Whitmore Reans | |
---|---|
Location within the West Midlands | |
Population | 7,778 (2001 Census) |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Wolverhampton |
Postcode district | WV6 |
Dialling code | 01902 |
Police | West Midlands |
Fire | West Midlands |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Whitmore Reans is in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is situated to the north-west of the city centre, in the city council's Park and St Peter's wards.
The name 'Whitmore' is said by toponymists to come from the Old English 'hwit' (white) and 'mor' (moor - which was used to describe a marshy area) - possibly a foggy area of marsh land, and 'Reans' is said to possibly mean a type of furrow created during ploughing, designed to drain the land. [1] Another name used for the nearby area that West Park now stands on was the 'Hungry Leas' - hungry being used to describe land which was little or no use for agriculture. [2]
The 1842 Tithe map shows only Whitmore End House in the area. This was soon to change - Wolverhampton's population was rising rapidly in the mid-1800s - and so a 'new town' would be built to the north west of Wolverhampton. It was originally to be called 'New Hampton', as is known today from the street names Newhampton Roads east and west, but Whitmore Reans was commonly used and stuck. [3]
The terraced housing that makes up the Whitmore Reans residential area was built alongside roads, cartways and tracks that radiated out from the town centre servicing fields that spread out towards Dunstall and Tettenhall. Newhampton Road (known then as Whitmore End Lane), Molineux Alley & what is now Staveley Road / Dunstall Road, as well as Waterloo Road (then called Wellington Road) [4] were the routes through the fields that houses would be built alongside & between. [5]
Focal points in the Whitmore Reans area were Leicester Square, with its shops and circular iron gentleman's urinal, known under various names such as the 'Pepper Pot' and the 'Green Man', and the area of shops on Newhampton Road West, known to locals as 'West Market'.
In 1924, the Courtaulds Company started constructing a factory on the former site of Dunstall Hall. Operating from 1926 onwards, the factory produced rayon yarn. Known to many generations and a visible landmark in Whitmore Reans and beyond for almost fifty years were the Courtaulds chimneys, known as the 'three sisters'. They were demolished in June 1973. The Farndale housing estate now stands on the former Courtaulds grounds.
The area's population displays its recent history of immigration in the diversity of its residents. There are English, Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Polish, Kurdish, African, Irish and many other ethnicities residing in Whitmore Reans. [6] It also has a small number of student residents who reside at the nearby university campus on Waterloo Road, and in private lets dotted throughout the area. Historically, Whitmore Reans is considered to be quite a genteel part of Wolverhampton, being located next to the picturesque West Park.
Since 1889, Whitmore Reans has been dominated by the Wolverhampton Wanderers football ground, Molineux Stadium, which stands on the eastern side of Waterloo Road. However, all signs of the original stadium disappeared during the first half of the 20th century and the oldest part of the current stadium was built in 1978.
In 2000, as part of the regeneration, The Newhampton Arts Centre, a community arts centre was developed with lottery funding on the site of the old municipal grammar school and provides a venue for a culturally diverse range of arts activities. Although originally a community project, Newhampton Arts Centre has hosted a variety of events including Wolverhampton's first Strummerjam which was headlined by Wolverhampton born artists Kupid the King and Nathan Neone and Johannesburg born artist T33K1D. It has also been the preferred venue for artists and bands such as Akala and The City Hippies.
Whitmore Reans has a shopping arcade which replaced some of the terraced housing called 'The Avion Centre', which has several shops. There is also a library, located just outside the Avion Centre.
New Hampton Road East and New Hampton Road West (which form the boundary between the Park and St Peter's wards) are secondary roads, but form the main route through Whitmore Reans. At the junction of the New Hampton Roads with Hunter and Clifford streets are several more shops, including the Sugar & Spice Asian catering store, the WV6 Internet Cafe, Burns + Dudgon Ltd electricians, The Fish Inn fish and chip shop, Mittu Jewellers, 'K. Ram & Sons convenience store, P.H. Services (appliance repairs etc.) and a branch of the charity Samaritans. On the corner of Hunter Street and St. Andrews Close is the Pak Continental convenience store.
In 2005, Wolverhampton City Council investigated the Farndale estate, built on land formerly occupied by the Courtaulds factory. It was discovered that soil in the gardens of a small number of properties were contaminated with high levels of carbon disulphide, a chemical used in the manufacture of rayon. As a result of the investigation, and work alongside Akzo Nobel (the company who bought out Courtaulds in 1998), four vacant terraced properties in Welbury Gardens were demolished. [7]
Whitmore Reans has a good selection of public houses, some tucked away amongst the Victorian terraced streets. On Fawdry Street is The Stile Inn, a traditional Victorian corner pub, with a bowls green at the back. On Jackson Street / Craddock Street is a moderner pub, The Pegasus. On Newhampton Road East, near to the Avion Centre, is (out of use) The Bagot Arms. On the corner of Sweetman Street and Riches Street is The Newhampton - another Victorian corner pub favoured by CAMRA members, with great ale selection and a bowls green (closed permanently early October 2018 [8] ). Just up the road on Newhampton Road West is The Summer House, and on Waterloo Road near the Molineux is The Goal Post(renamed The Leaping Wolf in 2018). Also, though not strictly a pub, the Whitmore Reans Working Mens Club on Bitterne Drive.
Sadly, from 2000 onwards, there have been a few pub closures. The Tipster (the corner of Dunstall Road & Lowe Street - demolished, replaced with flats), The Victoria (Gatis Street - in a state of ruin & boarded up), The Red Lion (demolished - now new housing on Great Hampton Street) and the pub next door on Great Hampton Street, The Ash Tree, once a favourite with Wolverhampton Wanderers fans, is no longer a pub. The Golden Eagle (corner of Hordern Road & Court Road - closed, illegally operating as a Mosque in 2010 [9] ).
Feltham is a town in West London, England, 13 miles (21 km) from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party MPs since 1992. In 2011, the population of the combined census area of Feltham, Bedfont and Hanworth was 63,368.
Molineux Stadium is a football stadium situated in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, has been the home ground of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers since 1889. The first stadium built for use by a Football League club, it was one of the first British grounds to have floodlights installed and hosted some of the earliest European club games in the 1950s.
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.
Blakenhall is a suburb and ward in Wolverhampton, England. The population was 12,614 at the 2021 census.
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.
Park, or Park Ward, is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council, West Midlands. It is located to the west of the city centre, and covers parts of the suburbs Bradmore, Compton, Finchfield, Merridale, Newbridge and Whitmore Reans. It borders the St Peter's, Graiseley, Merry Hill, Tettenhall Wightwick and Tettenhall Regis wards. It forms part of the Wolverhampton South West constituency.
Goldthorn Park is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands. It is situated to the south of the city centre within the Blakenhall ward.
St Peter's is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council, West Midlands. It has two parts: the city centre, and the inner-city areas immediately to the north and north-west, including Dunstall Hill and part of Whitmore Reans.
Newton is a small suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, under the local governance of the Auckland Council. It had a population of 1,641 in the 2013 census.
Stamford Street is a street in Lambeth and Southwark, London, England, just south of the River Thames. It runs between Waterloo Road to the west and Blackfriars Road to the east. It forms part of the A3200.
The Golden Triangle is a wedge-shaped area within the south western suburbs of Norwich, United Kingdom. The base of the Triangle is at the Colman Road stretch of the outer ring road, which is one mile south west of the city's inner ring, with the other two sides – Earlham Road and Newmarket Road – pointing into the city centre. The Unthank Road runs down the middle, forming the backbone and main shopping area of the Triangle. The Golden Triangle's terraces house professionals, families and many students from the nearby University of East Anglia; its friendly atmosphere has resulted in the Golden Triangle being dubbed the Norwich version of London's Notting Hill.
Tipton Green is the central area of Tipton, a town in the West Midlands of England. It was heavily developed for heavy industry and housing during the 19th century, as Tipton was one of the most significant towns during the Industrial Revolution. Tipton Green is one of three electoral wards covering Tipton for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. The population of this Sandwell ward taken at the 2011 census was 12,834. It is represented by three Labour councillors.
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.
Oakfield is a suburb of the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. Historically part of the St Helens parish, it was absorbed into Ryde Borough in 1933 and in turn into Medina Borough in 1974. Oakfield largely consists of light industrial units and various developments of social housing.
Chapel Ash is a small area in Wolverhampton surrounded by the City Centre, Whitmore Reans & Merridale.
Colton Hills Community School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form situated in the Goldthorn Park area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England.
Gorsebrook is an historic area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, located alongside the Stafford Road between the areas of Dunstall, Oxley and Bushbury.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)