Heath Town | |
---|---|
Wednesfield Road and Heath Town tower blocks | |
Location within the West Midlands | |
Population | 13,965 (2011 Census.Ward) [1] |
OS grid reference | SO9266199324 |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Wolverhampton |
Postcode district | WV10 |
Dialling code | 01902 |
Police | West Midlands |
Fire | West Midlands |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
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.
Heath Town ward borders the wards of Bushbury South and Low Hill, Fallings Park, Wednesfield North, Wednesfield South, East Park and St Peter's.
As well as Heath Town, the ward covers parts of Park Village, Springfield, Horseley Fields and Wednesfield. It is home to New Cross Hospital (the city's main Hospital), Wolverhampton Railway station, Heath Park Secondary school and a Royal Mail distribution centre.
Wolverhampton was connected to the railways in 1837, with the first station located at Wednesfield Heath, later known as Heath Town, on the Grand Junction Railway. This station was demolished in 1965. [2]
In 1850 the Holy Trinity Church and almshouses were built, as part of the expansion of Heath Town. [3]
On 31 December 1894 Heathtown became a civil parish, being formed from the part of the parish of Wednesfield in Heath Town Urban District, [4] on 1 April 1927 the parish was abolished and merged with Wolverhampton. [5] In 1921 the parish had a population of 13,082. [6] From 1894 to 1927 Heathtown was an urban district. [7]
In the late 19th century, many terraced houses were built next to the factories near the main road to Lichfield. In the 1960s many of these were demolished, they were replaced with a new estate designed by Wolverhampton Borough architects. The new Heath Town estate was officially opened in April 1969 by Princess Margaret. The former street plan was defined by the line of the Wolverhampton Road and Lincoln, Inkerman and Grove streets have kept their original names. [8]
New Cross Hospital is built on the site of the former New Cross Workhouse. The design of the new buildings came about through a competition and the winning entry was from Arthur Marshall of Nottingham. The foundation stone was laid in September 1900 by Chairman of the Guardians, Mr Price, and the workhouse was formally opened on 24 September 1903. The workhouse could take up to 1,246 inmates, 20 nurses, and 60 other officers. The buildings occupied an area of six acres, and the total cost was £156,879. After 1930, control of the workhouse site passed to the Wolverhampton Public Assistance Committee and it became New Cross Hospital. Many of the old workhouse blocks have now been replaced by modern buildings. [9]
In the 1900s the Chubb Lock and Safe Company was a major employer in Heath Town. In 1908 the Chubb safe works was opened on Wednesfield Road and workers were transferred from the London safe works which had closed. [10] In 1938 Chubb & Son's Lock & Safe Co Ltd premises were expanded and workers were moved from the premises in Railway Street. [11] [12] Chubb remained an important industry in Heath Town until 2000 when it was sold to Assa Abloy, a Swedish lock maker and Gunnebo, another Swedish security company. The Wednesfield Road safe works were closed and much of the site was sold off for housing. [10]
White British residents are still the largest ethnic group in Heath Town. However, it has a large percentage of Asian and Afro-Caribbean residents who migrated to England during the 1950s and 1960s and originally settled in the Victorian terraces before relocating to the modern council flats. In more recent years, the area has become a popular destination for Eastern European and African immigrants.
The 2011 census states the population as 13,965 made up of approximately 48% females and 52% males with an average age of 34. 70.0% of people living in Heath Town were born in England. 5.0% India, 3.1% Jamaica, 1.7% Zimbabwe, 1.6% Philippines, 0.9% Somalia, 0.7% Nigeria, 0.6% Ireland, 0.5% China, 0.5% Pakistan. [13]
The 2011 census shows the ethnic mix of Heath Town ward as predominantly white:
80.7% of people living in Heath Town ward speak English. The other top languages spoken are 3.5% Punjabi, 2.1% Polish, 1.9% Kurdish, 1.2% Lithuanian, 1.0% Tagalog/Filipino, 0.7% Persian, 0.7% Somali, 0.7% Arabic, 0.6% Greek. [13]
The rich diversity of culture in the area is celebrated each August with an international fun day event on Heath Town Park. [15]
The religious make up of Heath Town is 52.9% Christian, 21.2% no religion, 7.4% Muslim, 6.4% Sikh, 2.8% Hindu, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.1% agnostic. [13]
Churches and temples in the area are:
Heath Town Park is a neighbourhood park that serves the local community. The site is a public memorial to the men of Heath Town who gave their lives in the Great War. The park is surrounded on three sides by residential properties with a main road running along the fourth. The main entrance to the park is from Church Street which is accessed from the residential area. The park is compact but has many facilities including two football pitches, play area, fitness trail, multi-use games area, wooded area, open space and seating. There is also a WW1 War Memorial said to be the oldest in Wolverhampton. The park is well used by the local community and since 2012 has been protected by Fields in Trust [21] as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge. This was a project to safeguard the future of parks and green spaces as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy and provide a permanent legacy of the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. [22]
Heath Town public baths were designed by H. B. Robinson, Borough Surveyor and Engineer. They were opened on 16 December 1932, by Alderman F. A. Willcock, chair of Wolverhampton Borough Council's Parks and Baths Committee. The Main Swimming Bath was 75 feet long by 34 feet wide. The Children's Swimming Bath was 40 feet long by 25 feet wide-ranging from a depth from three feet to three feet three inches deep. The building also included Wolverhampton's first large public washhouse which housed four rotary washing machines, twenty one drying horses, three electrically operated hydro-extractors, fifteen washing stalls for hand washing, drying houses and irons. The building also housed Heath Town's public library. The baths eventually closed in 2002, and the library closed on 3 November 2006. [23]
Heath Town Baths is a grade II listed building and has both architectural and social-historical importance locally and architectural significance nationally. Since 2006 it has since fallen into substantial disrepair. The building sits at the heart of Heath Town and its preservation and bringing back into use is stated to be a high priority in the Neighbourhood Plan. The Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy supports the campaign to bring the baths back into use. [24] Heath Town Swimming Club which won several international competitions in the 1940s-1950s was based at the baths. [25]
Grand Station is a Grade II listed building used as a venue for Weddings, Banquets & Conferences. [26] but was originally the Wolverhampton Low Level Station. The station opened 1854 and closed in 1981 but the buildings were listed in 1986. [27] [28]
A terrace of six, grade II listed, 19th century almshouses is located in the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church. They were built in 1850 by the benevolent industrialist Henry Rogers. After a period of dereliction, the houses were restored in 1996 to one bedroom houses for elderly people. [29]
Victoria Hall is a block of student accommodation with four tower blocks in the Springfield area of Heath Town. The tallest block is 25 stories and when built in 2009 was the tallest modular building in Europe. [30]
The area is mainly residential fronting on Wednesfield Road and in the centre of the estate itself. One of the last estates of tower blocks to be built in the area, it incorporated a number of features – a district heating scheme and deck level access. The estate's tower blocks were for a long time the city's tallest residential structures and are visible landmarks from some distance. The blocks of flats are divided by grassed areas, the largest of which is in the south-central part of the development and designed for recreational use. The estate includes a variety of other housing types—including two-storey houses and low-rise maisonettes. Green space has been incorporated into the areas between blocks of flats and mature trees are visible along the southern edge of the estate. [8]
There is an extensive housing development off the Wednesfield Road on the former site of the Chubb Works which was part of the new century's Wolverhampton regeneration plan. [31]
The 2011 census shows housing types as:
Primary Schools in Heath Town are:
The Secondary school is the highly rated Heath Park. [35]
Heath Town Swimming Club was originally based at Heath Town Baths [25] but now meets at the nearby Wolverhampton Swimming and Fitness Centre. [36]
Heath Town is home to Heath Town United Football Club. [37]
Heath Town straddles the A4124 Wolverhampton-Wednesfield Road, which runs westwards to Wolverhampton and eastwards to Bloxwich and eventually Brownhills It is bounded by railway lines to the north-east and south (the latter disused). Wolverhampton Railway Station is located in Heath Town. [8]
Wolverhampton station originally opened on 1 July 1852 by the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway, a subsidiary of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR); it was named Wolverhampton Queen Street. [38] It was known as Wolverhampton High Level from 1 June 1885. [38] From 1923, it was operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), and in 1948 the station became part of the London Midland Region of British Railways. [39] The present Wolverhampton station dates from 1965, when the High Level station was completely rebuilt as part of the modernisation programme which saw the West Coast Main Line electrified.
The former Heath Town railway station, on the line from High Level to Wednesfield station, was just off Grove Street. Built by the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway in 1872, and was operated by the Midland Railway from 1876, it closed in 1910. [2]
Wolverhampton Low Level Station was opened 1854 by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway later to fall under the auspices of the Great Western Railway. It was closed to passengers in 1972, but continued to function as a parcels depot until 1981. Once an important stop on the London-Birkenhead line and linked with Snow Hill station in Birmingham. However, the station buildings were listed in 1986. [27] The building has since been redeveloped as a venue for weddings, banquets & conferences. [26]
Frequent National Express West Midlands services 9 and 59 run from the city centre to Heath Town and on to New Cross, Bentley Bridge and Walsall (9) or Ashmore Park (59). [40] Chaserider service 71 provides an hourly service during weekday morning and early afternoon from Wolverhampton City Centre to Wood End, Essington, Cheslyn Hay and Cannock. Diamond Bus service 65 operates from Wolverhampton through Heath Town and onto Wood End, Bushbury and Fordhouses. Travel Express (T/A Let's Go) held the tender for service 65 for several years until 2024.
The Wyrley and Essington Canal passes through Heath Town. The canal runs from Wolverhampton via Wednesfield towards the coalfields at Essington and Great Wyrley, Bloxwich, Pelsall and Chasewater. [41]
In 2013 the Heath Town Master Plan was unveiled setting out plans to increase the provision of housing by up to 550, improve community facilities and enhance landscaping. [42]
Heathfield Park Neighbourhood Plan [43] received a resounding yes vote on 17 July 2014 and will be taken to Wolverhampton City Council in September 2014 for adoption. The Plan will help to shape all future planning applications for the Springfield, New Park Village, Heath Town and New Cross areas of Heath Town. The Plan identifies six key themes for improving and sustaining the area which focus on identity and image, housing and environment, employment and skills, assets and buildings, transport and traffic and healthy living. [44] [45]
This is one of Wolverhampton's first neighbourhood plans (with Tettenhall) and puts Wolverhampton at the forefront of neighbourhood planning nationally. Wolverhampton is the first metropolitan area to hold a neighbourhood plan referendum and the first anywhere to hold a referendum with more than one area taking part. The plan was created by residents from Heathfield Park via their local neighbourhood partnerships, with support from the council's planning, housing and neighbourhood services teams. [46]
In March 2015, Wolverhampton Council announced that the maisonettes in Chervil Rise would be demolished as part of the regeneration, resulting 34 tenants having to leave the estate. [47]
Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, 39 mi (63 km) south of London, 10 mi (16 km) north of Brighton and Hove, and 29 mi (47 km) northeast of the county town, Chichester. It had an area of 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) and a population of 30,635 at the 2011 Census, making it the fourth most populous parish in the county and the most populous in the Mid Sussex District. Other nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the northeast and Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, to the southeast.
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.
Bloxwich is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. It is located between the towns of Walsall, Cannock, Willenhall and Brownhills.
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.
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.
Whitton is an area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically, it was the north-western part of Twickenham manor, bounded by the River Crane and the Duke of Northumberland's River.
Bushbury is a suburban village and ward in the City of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, England. It lies two miles north-east of Wolverhampton city centre, divided between the Bushbury North and Bushbury South and Low Hill wards. Bushbury also lies near to the villages of Coven, Featherstone and Four Ashes which are in South Staffordshire.
Wolverhampton North 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. It is represented by Sureena Brackenridge of the Labour Party, who was elected at the 2024 general election.
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.
Essington is a village and civil parish in South Staffordshire, England, located near the city of Wolverhampton and towns of Walsall, Bloxwich, Cannock and Brewood. The villages of Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Coven, Penkridge and Featherstone are also nearby. The village forms part of the Staffordshire/West Midlands border.
The Walsall–Wolverhampton line is a railway line in the West Midlands, England. It connects the town of Walsall to the city of Wolverhampton. The complete line does not currently have any regular scheduled passenger services: The line's local passenger service was withdrawn in 1965, it was restored in 1998, only to be withdrawn again in 2008. At present, the main use of the line is by freight trains, and it is also used as a diversionary route when engineering works are carried out on the West Coast Main Line.
Rushall is a suburb in the Walsall district, in the county of the West Midlands, 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.
The Midland Railway branches around Walsall were built to give the Midland Railway independent access to Wolverhampton, and to a colliery district at Brownhills. The Midland Railway had a stake in the South Staffordshire Railway giving it access to Walsall, and the Walsall and Wolverhampton Railway (W&WR) was opened in 1872. At first the W&WR was independent and neutral, but it was acquired by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), and then sold by that company to the Midland Railway.
Wednesfield Heath railway station was a station built on the Grand Junction Railway and opened on 4 July 1837 as Wolverhampton. It was the first railway station serving the town of Wolverhampton, and was located around a mile to the east of the city centre within the suburb of Heath Town, on Station Road. It was designated as a First Class station.
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England, 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Birmingham. The population in 2021 was 263,700.
Bushbury railway station was a railway station opened by the London and North Western Railway on 2 August 1852. It served the Bushbury area of Wolverhampton, and near to the junction of Showell Road and Bushbury Lane.
Bentley Bridge Leisure Park is an extensive modern leisure/retail park located in the village of Wednesfield,Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. It has been developed since the late 1990s, to the south of Wednesfield town centre.
New Cross Hospital is a hospital in the Heath Town district of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is located to the east of the city centre in Wednesfield and is managed by the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
Chell is a suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England, that can be subdivided into Little Chell, Great Chell and Chell Heath. It lies on the northern edge of the city, approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) from Tunstall, 2 miles (3.2 km) from Burslem and 3 miles (4.8 km) from the county border with Cheshire. Chell borders Pitts Hill to the west, Tunstall to the south west, Stanfield and Bradeley to the south, with the outlying villages of Packmoor and Brindley Ford to the north and Ball Green to the east. Since 2011 the area has been divided into the electoral wards of Bradeley & Chell Heath, Great Chell & Packmoor and Little Chell & Stanfield.