Ashmore Park

Last updated

Ashmore Park
St. Alban's Church, Ashmore Park, Wednesfield - geograph.org.uk - 668230.jpg
St. Alban's Church, Ashmore Park
West Midlands UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Ashmore Park
Location within the West Midlands
Population6,734 
OS grid reference SJ9601
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Wolverhampton
Postcode district WV11 2
Dialling code 01902
Police West Midlands
Fire West Midlands
Ambulance West Midlands
List of places
UK
England
West Midlands
52°36′N2°04′W / 52.60°N 02.06°W / 52.60; -02.06

Ashmore Park is a large housing estate in Wednesfield, England. It has been part of the city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands since 1966, when the majority of Wednesfield was incorporated into Wolverhampton. It forms part of the Wednesfield North ward of the City of Wolverhampton council. The estate consists predominantly of council-built houses, flats and bungalows from the 1950s.

Contents

History

The 14th century Ashmore Park Moat in 2023 Ashmore Park Moat.jpg
The 14th century Ashmore Park Moat in 2023

Ashmore Park was initially one of the wooded estates Lady Wulfruna transferred to St. Peter's Fold to allow the park to generate income and food. A moat-surrounded farmhouse [1] was built here sometime during the mid-14th century. Three-quarters of the moat still exists today in the "bottom shops" precinct. [2]

A plaque placed by Wolverhampton Civic Society and Ashmore Park Community Association on The Hub Community Centre states Ashmore Park Colliery operated from 1875 to 1948 and employed a total of over 230 people below and above ground. Ordnance Survey mapping shows the colliery linked by a mineral tramway to a basin on the Wyrley and Essington Canal. The land was owned by the Duke of Cleveland. [3] A reminder of the area's mining history arose in 2019 when melting snow revealed a shaft near a children's playground. The Coal Authority carried out work to seal the shaft and compact the filling material. [4]

1,500 homes were initially planned for Ashmore Park by Wednesfield Urban District Council in 1954 as part of Staffordshire County Council's overspill housing scheme for Wolverhampton. [5] The first house was opened on 16 June 1955 by the Chairman of Staffordshire County Council, Alderman A G B Owen and it was reported that 6,500 people would be housed in 1,750 homes. [6] A shopping precinct and dwellings were opened by Cannock constituency MP Jennie Lee in September 1958. [7]

The Dean of Wolverhampton probably used the homestead in his role as Dean (landlord) of Ashmore Park.[ citation needed ] The original farmhouse was removed when a new one was built in the early 19th century.[ citation needed ] In 1957 authorities demolished that farmhouse and built a library near its site.[ citation needed ]

Demographics

According to the 2001 United Kingdom census, Ashmore Park had a total population of 6,734. Of these, 27.6% of its residents were between the ages of 25 and 44 years old, while 24.3% reported being between the ages of 60 and 74. The neighbourhood is not ethnically diverse, with 97.4% of its residents classified as Caucasian; the largest ethnic minority group is Black Caribbean, representing just 0.9% of the population. [8]

54.5% of the 2,968 households in the neighbourhood were owner-occupied, while 39.4% of homes were council houses. Ashmore Park had an unemployment rate of 7.1%, ranking above the Wolverhampton average of 5.3%. Of those identified as economically inactive, 24.4% were retired. And of all households in the neighbourhood, only 11.1% were not considered deprived at all, while 7.2% were overcrowded. [8]

Christianity is the area's predominant religion, with 81.6% of the population identifying as Christian. 9.4% of residents reported that they did not have a religious affinity. [8]

Education

The estate was served by Ashmore Park County Primary School and Danesfield Primary School. The two merged in 1983 to form Danesmore Primary, [9] but this closed in February 1993. [10] Both schools have since been demolished.

Today a secondary school, Coppice Performing Arts School, serves the estate, with three primary schools: Oak Meadow Primary School, Corpus Christi Catholic School, and St. Alban's Primary School.

Places of interest

At the heart of the estate is a large green park consisting of a children's play area and several sports facilities, including a skate park, multi-sports pitch, BMX track, and bowling green. The park is on the site of Ashmore Colliery and the play area had to be made safe in 2019 after a mine shaft was discovered. [11] The park is also home to the Wednesfield Aces and Wednesfield Dragons cycle speedway teams.

There are two main shopping areas, known locally as the "top" and "bottom" shops due to their geographic location. The "bottom shop" precinct houses a mix of local and independent businesses and underwent an extensive facelift during the early 2000s that included work to preserve the historic moat site. [12]

In 2014 a revamped community centre opened called The Hub at Ashmore Park with many facilities for the local community to use. The library which was located next to the "bottom shops" shopping precinct was closed and merged into the hub, whilst many other libraries were closed or had reduced opening hours in Wolverhampton.

There are two public houses and a social club on the estate: The True Briton, The Ashmore Inn and Corpus Christi Social Club.

In 2014 more than 350 members of the local community signed a petition to save The Ashmore Inn public house from being closed and turned into a retail store. The petition succeeded in having The Ashmore Inn listed as an Asset of Community Value. In 2016 a Coop Food convenience store and Tanning Salon were opened on adjacent land sharing the car park with the public house, whilst the bookmakers previously there moved to the "bottom shops" shopping precinct. [13] [14]

Transport

Trains

The nearest train stations to Ashmore Park are Bloxwich North, Bloxwich, and Wolverhampton.

Buses

Bus routes serving Ashmore Park include the 9, 57, 59 and 69 lines. [15]

The 59 route, operated by National Express West Midlands, provides the most frequent service to the estate from Wolverhampton via Heath Town, New Cross Hospital and Wednesfield roughly every six minutes during the day (Monday-Saturday) and every 12 minutes in the evenings, on Sundays, and bank holidays. [16]

The 69 bus, also operated by National Express West Midlands, services the lower part of the estate between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Heath Town, New Cross Hospital, Wood End, Coppice Farm, New Invention, Beechdale, and Reedswood Retail Park. This service operates every 30 minutes during the day (Monday-Saturday) and hourly during the day on Sunday. [17]

The 57 bus service, operated by Diamond West Midlands (Rotala), also serves the lower zone of the estate. It runs from Wolverhampton to Bilston via Heath Town, Park Village, Wednesfield, Wood End, Lyndale Park, and Willenhall. An hourly service operates during the daytime, Monday-Saturday. [18]

No. 9 bus route from Walsall to Wolverhampton is via Rushall, Pelsall, Bloxwich, New Invention, Wednesfield and Bentley Bridge retail park. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walsall</span> Town in the West Midlands, England

Walsall is a market town and administrative centre of the borough of the same name in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Birmingham, 7 miles (11 km) east of Wolverhampton and 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Lichfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willenhall</span> Market town in the West Midlands, England

Willenhall is a market town in the Walsall district, in the county of the West Midlands, England, with a population taken at the 2021 Census of 49,587. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire. It lies upon the River Tame, and is contiguous with both Wolverhampton and parts of South Staffordshire. The M6 motorway at Junction 10 separates it from Walsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloxwich</span> Town in West Midlands, England

Bloxwich is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. It is located between the towns of Walsall, Cannock, Willenhall and Brownhills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wednesfield</span> Town in West Midlands, England

Wednesfield is a town and historic village in the City of Wolverhampton, in the county of the West Midlands, England, It is 2 miles (3.2 km) east-northeast of Wolverhampton city centre and about 10 miles (16 km) from Birmingham and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It was historically within the county of Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leamore</span> Suburb and ward in England

Leamore is a suburb of Bloxwich and Walsall in Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands county, England. It is a mix of private and council housing built since the late 19th century. The most significant homes in the area are several multi-storey blocks of council flats, which were built in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heath Town</span> Human settlement in England

Heath Town is a suburban area of Wolverhampton, in the county of the West Midlands, England, to the east of the city centre. It is also a ward of City of Wolverhampton Council. The ward forms part of the Wolverhampton North East parliamentary constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechdale, West Midlands</span> Suburb of Bloxwich and Walsall in West Midlands, England

Beechdale, originally named Gypsy Lane Estate, is a housing estate in Walsall, in the county of the West Midlands, England, that was developed predominantly during the 1950s and 1960s.

Wednesfield North is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council, West Midlands. As the name suggests, it covers the northern parts of the town of Wednesfield. It borders the Wednesfield South, Heath Town and Fallings Park wards, as well as South Staffordshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. It forms part of the Wolverhampton North East constituency.

New Invention is a large estate around three miles (4.8 km) north of the town of Willenhall and four miles (6.4 km) east of the city of Wolverhampton in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. It is halfway between Walsall and Wolverhampton on the busy main A4124 and A462 roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelsall</span> Village in England

Pelsall is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. Forming part of the borough's border with Staffordshire, Pelsall is located 4 miles north of Walsall, midway between the towns of Bloxwich and Brownhills and 4 miles northwest of Aldridge. The southern edge of Cannock Chase is 6 miles to the north. Pelsall is also 8 miles southwest of Lichfield and 8 miles northeast of Wolverhampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley, West Midlands</span> Area in Walsall, West Midlands, UK

Bentley is an area in the Walsall district, in the county of the West Midlands, England, located around Junction 10 of the M6 Motorway. It is also a rural village of houses towards its eastern sides. It shares borders with the areas of Willenhall, Beechdale, Ashmore Park, Pleck, Darlaston and Alumwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landywood</span> Area of Great Wyrley in Staffordshire, England

Landywood is an area of Great Wyrley in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Landywood is part of the South Staffordshire ward named "Great Wyrley Landywood", It lies 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Bloxwich, 3 miles (4.8 km) south from Cannock and 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Walsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rushall, West Midlands</span> Village in Walsall, West Midlands, England

Rushall is a historic village in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands county of England. It is centred on the main road between Walsall and Lichfield. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book but has mostly developed since the 1920s. Rushall was historically a part of the county of Staffordshire before it was incorporated with much of the old Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District into the modern-day Walsall district.

Springfield is an area of Wolverhampton, England immediately north east of the city centre. It was the home of the Springfield Brewery from 1873 until 1991. The brewery site has been redeveloped by the University of Wolverhampton and serves as the campus for the university's School of Architecture and Build Environment, which includes the National Brownfield Institute. There are modern student residential blocks, one of which is the tallest structure in Wolverhampton. For local government, Springfield is within the ward of Heath Town.

Walsall Wood is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the county of the West Midlands, England. It is located middway between the towns of Aldridge and Brownhills. As well as Walsall and Lichfield.

The Lodge Farm estate is located in the area of Short Heath in the town of Willenhall, which is in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallington Heath</span> Suburb of Bloxwich in West Midlands, England

Wallington Heath is an area of Bloxwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands county of England. It lies north of Bloxwich town centre on the A34 road to Cannock and is bounded by Little Bloxwich, Lower Farm Estate, Mossley and Turnberry Estate.

References

  1. ↑ "Ashmore Park moated site". 28 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ashmore Park, Wednesfield". Black Country History. 6 September 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "The Late Duke of Cleveland" . Lichfield Mercury . 28 August 1891. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ Hancock, Michaila (12 September 2019). "Wolverhampton playground reopens after mine shaft repair". Ground Engineering. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Wednesfield's housing effort 'impressive'" . Birmingham Post . 10 May 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Staffordshire help on overspill" . Birmingham Post. 17 June 1955. p. 25. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "News in brief" . Birmingham Post (Dudley edition). 22 September 1958. p. 7. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 "Area Profile of ASHMORE PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD" (PDF). Wolverhampton City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  9. ↑ "Lollypop plea for new school" . Wolverhampton Express and Star . 1 August 1983. p. 11. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Lepkowska, Dorothy (9 June 1993). "Authority accused on vandalism" . Birmingham Post. p. 3. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Play area reopens in Wolverhampton after mine shaft is repaired". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  12. ↑ "Ashmore Park moated site". www.historywebsite.co.uk.
  13. ↑ "Ashmore pub gets revamp after being rescued from closure". www.expressandstar.com. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Townshend, Georgina (18 May 2017). "NewRiver opens 11th pub with Co-op store". MorningAdvertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Ashmore Park – Bus Times". bustimes.org. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "59 - Wolverhampton - New Cross Hospital - Wednesfield - Ashmore Park". bustimes.org. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  17. ↑ "69 - Walsall - Beechdale - New Invention - Wood End - New Cross Hospital - Wolverhampton". bustimes.org. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  18. ↑ "57 - Wolverhampton - Bilston via Wednesfield". bustimes.org. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  19. ↑ "9 - Walsall - Rushall - Pelsall - Bloxwich - New Invention - Wednesfield - Bentley Bridge - Wolverhampton". bustimes.org. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.