| Blakenhall | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Blakenhall Location within the West Midlands | |
| Population | 12,614 (2021) [1] |
| OS grid reference | SO910966 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wolverhampton |
| Postcode district | WV2 |
| Dialling code | 01902 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Blakenhall is a suburb and ward in Wolverhampton, England. The population was 12,614 at the 2021 census. [2]
Blakenhall's name, according to toponymists, comes from the Old English "blæc" (meaning "black") and "halh" (meaning "nook" or "corner"). [3] It was developed during the late 19th century just south of the town centre with hundreds of terraced houses, some with shop fronts, being built on the Dudley Road (A459) towards Sedgley. Many were also built down the side streets. Wanderers Avenue, the original home of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, can be found in Blakenhall. The team regularly played on the adjacent Phoenix Park until 1889. Names of the players can be found on the front of the terraced houses along the street. [4]
Wolverhampton's first council houses were built in Blakenhall in 1902, though it would be nearly 20 years before mass council housing building took place anywhere else in the area. [5] By the 1980s, these properties were outdated and were finally demolished in the spring of 1988. [6] Vehicle maker AJS moved to a new factory built around Graiseley House in 1914. [7] It closed upon their insolvency in 1931 and the site, now occupied by supermarkets (Tesco since July 2021, previously Waitrose and Safeway), is marked by a sculpture called The Lone Rider. It was designed by Steve Field. [8] [9] [10] The plaque explaining the relevance of the statue attached to the base was stolen several years ago.
In 1919, when work began on the Wolverhampton's first major council housing development to rehouse families from town centre slums, a site around Green Lane (later renamed Birmingham Road and Thompson Avenue) and Parkfield Road was included in this development. [11] In 1960, 1st Blakenhall Scout Group was formed by Maurice Lane. The group is still going today and recruits people aged 6–14. Although scouting has changed somewhat since the days 1st Blakenhall has formed, the group now meets at St. Johns Methodist Church and is open to both male and females in Blakenhall. [12] The next major development in Blakenhall took place in the 1960s when six tower blocks were constructed. One of the two taller tower blocks, Cobden House, was demolished by a controlled explosion in August 2002. The four smaller tower blocks (Neale House, Villiers House, Cross House, and Ranelagh House) were cleared with mechanical demolitions in 2007. The final taller tower block, Phoenix Rise (previously known as Franchise House), was demolished in 2011.
The Blakenhall ward serves Wolverhampton City Council and forms part of the Wolverhampton South East constituency. The ward also covers the suburb of Goldthorn Park, immediately to the south, and part of Graiseley. It borders Graiseley, Penn, St Peter's, Ettingshall, and Spring Vale wards, as well as (briefly) South Staffordshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.
Blakenhall's residents are predominantly descendants of Indians who settled in the area following World War II, with 45.6% of the population claiming Indian ethnicity. [14] The local Gurdwara occupies the site of a former Corona drinks factory, and has at times laid claim to be the largest Gurdwara in Europe. Blakenhall's religious makeup as of the 2021 census [15] was 40.7% Sikh, 24.3% Christian, 16.6% non-religious, 10.4% Hindu, 4.3% Muslim, 3.3% other, and 0.4% Buddhist.
Blakenhall is one of the most deprived districts of Wolverhampton, although it has improved slightly since the 1990s due to its designation as an ABC Regeneration Area. A similar initiative covers the neighbouring All Saints district. Colton Hills Community School and senior part of The Royal School, Wolverhampton are situated in Blakenhall ward. The junior side of The Royal School, Wolverhampton is in Graiseley ward. South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy was also located in the area in the former Parkfield High School but the academy relocated all facilities to Bilston in 2012.
It was incorrectly reported in 2013 that one of Blakenhall's oldest and most notable buildings, the 156-year-old St Luke's Church, was to close down for good due to mounting repair bills and structural problems with the tower and spire. Whilst the building is not currently in use, no decision has yet been made as to the future of the building. [16] [17]
Blakenhall was once home to many pubs, though only a handful now remain. The Rose and Crown, The Old Ash Tree, The Kings Arms, The British Queen (now a Desi pub), and Billa's Bar (formerly The Fermentine & Firkin and before that The Ship) are all on the A459 road. Pool Street features The Yew Tree Inn (a Desi pub) and Cartwright Street hosts The Crown. Previously in the area (in fact lending its name to the area south of Blakenhall) was The Fighting Cocks, and The Foresters Arms on Grove Street is still standing but is closed. The Glassey Inn has been demolished, and the new Blakenhall Community and Healthy Living Centre, operated by Wolverhampton City Council, stands in its place. [18] The Fighting Cocks was replaced by an Aldi supermarket but its name lives on as a nearby bus stop.
Bilston is a town in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, England. It is close to the borders of Sandwell and Walsall. The nearest towns are Darlaston, Wednesbury, and Willenhall. Historically in Staffordshire, three wards of Wolverhampton City Council now cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and Ettingshall, which comprises a part of Bilston and parts of Wolverhampton.
Sedgley is a town in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.
Wednesfield is a town and historic village in the City of Wolverhampton, 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.
Darlaston is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is located near Wednesbury and Willenhall.
Penn is an area which is divided between the City of Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire district. The population of the Wolverhampton Ward taken at the 2011 census was 12,718. Originally, it was a village in the historic county of Staffordshire. There is considerable confusion about exactly which areas fall within Penn. In 19th century censuses, Merry Hill, Bradmore are understood to form part of Penn, although these areas are generally understood to be separate today. However, there has never been any doubt that the two historic settlements of Upper and Lower Penn form the core of the area.
Coseley is a village in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands County, England. It is situated three miles north of Dudley itself, on the border with Wolverhampton. Though it is a part of the Dudley North constituency. It also falls within the Wolverhampton South-East parliamentary constituency.
Wolverhampton South East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Wolverhampton South West is a constituency created in 1950 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Stuart Anderson of the Conservative Party.
Merry Hill is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands and a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. It is situated in the south-west of the city, bordering South Staffordshire and the Tettenhall Wightwick, Park, Graiseley and Penn wards. It forms part of the Wolverhampton South West constituency.
Graiseley is both an inner-city area of Wolverhampton, situated immediately to the south-west of the city centre, and the name of a ward of Wolverhampton City Council.
Goldthorn Park is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands. It is situated 1½ miles south of the city centre within the Blakenhall ward. It mostly consists of private houses built from the 1930s onwards.
Ettingshall is an area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, and is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 13,482.
Spring Vale is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council, West Midlands, England. It is situated SSE of the city centre, on the city's border with the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. The population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 12,243.
Fallings Park is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, and a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. It is situated in the northeast of the city, bordering South Staffordshire and the Wednesfield North, Heath Town, Bushbury South and Low Hill and Bushbury North wards. It forms part of the Wolverhampton North East constituency. Fallings Park ward covers over 5,000 properties in the following areas: Longknowle, Newbolds, Scotlands, Underhill, Willows. The population of the Wolverhampton Ward taken at the 2011 census was 12,410.
Wolverhampton West was a borough constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
City of Wolverhampton Council is the governing body of the city of Wolverhampton, England. It was previously known as Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council (WMBC) prior to the award of city status in 2000, and also as Wolverhampton City Council before adopting the "City of Wolverhampton" branding in 2015.
Woodcross is a residential area of Coseley, West Midlands, England. It is set within the City of Wolverhampton, though the area traditionally existed within the boundaries of Sedgley and later Coseley until 1966.
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. The population was 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians". The city is located 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Birmingham.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 2001 Census