Wednesbury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wednesbury |
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 Wednesbury High Street |
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 Wednesbury
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| Population | 20,313 (2021 Census BUA Profile) |
| OS grid reference | SO9895 |
| • London | 125.9m |
| Metropolitan borough |
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| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WEDNESBURY |
| Postcode district | WS10 |
| Dialling code | 0121 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament |
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Wednesbury is a busy market town in the Sandwell area of the West Midlands, England. It used to be part of Staffordshire. The town is close to where the River Tame starts and is part of the Black Country. Wednesbury is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south-east of Wolverhampton. It is also 4.4 kilometers (3 miles) south-west of Walsall and 11.8 kilometers (7 miles) north-west of Birmingham. In 2021, about 20,313 people lived in the town.
Contents
Discovering Wednesbury's Past
Ancient Times and Early History
Long ago, in 2008, people found parts of a big ditch in St Mary's Road. This ditch was very old, even older than the Early Medieval period. Experts think it was part of a hillfort from the Iron Age, which is like an old fort on a hill.
The name Wednesbury first appeared in writing in 1004 as "Wodensbyri." This means "Woden's borough." Woden was a very important god in the old English religion before Christianity.
People believe two battles happened in Wednesbury during the Anglo-Saxon period. One was in 592, and the other in 715. The first battle was a "great slaughter," and King Ceawlin of Wessex was driven out. The second battle was between Mercia (where Wednesbury was) and Wessex. Both sides said they won, but it seems Wessex had the advantage.
The Fort of Æthelflæd
Wednesbury was made stronger by Æthelflæd, who was the daughter of Alfred the Great. She was also known as the Lady of Mercia. She built five forts to protect against the Danes, and Wednesbury was one of them. The fort here was probably an older one that she made even stronger. It likely had stone walls with wooden fences on top. There were also earth mounds and ditches filled with water to make it harder to attack.
Today, there's a plaque in the gardens near St Bartholomew's church. It says that stones from the old fort were used to create these gardens in the 1950s. If you look closely, you can still see some of these old, shaped stones.
Life in Medieval Wednesbury
In 1086, the Domesday Book described Wednesbury as a busy farming village. It included areas like Bloxwich and Shelfield, which are now part of Walsall. During the Middle Ages, people in Wednesbury were mostly farmers. Each family farmed a strip of land, and nearby open fields were used for grazing animals.
In 1315, people started digging for coal in Wednesbury. This created more jobs. People also made nails. William Paget, who was born in Wednesbury in 1505, was the son of a nail maker. He grew up to become a very important person, serving as Secretary of State and an Ambassador. He even helped carry out the will of Henry VIII.
Wednesbury was historically part of Staffordshire, in an area called the Hundred of Offlow.
From Pottery to Industry
In the 1600s, pottery made in Wednesbury, called "Wedgbury ware," was sold far away in Worcester. White clay from Monway Field was used to make tobacco pipes.
By the 1700s, most people worked in coal mining and making nails. As roads, canals, and later railways were built, more people moved to Wednesbury. In 1769, the first Birmingham Canal was dug. This connected Wednesbury's coal mines to factories in Birmingham. Soon, factories lined the canal banks.
The Story of Methodism
In 1743, the Methodist movement, led by John and Charles Wesley, faced a tough time in Wednesbury. At first, they were welcomed. But then, another preacher upset the local vicar. This led to trouble, and a crowd attacked John Wesley. He stayed calm, and eventually, they let him go.
After this, the vicar asked people not to join the Methodists. Some who refused had their windows broken or their homes damaged. This ended when the vicar died. After that, Methodists and Anglicans got along better. Methodism grew strong, and John Wesley visited often. Important people like Francis Asbury and Richard Whatcoat attended Methodist meetings here. They later had a big impact on the United States.
Modern Wednesbury: Changes and Growth
A steam tram service started in 1884, connecting Wednesbury to Dudley and Tipton. It became electric in 1907 but stopped running in 1930. Buses replaced it.
Wednesbury became a municipal borough in 1886, with its main office at Wednesbury Town Hall. This meant it had its own local government. In 1966, the borough joined with West Bromwich and Walsall. In 1961, about 34,511 people lived in the area.
In 1887, Brunswick Park opened to celebrate Queen Victoria's 50 years on the throne.
The 20th and 21st Centuries
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On January 31, 1916, during the First World War, a German Zeppelin airship bombed Wednesbury. Joseph Smith and his three children died in their home. His wife survived because she had left the house to see what a loud noise was.
The first council houses in Wednesbury were built in the early 1920s. By 1931, over 1,000 council houses were built. By 1959, there were more than 5,000. A large housing area called Hateley Heath was built in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
In 1966, Wednesbury stopped being a separate borough. Most of it became part of West Bromwich, and some parts went to Walsall. In 1974, West Bromwich joined with Warley to form the current area of Sandwell. Wednesbury uses the postcode WS10.
During the 1970s and 1980s, many of Wednesbury's old industries closed, and more people lost their jobs. But since 1990, new things have come to town. There's a new industrial area, a shopping park, and a pedestrian-only street called Union Street. The traditional market is still busy, and the area around Market Place is now a protected conservation area.
In the late 1980s, a large shopping area was planned near the M6 motorway. Ikea, the furniture store, opened its superstore there in January 1991. More shops joined, and even though some were empty during a tough economic time, most are now busy again. The shopping park got even bigger in 2017 with more shops and restaurants.
Wednesbury saw two sad events in the late 1900s. In 1977, four children died in a house fire during a firefighters' strike. In 1984, four students and a teacher died when their minibus was hit by a roll of steel from a lorry.
For over 100 years, the huge Patent Shaft steel works was a major employer. It closed in 1980 and was taken down in 1983. Now, light industries are there. The factory's old iron gates are still on a traffic island at Holyhead Road and Dudley Street.
The town's current bus station opened in 2004. In 2003, the Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery held an art show called Stuck in Wednesbury. This was the first time the Stuckism art movement had a show in a public gallery.
Oakeswell Hall: A Historic Home
Oakeswell Hall was a very important house in Wednesbury, second only to the main manor house. William Byng built it around 1421. Over time, different families owned it. In 1707, Richard Parkes, who worked with iron, bought the house.
Later, from 1825 to 1962, many people owned Oakeswell Hall. Joseph Smith, the first town clerk, did a lot to fix it up. Sadly, the hall was torn down in 1962.
Dr. Walter Chancellor Garman, a doctor, and his wife, Margaret Frances Magill, lived at Oakeswell Hall. Their children included the famous Garman sisters, who were connected to the Bloomsbury Group. There were nine children in total: seven sisters and two brothers.
Getting Around Wednesbury
Roads and Buses
Wednesbury is on Thomas Telford's old road from London to Holyhead, built in the early 1800s. A section of this road was made wider in 1997. This completed the Black Country Spine Road, which connects Wednesbury to West Bromwich and other areas.
The bus station, rebuilt in 2004, is in the town center. You can catch buses to Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Walsall, and Dudley. From Dudley, you can connect to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre.
Train and Tram Connections
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Wednesbury has had train connections since the mid-1800s. Since 1999, the town has been served by the West Midlands Metro tram system. There are tram stops at Great Western Street and Wednesbury Parkway. The tram line goes from Wolverhampton to Birmingham.
There are plans to extend the tram line to Brierley Hill. This new line will use parts of the old South Staffordshire Line. This line used to serve Wednesbury until 1993, but passenger trains stopped in 1964. The new tram line will also allow freight trains.
Wednesbury's train links are set to get even better with the new Metro line to Brierley Hill. This line will go through Tipton and Dudley. The first part of this extension is expected to open in 2025.
Wednesbury's Neighborhoods
Wednesbury has several distinct areas:
- Church Hill: This area is near the town center and is home to St Bartholomew's Church.
- Brunswick: Located just north of the town center, this area was mostly built in the early 1900s around Brunswick Park.
- Friar Park: This area was originally part of West Bromwich. It was built in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
- Myvod Estate: About one mile north of the town center, this was Wednesbury's first big council housing project in the 1920s.
- Wood Green: This area is around the A461 road heading towards Walsall. It has schools like Stuart Bathurst RC High School and Wood Green Academy. St Paul's is the local church. Since 1990, a large shopping area has grown here.
- Golf Links: Mostly built in the 1940s and 1950s, this area in the south of town has both private and council homes.
- Woods Estate: To the north-east of the town center, this area was mostly built as council housing between 1930 and 1962.
Local Government Areas
Wednesbury is divided into different wards for local government:
- Wednesbury North: Includes Wednesbury Central, Wood Green & Old Park.
- Wednesbury South: Includes Hill Top, part of Ocker Hill, Golf Links, Millfields, and Harvills Hawthorn.
- Friar Park: Includes Woods & Mesty Croft, Friar Park, and The Priory Primary.
Media and News
You can get local news and TV shows from BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. These signals come from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.
Local radio stations include BBC Radio WM, Heart West Midlands, Smooth West Midlands, Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands, Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, and Black Country Radio.
The town's local newspapers are the Wednesbury Herald and the Express & Star.
Schools in Wednesbury
- Park Hill Primary School
- St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School
- Old Park Primary School
- St John's Primary Academy
- Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School
- Wodensborough Ormiston Academy
- Wood Green Academy
- Mesty Croft Academy
Famous People from Wednesbury
Many interesting people have come from Wednesbury, including:
- Jon Brookes: Drummer for the band The Charlatans.
- Norman Deeley: A footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- The Garman Sisters: Members of the Bloomsbury Group, who lived at Oakeswell Hall.
- Alan Hinton: A footballer who played for Derby County and Nottingham Forest.
- William Paget: An important English statesman from the 1500s.
- Sir Kevin Satchwell: A well-known educationalist.
- Dr. Karl Shuker: A zoologist and author.
- Henry Treece: A poet and novelist.
- Billy Walker: A footballer for Aston Villa and later manager of Nottingham Forest.
- Richard Wattis: A famous character actor.
- Baga Chipz: A drag queen.
Jobs and Businesses in Wednesbury
Past Industries
The Patent Shaft steelworks opened in 1840 and was a major employer for 140 years. It closed on April 17, 1980, during a tough economic time. The factory was torn down in 1983.
Metro Cammell (Metropolitan Company) took over the Patent Shaft's assets in 1902. They made railway coach bodies, bridges, and other metal parts. The factory closed in 1964, and its work moved to Birmingham.
The F.H. Lloyd steelworks started in the 1880s and employed people for about 100 years. It closed in 1982. The land was later sold to IKEA in 1988, and the superstore opened there in January 1991.
A supermarket-style store called Cargo Club opened in 1994 but closed by the end of 1995.
Current Businesses
IKEA bought the old F.H. Lloyd steel plant in 1988 and opened one of its first British stores in January 1991.
Morrisons opened a supermarket in the town center on November 4, 2007. This created about 350 new jobs. Some old council homes and shops were taken down to make way for it.
Quantum Print and Packaging Limited moved to Wednesbury in 2013 and employs 30 people. Their factory is a large site in the town center.
In 2016, the German supermarket chain Lidl opened a new distribution center near Junction 9 Retail Park.
Images for kids
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Wednesbury High Street
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St Bartholomew's Church, Wednesbury
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Wednesbury Clock Tower, built for the coronation of George V in 1911
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An art installation on a local supermarket celebrating the town's industrial past
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Wednesbury Town Hall
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Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery
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The Stuckist show at Wednesbury, 2003
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Wednesbury railway station in 2003
See also
In Spanish: Wednesbury para niños
