Shire Oak, Walsall

Shire Oak
Suburb
Shire Oak, Brownhills
Shire Oak Location within the West Midlands
OS grid reference	SK052044
Metropolitan borough	Walsall
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BROWNHILLS
Postcode district	WS8
Dialling code	01922
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Aldridge-Brownhills
List of places UK England West Midlands 52°38′17″N1°55′39″W / 52.638058°N 1.927517°W / 52.638058; -1.927517

Shire Oak ^[1] is a suburb ^{[2] [3]} of Brownhills, in the Walsall district, in the county of the West Midlands, England. ^[4] The area is close to Walsall Wood and is at a crossroads between the A452/Chester Road to Birmingham and the A461/Lichfield Road between Lichfield and Walsall. ^[5] It is also close to the Staffordshire boundary with Stonnall and Muckley Corner. ^[6] The area is also home to Shire Oak Academy.

History

The Shire Oak Pub

On 31 December 1894 Shire Oak became a civil parish, ^[7] being formed from the part of Shenstone in Brownhills Urban District, ^[8] on 1 April 1966 the parish was abolished to form Aldridge Brownhills, part also went to Hammerwich. ^[9] In 1951 the parish had a population of 1587. ^[10] Between the 1901 and 1951 census, the number of houses occupied in Shire Oak gradually increased each decade. For instance, in the 1901 census. The area had a housing occupancy of 212 but by the time of the 1951 census. The area had a housing occupancy of 430. ^[11] The area is home to a massive quarry called "JPE Aggregates Shire Oak Quarry" which is located off Chester Road. ^[12]

Amenities

Located at the crossroads of the Lichfield Road (A461) and the Chester Road (A452) is the "Shire Oak". It is a traditional pub for the local community. Additionally, there is also a large former quarry ^[13] located off Chester Road. This is now a nature reserved called the "Shire Oak Park LNR". ^[14] Two more pubs existed in the area, the "Royal Oak" which is located off Chester Road. It was opened in 1937 but closed in June 2015. It has since been left abandoned and plans to construct housing on the site were originally proposed by Manjit Singh. However, these were later withdrawn due to the "Cannock Chase Tax". ^[15] This is a tax charged by Cannock Chase District council for new developments within 9 miles (14 km) of the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation. ^[16] The other pub in the Shire Oak area was the "Anchor". This pub was closed in 2023 after plans for a 90 bedroom care home was approved with a cinema was approved. ^[17] The pub was the subject of an arson attack that same year which destroyed the building and it has since been demolished. ^[18] With work to construct the new care home ongoing. ^[19]

References

1. Management Services. Institute of Management Services. 1973.
2. "The Mayor of Walsall declares Shire Oaks Court care home officially open | Exemplar Health Care". Exemplar. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
3. "Parish History". St. Joseph's & St. Bernadette's. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
4. Teachers, National Union of (1973). Report.
5. Geocaching. "Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site". www.geocaching.com. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
6. "Walsall Wood Past and Present". oakparkrunnersblog. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
7. "Relationships and changes Shire Oak CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 13 November 2024.
8. "Lichfield Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
9. "Cannock Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
10. "Population statistics Shire Oak CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
11. "GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Shire Oak CP through time | Housing Statistics | House Occupancy, A Vision of Britain through Time". Vision of Britain. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
12. "Building aggregates in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield & Wolverhampton". JPE Aggregates. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
13. "Shire Oak Quarry Local Nature Reserve". blackcountrygeopark.dudley.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
14. "Shire Oak Park Local Nature Reserve | Walsall Council". go.walsall.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
15. Thandi, Gurdip (4 September 2023). "Homes plan for derelict pub rejected". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
16. Allinson, Jon. "Special areas of conservation". Lichfield District Council. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
17. Thandi, Gurdip (14 March 2023). "New care home with own cinema set to replace pub". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
18. Brassington, Jamie (9 August 2023). "Former pub ravaged by fire in suspected arson attack". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
19. Drew, Mark (7 February 2025). "Impressive bird's eye view of site of former Brownhills pub as it is transformed into care home". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 14 February 2025.