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Perton | |
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![]() Perton Shopping Centre | |
Location within Staffordshire | |
Population | 9,299 (2021) [1] |
OS grid reference | SO862993 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Wolverhampton |
Postcode district | WV6 |
Dialling code | 01902 |
Police | Staffordshire |
Fire | Staffordshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
Perton is a large estate and civil parish located in the South Staffordshire District, Staffordshire, England. It lies 3 miles to the south of Codsall and 4 miles west of Wolverhampton, where part of the estate is conjoined to the estate of Tettenhall. The name Perton is derived from 'Pear Town' due to the number of pear trees that once grew there. [2]
The only direct road connection between Perton and Wolverhampton is for the use of buses and emergency vehicles only; private vehicles must travel north or south from Perton and use the A41 or A454.
The main road in Perton is The Parkway; this name is given to a 2.25 mile long circular road as well as the two spurs which link it to the main road network. At the centre of the estate lies a shopping centre containing a Sainsbury's supermarket and a number of other shops including a butchers,home and motor store,pharmacy barbers,women’s hair salon,vets,Morrisons convenience,building society two charity shops,cafe,chip shop,Indian takeaway,dentist,doctors surgeries,library,as well as an interdenominational church and Lakeside Community Church meeting in the Civic Centre. Perton has three schools: Perton First School, Perton Primary Academy and Perton Middle School. [3]
Old Perton, also known as Perton Ridge, consists of large houses and a farm; it is located to the south of the modern estate on the road to Pattingham, called Pattingham Road.
The original Perton lay upon the slopes of Perton ridge down to the Bridgnorth road. 'Perton' derived its name from 'Pear Town' in reference to a particular type of pear which grows in the area. The original manor was owned by Edward the Confessor and then by the Abbot of Westminster. The abbey held Perton manor until 1162 when it was transferred to the monarch who in turn gave it to Lord William Perton.
In 1260 a warren was set up for the rashing of rabbits and the manor was held by John de Perton, heir to William, in return for eight days knightly service to the King of England in his wars against the Welsh.
In 1523 it was sold to James Leveson, a merchant from Wolverhampton, and it eventually passed down to Richard Leveson, a sailor, who served aboard the Ark Royal in the English Navy and who fought against the Spanish Armada. He became a commander and in 1596 was knighted after playing a leading role in the Navy's attack on Cadiz. After many subsequent attacks against Spain he was appointed Vice Admiral of England in 1604.
Perton once again changed hands when Sir Walter Wrottesley purchased Perton manor from Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset in 1662. It then remained in the Wrottesley family estate along with many farms until it was sold in the 1960s. [4]
During World War I, Fern Fields was used as a relief landing ground for No 38 (Home Defence) Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. In the period between the First and Second World Wars the site was used for barnstorming. On 22 June 1929 a famous aviation barnstormer named Alan Cobham went to Perton trying to persuade local dignitaries that they should all have their own local airfields by making speeches and taking the mayors and officials of Walsall, Wednesbury, Wolverhampton, and Stourbridge for flights in his DH-61 Giant Moth (a ten-seater enclosed cabin aeroplane).
Shortly after the start of the second world war construction of RAF Perton began in the usual RAF triangular pattern, two of 1,100 yards and one of 1,400 yards, using ash from Lower Gornal and stone from Oldbury as a fighter station. However RAF Perton did not become a fighter station and instead served as a relief aerodrome for training pilots of other RAF stations – the Princess Irene Brigade of the Dutch Army trained at RAF Perton and later took part in the liberation of their country.
In 1947 RAF Perton was abandoned and given to the Agricultural Land Commission with the Dutch camp becoming a refuge camp for Polish, Latvians and Lithuanians until 1950 when it was converted to housing and occupied until 1962.
The name Perton now refers to this newer settlement with the old Perton being known as Old Perton or Perton Ridge. The only reminders of Perton's history is a Memorial in honour of all who trained at RAF Perton – many of whom gave their lives during the war – and remnants of air raid shelters which can still be found in the surrounding woodland. [5]
In 1987, there were plans for Wolverhampton council to absorb Perton and a number of nearby villages. However, these plans were highly controversial and ultimately never took place. One Perton councillor claimed that the people of Perton were against such a move as they were "keen to get away from Wolverhampton's bad image". [6]
Perton has two active Christian churches:
Perton has three schools. They are:
When students leave the first schools at the age of nine, the majority of them go on to study at Perton Middle School. However, some parents choose to send their children to schools in surrounding areas, such as Compton and Tettenhall. When the students finish at the middle school at the age of 13, the majority leave to study at Codsall Community High School, in the nearby village of Codsall. Some also venture up the courage in travelling down to Bridgnorth, to attend such schools as Oldbury Wells School and Endowed School, leaving Perton Middle in Year 6, due to the difference in tier systems.
The area around Perton and Codsall is one of the few areas of the country which still uses the three-tier system for schools (i.e. 5–9 first schools, 9–13 middle schools and 13-16/18 secondary schools).
Plans to build a secondary school in Perton during the 1980s never materialised.
Perton features many walks and areas of countryside.
Paths:
There is a path with a fairly level gradient from Perton centre and the big lake (upper lake) to the little lake (lower lake), which then continues over a hill to Bluebell Wood. The whole route is about 1059 yards (3177'), or 2118 yards (6354') there and back (excluding the two woods).
Bluebell Wood:
Bluebell Wood was developed from a previous wood around an ex-RAF station. It is an internationally important site for bluebells and has a number of paths running through it. It is rumoured that Bluebell Wood is the site of underground WWII bunkers.
There is another large wood across the Parkway [road] from Bluebell Wood, next to The Pear and Partridge.
The remains of RAF Perton can be found in both woods due to the fact Perton was once an airfield.
Other:
There are small woods and grassy areas around the big lake (upper lake) next to Perton Centre.
Perton also has a pavilion located off Gainsborough Drive which has a car park, sports fields and a wood. Dippons Lane and a network of paths connects it to Bluebell Wood and its surrounding area.[ citation needed ] [7] The Staffordshire Way runs within half a mile of Perton. [8]
Mammal species found in the area include common noctule, Daubenton's and pipistrelle bats, foxes and badgers. Both Perton lakes are great places to spot three species of bats. Noctules are often seen flying high above the upper lake at dusk, common pipistrelle just after dark, and Daubenton's bats later in the evening catching insects from the water surface.
These include great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, treecreeeper, nuthatch, five tit species, sparrowhawk, buzzard and many finches including chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch and bullfinch. In winter large flocks of goldfinches and siskins can be found around the village and in the surrounding countryside there are redwing and fieldfare. The woodlands contain many fine trees including oaks and ash. In the spring lesser celandine can in found in great profusion along the Penk and other damp places. In autumn a wide variety of fungi can be found including puffballs, King Alfred's cakes and collared earthstars.
The two lakes and the area along the river Penk can hold mallard, tufted duck, mute swan, Canada goose, coot, moorhen, grey wagtail, grey heron and kingfisher. In addition occasional visits from pochard, great crested grebe, reed bunting and water rail excite local birdwatchers.
During the summer months damselflies and dragonflies are present, whilst in the spring and summer butterflies include speckled wood butterfly, meadow brown, ringlet, gatekeeper, orange tip and occasionally brimstone.
Baggeridge Country Park, Bratch Locks, Highgate Common, Himley Hall and Wombourne with its railway walks and Wom Brook Walk are all within South Staffordshire and only up to 20-minute driving distance from Perton.
Apart from the members of the aristocracy mentioned in the History section above
South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, Kinver, Landywood, Penkridge, Perton, Wedges Mills, Weston-under-Lizard and Wombourne. The district covers a largely rural area lying immediately to the west and north-west of the West Midlands conurbation.
Compton is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is located to the west of Wolverhampton city centre on the A454, within the Tettenhall Wightwick ward.
Tettenhall is a historic village within the City of Wolverhampton, England. Tettenhall became part of Wolverhampton in 1966, along with Bilston, Wednesfield and parts of Willenhall, Coseley and Sedgley.
Penkridge is a village and civil parish in South Staffordshire District in Staffordshire, England. It is to the south of Stafford, north of Wolverhampton, west of Cannock, east of Telford and south-east of Newport.
Codsall is a village and civil parish in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles northwest of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire-West Midlands County border, along with Perton, the village is almost contiguous with Wolverhampton with very small amounts of greenbelt still separating the two settlements.
Bilbrook is a village and civil parish in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated close to the border of the West Midlands, just outside Wolverhampton. Bilbrook is classed as part of the Codsall built-up area by the Office for National Statistics, but retains its own parish council. The village gets its name from billers, which grew in the local Moat Brook until recent times. The Moat Brook rises in Chillington Estate and Oaken Village, it runs into the River Penk in Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve. The river continues, where it joins the River Sow, which joins the River Trent which joins the Humber estuary and eventually flows into the North Sea near Grimsby, Lincolnshire. The village is connected to Wolverhampton by bus service 5 operated by Banga Bus Services 5 while the evening and Sunday journeys are operated by Chaserider. Banga also run a 5A between Wolverhampton and Codsall but this does not serve Bilbrook.
Wombourne is a village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Wolverhampton and on the border with the West Midlands County.
South Staffordshire was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Tettenhall Wightwick is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council, West Midlands. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 10,872.
Claregate is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is north west of Wolverhampton city centre, within the Tettenhall Regis ward.
Tettenhall Wood is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is west of Wolverhampton city centre, within the Tettenhall Wightwick ward. It sits high on a relatively steep hill and it is claimed that the Malvern Hills can be seen from some of the houses located in the area. To its west lies Wightwick, to its south Compton to its east Tettenhall. Also to its north lies the boundary of the West Midlands conurbation and also that of Wolverhampton metropolitan authority with South Staffordshire. The River Penk rises in the area, at Penk Rise Park.
Codsall Community High School is a coeducational upper school and sixth form located in Codsall, Staffordshire, England.
Seisdon was a rural district in Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It lay to the west of Wolverhampton and was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Seisdon rural sanitary district.
The River Penk is a small river flowing through Staffordshire, England. Its course is mainly within South Staffordshire, and it drains most of the northern part of that district, together with some adjoining areas of Cannock Chase, Stafford, Wolverhampton, and Shropshire. It flows into the River Sow, which is a tributary of the River Trent, so its waters flow ultimately into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary.
Pattingham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Pattingham and Patshull, in the South Staffordshire district, in the county of Staffordshire, England, near the county boundary with Shropshire. Pattingham is seven miles west of Wolverhampton and seven and a half miles east of Bridgnorth. In 2021 it had a population of 1773.
Wrottesley Hall is a 1923-built Grade II listed house in the civil parish of Perton, and historically part of Tettenhall in Staffordshire, England.
Sir Walter Wrottesley, 3rd Baronet (c.1659–1712), of Wrottesley Hall, then in Tettenhall, today Perton, in Staffordshire, England.
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament to be contested for the first at the 2024 general election. The constituency is one of multiple constituencies created by 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which span multiple counties. The constituency name refers to town of Kingswinford and the South Staffordshire District.