Halesowen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Halesowen
Town
The Norman-era parish church of St. John the Baptist, Halesowen
Halesowen
Population	60,097 (2021)
OS grid reference	SO9583
Metropolitan borough	Dudley
Shire county	Shropshire (Worcestershire after 1844)
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HALESOWEN
Postcode district	B62, B63
Dialling code	0121 01384
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Halesowen
Website	Halesowen town centre BID
List of places UK England West Midlands 52°27′01″N 2°03′03″W / 52.450164°N 2.050935°W / 52.450164; -2.050935

Halesowen is a busy market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It is located in the West Midlands county of England.

This town was once part of Shropshire and then Worcestershire. It is about 7 miles (11 km) from Birmingham city centre and 6 miles (10 km) from Dudley town centre. In 2011, about 58,135 people lived here. Halesowen is also the name of the local area for the UK Parliament.

Geography and Local Government

Halesowen used to be a separate part of Shropshire county. In 1844, it became part of Worcestershire. Since 1974, Halesowen has been part of the West Midlands county. It joined the Dudley Metropolitan Borough at the same time as nearby Stourbridge.

Halesowen is next to the Birmingham areas of Quinton and Bartley Green to the east. To the south, you'll find Romsley and the rest of Worcestershire. Cradley Heath is to the north, and Stourbridge is to the west.

Even though Halesowen is mostly a town, it is close to beautiful countryside. This includes the Clent Hills, which are great for outdoor activities. The town has good road links, including Junction 3 of the M5 motorway. This makes it easy to travel to Birmingham, other parts of the Black Country, or across the country. Birmingham city centre is about 30 minutes away by car. You can also get there by bus.

The centre of Halesowen has an old Norman church. It also has a football ground where the local team, Halesowen Town F.C., plays. Halesowen College, a college for further education, was started here in 1939.

Most homes in Halesowen were built after the Second World War. However, some parts of the town still have older Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses. The town centre was mostly rebuilt in the 1960s and 1970s.

Town Areas

In 1974, the Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council named six historic areas within Halesowen. These areas have special signs. Besides the town centre, these areas are:

• Cradley
• Hasbury
• Hawne
• Hayley Green
• Hill & Cakemore
• Lapal

Later, another sign was added for Illey.

Climate and Weather

Like the rest of the British Isles and the West Midlands, Halesowen has a maritime climate. This means it has cool summers and mild winters. A local weather station collects climate data. The coldest temperature recorded in Halesowen was -14.5°C in December 1981. The hottest was 34.9°C in July 2006.

History of Halesowen

Halesowen is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a big survey of England. At that time, it was even bigger than Birmingham! The town was first called Hala, meaning "nook" or "remote valley". Later, King Henry II gave it to Welsh Prince David Owen. This is how it got its name Halas Owen.

The area of Halesowen was once a separate part of Shropshire. It became a town and was moved to Worcestershire in 1844.

In the 1220s, Halesowen had a market and a fair. By 1270, it was given special rights by the local Abbey. By 1300, about 600 people lived there. Records show that many women moved to Halesowen in the 1300s, and many became small shopkeepers.

There was a famous conflict in the 1270s. The Abbey tried to make the local farmers work more, but the farmers wanted fair treatment. They tried to take their case to the King's Court, but this was not allowed for unfree workers. The Abbey fined them a lot of money. The farmers resisted, but the conflict ended in 1282.

During the 1700s, Halesowen grew quickly because of the Industrial Revolution. Making nails was the main business in town. Many mills were used to make iron. Coal had been mined in the area for a long time. By 1919, Halesowen had 130 working mines!

Halesowen became a municipal borough (a town with its own council) in 1936. In 1974, Halesowen became part of the new Dudley Metropolitan Borough in the West Midlands.

Halesowen used to have a railway line. Passenger trains stopped running in 1919 and 1927 because not many people used them. The railway line is now gone, but you can still see where it used to be.

In the 1960s, the town centre was rebuilt. Many old buildings were taken down to make way for new shops. A shopping area called "The Precinct" was built, along with a new public library. This area was updated in the late 1980s and covered, becoming "The Cornbow Centre".

Between 1985 and 1990, shops in Halesowen town centre faced challenges. This was because the Merry Hill Shopping Centre opened nearby. In 2007 and 2008, the town centre was improved again. A new Asda supermarket was built, along with a new car park and a rebuilt bus station. This project cost £30 million and finished in 2008.

Important Landmarks

The ruins of Halesowen Abbey

In the eastern part of Halesowen is Leasowes Park. This park is thought to be one of the first natural landscape gardens in England. The poet William Shenstone designed the garden, starting in 1743. Today, the park is very important and is a Grade One Listed site. The local theatre and a pub are named after William Shenstone.

The Parish Church of St John the Baptist was built on the site of an even older church. It was started by Roger de Montgomery. Many parts have been added over time, but you can still see much of the original Norman design. A Medieval cross stands in the churchyard.

Nearby are the ruins of Halesowen Abbey. It was started in 1215 by Peter des Roches, who was a Bishop. When monasteries were closed down in 1538, the Abbey became private property. Today, English Heritage looks after the ruins.

The town centre was mostly rebuilt in the 1960s. It now has a modern shopping area with a new library, supermarkets, and shops. The Cornbow Centre was updated in the late 1980s to become a covered shopping area.

In 2007–08, Halesowen spent £30 million to improve its town centre. This included building a new Asda supermarket in the Cornbow Centre. They also built a new multi-storey car park, a new bus station, and improved the roads.

Economy and Jobs

Halesowen's main industry used to be making nails. Many people made nails in their backyards. Like other areas in the Black Country, Halesowen also had many coal mines. In recent years, the motorway network has helped Halesowen attract large companies.

Some big companies with offices or factories here include Sandvik (their UK headquarters), Somers Forge, mFortune, SomersTotalKare, and the Mucklow Group.

Communicourt, a company that provides special helpers for courts, also has its main office in Halesowen.

Transport and Travel

Transport for West Midlands manages transport in the town. As mentioned, Halesowen no longer has a railway station. However, it has a good bus network. You can take buses from Halesowen to Birmingham, the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, and Dudley.

Halesowen Bus Station is on Queensway, near the Asda supermarket. Most bus services are run by National Express West Midlands and Diamond Bus.

Halesowen is one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station. The closest train stations are at Rowley Regis, Stourbridge Junction, Cradley Heath, and Old Hill.

Education and Schools

Halesowen has 15 primary schools, 3 secondary schools, and a college for further education.

In 1972, Halesowen changed its school system. It had "first schools" for ages 5-9 and "middle schools" for ages 9-13. But in 1982, they went back to the usual system: infant schools for 5-7 year olds and junior schools for 7-11 year olds.

Primary Schools

• Caslon Primary School
• Colley Lane Primary School
• Cradley Church of England Primary School
• Halesowen Church of England Primary School
• Hasbury Church of England Primary School
• Howley Grange Primary School
• Huntingtree Primary School
• Hurst Green Primary School
• Lapal Primary School
• Lutley Primary School
• Manor Way Primary School
• Newfield Park Primary School
• Olive Hill Primary School
• Our Lady and St. Kenelm Roman Catholic Primary School
• Tenterfields Primary School

Special Needs School

• Halesbury Special School

Secondary Schools

• Windsor High School
• Leasowes High School
• Earls High School

Further Education

• Halesowen College
• Windsor High School Sixth Form

Former Schools

Richmond Boys School and Walton Girls School joined together in September 1983. They became Windsor High School, a mixed school for students aged 11-16.

Media and News

Local news and TV shows for Halesowen come from BBC West Midlands and ITV Central.

Halesowen also has local versions of two regional evening newspapers: the Evening Mail and the Express & Star. There are also two free weekly newspapers delivered to homes: The Halesowen News and The Halesowen Chronicle.

You can listen to several local and regional radio stations in the Halesowen area:

• BBC WM: Local news, sport, and music.
• Hits Radio: Pop music station.
• Heart West Midlands: Popular music station.
• Smooth Radio West Midlands: Adult contemporary music.
• Capital Midlands: Contemporary hit music.
• Black Country Radio: Local community station.
• Greatest Hits West Midlands: Music from different decades.
• Radio XL: Asian station.
• BBC Asian Network: National digital Asian station.

Sports and Fun Activities

Halesowen has a rugby union club called Old Halesonians RFC and a hockey club with the same name.

Halesowen Town F.C. is the town's football club. They play their home games at The Grove.

Halesowen Cricket Club plays at Seth Somers Park. The club has four teams that play in different leagues.

The Manor Abbey Sports Ground is home to Halesowen Athletics & Cycling Club. It has a 400-metre outdoor cycling track and a 350-metre athletics track. There's also a weights room and an indoor training room. Halesowen Tennis Club is also here, with four floodlit courts.

Halesowen Leisure Centre has a swimming pool and a gym. Many local clubs use it, including Halesowen Swimming Club and Halesowen Triathlon Club.

Famous People from Halesowen

Many interesting people have come from Halesowen, including:

• Alexander of Hales, a famous theologian and writer.
• Dolly Allen, a comedian and singer.
• Thomas Attwood, an economist and campaigner.
• Chris Crudelli, a TV presenter.
• Tommy Mundon, a comedian.
• Bill Oddie, a TV actor and presenter.
• Robert Plant, a rock singer.
• Morgan Rogers, a professional footballer.
• Lee Sharpe, a professional footballer.
• William Shenstone, a poet and garden designer.
• Frank Skinner, a comedian and TV presenter.
• Julian Smith, a saxophonist.
• Les Smith, a professional footballer.
• Walter Somers, an ironmaster.
• Glenn Tipton, a guitarist from the band Judas Priest.
• Jordanne Whiley, a wheelchair tennis player.
• Rex Williams, a billiards player.
• Francis Brett Young, a novelist and poet.

|

See also

In Spanish: Halesowen para niños