley Park school located on the Moseley road in Willenhall, near Portobello, and Stow Heath Primary School.
For younger students in Willenhall there are numerous primary schools, these are:
- Fibbersley Park Academy – A recently built Super School located near Willenhall Park, made up of the merger of Clothier Street, Little London & Lakeside Primary now closed. Fibbersley Park Academy had an extension in 2016* increasing the year groups from 60 to 90 pupils.
- Short Heath Junior School, Rosedale CofE Primary School & Lane Head Nursery School – Three federated schools located on the outskirts of the Lodge Farm Estate & Lane Head.
- Barcroft School – The product of the recent merger of Elm Street Infants and Albion Road Juniors. Located near Willenhall Town Centre albion road and barcroft have been demolished
- Woodlands Primary – Located in the Short Heath area of the town, very near to Lane Head.
- Lodge Farm Primary – Located next to Willenhall School Sports College, very near the border with Bentley.
- New Invention Junior/Infants – Two high achieving schools located next to each other in New Invention
- Beacon Primary – A large school located in the middle of the New Invention Estate.
- St. Giles CofE Primary School – A combined nursery, infant and primary school located next the St. Giles church on Walsall Street in the town centre
- Pool Hayes Primary School – Located on the Summer Hayes estate. Not far from Pool Hayes Academy.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by
Sport
Football
The town has two football clubs.Willenhall Town F.C. who play in West Midlands (Regional) League Division One and Sporting Khalsa F.C. who play in Northern Premier League Division One Midlands, after being promoted as champions in the 2020–21 Midland Football League.
In the 2005/06 season Willenhall won the Birmingham Senior Cup with a 1–0 win over Stourbridge. Their most successful period was in the early 1980s, when they reached the first round of the FA Cup in the 1981–82 season and were FA Vase runners-up in 1981.
Sporting Kalsha won the West Midland Premier League in 2014–15 and reached the 4th Qualifying round of the FA Cup, losing 3–1 at home to F.C. United of Manchester in front of over 2,200 spectators.
Rugby
Willenhall also has its own rugby union football club, formed by some employees of Rubery Owen in 1966. They are based in nearby Essington.
Greyhound racing
Willenhall Greyhound Stadium operated from 1932 to 1980.
Neighbourhoods
- Short Heath
- New Invention
- Lodge Farm
- Poet's Estate
- Rough Wood
- Coppice Farm
- Portobello
- Fibbersley
- Allens Rough
- Little London
- The Crescent
- The Summers
- St Anne's
- Manor Farm
- County Bridge
- Summer Hayes
- Sneyd
- Scholars Heath
- Rose Hill
- Lakeside
- Park Side
- St Giles
- Lane Head
- Neachells
Recreational
- Willenhall Memorial Park
- Fibbersley Nature Trail and Reserve
- Rough Wood Chase
- The Summers
- Coppice Farm Open Space
- Old Bentley Canal walk
- Short Heath Park
Twin towns
Willenhall is twinned with:
- Drancy, France. An alliance agreement was signed by the then mayors in charge, namely Chaiman. Williams and his French counterpart Mr Nilès at the City Hall of Drancy on 29 November 1959.[33][34] In 2019, a Willenhall delegation was sent over to celebrate the Alliance's 60th anniversary.[35] A road in Willenhall was named Drancy Avenue.[36]
See also
- Louise Porton – double murderer who formerly lived in the town
- Richard Wilkes – an 18th-century antiquarian who lived in Willenhall
References
- ^ "Willenhall North Ward population 2011". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ "Willenhall South Ward population 2011". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ Willmore, F. W. (1887). A History of Walsall and its Neighbourhood, London: Simpkin, Marshall and Co.
- ^ "Locks and Keys". Retrieved 22 March 2011.
- ^ ISBN 9781406883435.
- ^ a b Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Placenames, 4th edition, 1980.
- ^ Mills, AD., A dictionary of English place-names, second edition, OUP, 1998
- ^ "Willenhall Urban District Council". Civic Heraldry.
- ^ "Cholera in Willenhall". Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Willenhall UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ Hackwood, FW., The annals of Willenhall, Reprinted by Echo publications, 2010, p. 121.
- ^ Hackwood, FW., The annals of Willenhall, Reprinted by Echo publications, 2010, p. 128.
- ^ "Willenhall Town | West Midlands (Regional) League". fulltime.thefa.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Cole, Sean (7 June 2017). "Introducing Sporting Khalsa, a Club With Deep Roots and Big Ambitions". Vice. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "Willenhall: Local Government". Wolverhampton History and Heritage. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "New Morrisons store opens its doors to shoppers". Dransfield Properties Limited. January 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Willenhall: 20th Century". Wolverhampton University.
- ^ "Willenhall Regeneration Area". Walsall Council. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
- ^ "Willenhall and Darlaston stations". West Midlands Rail Executive. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022.
- ^ Parkes, Thomas (8 April 2023). "Ground conditions still a 'significant risk' to new £55m rail stations - bosses". Express and Star. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023.
- ^ "The Parish Church of St. Giles' Willenhall". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ "The Parish Church of St. Giles' Willenhall". Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ Norman W. Tildesley, A history of Willenhall (Willenhall: Willenhall Urban District Council, 1951): 18.
- ^ Tildesley, A history of Willenhall, 1951, pages 18–20.
- ^ "The Parish of St. Stephen the Martyr". Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ "Parish profiles: St. Anne's and St.Giles Willenhall" (PDF).
- ^ Philips, D., Crime and authority in Victorian England, Taylor & Francis, 1977, p. 30.
- ISBN 0-946652-19-8.
- ^ "Services & timetables | NX Bus West Midlands". nxbus.co.uk.
- ^ "Walsall and Black Country Metro tram link declared dead". www.expressandstar.com. 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Willenhall: Contents". Wolverhampton University. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Willenhall-Drancy Twinning Association". Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ISBN 978-2-307-00375-5.
- ^ "Histoire (Soixantième anniversaire jumelage Willenhall-Drancy)" [Drancy-Willenhall Aliance 60th anniversary] (PDF). Drancy Média (in French). No. 396. (p.20 in PDF format). Drancy. 16 December 2019. p. 16.
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: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Drancy Ave". Google Maps. Retrieved 8 February 2023.