Bloxwich

Bloxwich
Bloxwich Market
Flag
Bloxwich Location within the West Midlands
Population	25,401 (2011 Wards)[1][2]
OS grid reference	SJ998025
Metropolitan borough	Walsall
Shire county	Staffordshire
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Areas of the town (2011 census BUASD)	List Beechdale (part) Blakenall Heath (Village) Coal Pool (part) Dudley Fields Goscote (part) Harden (part) Leamore (part) Little Bloxwich Lower Farm Estate Mossley Newtown (part) Turnberry Estate Wallington Heath
Post town	WALSALL
Postcode district	WS3
Dialling code	01922
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Walsall and Bloxwich

Bloxwich is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. It is located between the towns of Walsall, Cannock, Willenhall and Brownhills.

St Peter's R C Church

Early history

Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as the Anglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a small Mercian settlement named after the family of Bloc (Bloxwich, earlier Blochescwic, meaning "Bloc's village").^[3]

All Saints' Church, Bloxwich which is the parish church of the town

Some 19th-century works suggest that at one time Bloxwich was a settlement in the ancient manor of Wednesbury. There is no conclusive evidence for this and Bloxwich has since at least medieval times been associated with the manor and town of Walsall (which for reasons unknown does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086). Bloxwich itself is however mentioned in this book under the name 'Blockeswich'.^[4] Traditionally there has been a strong rivalry between Bloxwich and Walsall with origins as early as the English Civil War, when Walsall was Parliamentarian in sympathy and Bloxwich, centre of the Foreign of Walsall, was Royalist. This situation was exacerbated by disputes over local taxation for the poor rate in the 17th and 18th centuries.^[3]

18th and 19th centuries

Bloxwich grew rapidly in the 18th century around coal mining, iron smelting and various manufacturing industries, as part of the Industrial Revolution. Manufacturing in the area consisted of bridle bits, stirrups, keys, cabinet locks, plane irons, buckle tongues, chains and saddles. Its most famous product of manufacture were awl blades, which it is reputed to have surpassed all other places in the United Kingdom in manufacturing.^[4] In the early 19th century, Bloxwich was still a village. Most of its inhabitants were employed in the newly founded mining and forging industries, as well as light metalworking. ^{[citation needed]} It is also known for its canals.

20th and 21st centuries

Bloxwich was heavily developed between the wars for council housing. Most were constructed around Blakenall Heath, as well as Harden and Goscote. In the 20 years which followed the Second World War, the Lower Farm, Beechdale and Mossley estates were also erected as council housing developments, while the southern side of Harden was developed along with the Rivers Estate at Blakenall Heath. Many privately owned houses, mostly in the Little Bloxwich area, were also constructed. In the 1990s and 2000s, many new housing developments have sprung up both in Bloxwich and at Blakenall Heath. ^{[citation needed]}

Bloxwich was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.^[5] The tornado later moved out over Walsall town centre, causing further damage.

Bloxwich has in recent years completed numerous redevelopment projects. Bloxwich Police Station, opened in 1884 on Elmore Green Road, was closed for reconstruction in 2000, and reopened by Princess Anne on 26 September 2002. (It also has responsibility for Walsall, Willenhall and Darlaston.) The market square and library have also been refurbished.

Town centre

Bloxwich town centre is mostly made up of Victorian and Edwardian buildings and leafy parks and gardens, which maintain its origins as a Staffordshire town. Good built examples are Bloxwich Hospital, Bloxwich Hall, All Saints' Church and several private houses in Station Street, Stafford Road, Wolverhampton Street and Sandbank. Places of worship include St Peter's Roman Catholic Church.

A 2013 report from the Townscape Heritage Research Unit at Oxford Brookes University states that, as a result of economic decline "the architectural quality of Bloxwich has been steadily eroded, with a high proportion of upper floor disuse and deteriorating/lost architectural detail, poor shop fronts and inappropriate advertising".^[6]

From the Georgian period to the 1960s, Bloxwich had more public houses than any other town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, though these have begun to disappear.^{[citation needed]}

Beyond Bloxwich Golf Club, Yieldfields Hall, to the north of the town on the A34 marks the northernmost edge of Bloxwich, Walsall and the West Midlands, currently in the border with Staffordshire.

Deprivation

Bloxwich is the most deprived area of Walsall, which is itself in the 10% most deprived areas of the UK.^[7] 32% of children in the north of Walsall, covering Bloxwich, Blakenall and Birchills-Leamore received free school meals in 2021.^[7] Of the four areas of Walsall, the north had the highest number of children excluded from school in 2021.^[7] Ofsted states that "Bloxwich West is an area of higher than average unemployment and lower than average academic achievement. Bloxwich East contains a more affluent community, with pockets of higher deprivation".^[8]

Bloxwich was part of the Blakenall New Deal for Communities (NDC) area.^[9][10] A review of heritage and conservation work carried out in Bloxwich between 2001 and 2010 under the NDC and other regeneration schemes reported a "mixed" picture of progress.^[6] Not all available funding had been used.^[6] People did feel that they were safer in the area, and school results had improved, but the sense of community in Bloxwich was weak and "Not surprisingly, people’s hopes for their future income and job prospects are not very positive ... Bloxwich remains a challenging town in terms of quality of life, and its economic prospects".^[6]

Education

Primary schools

• Sunshine Infant School
• Blakenall Heath Junior School
• Bloxwich Academy
• Harden Primary School
• Leamore Primary School
• Busill Jones Primary School
• Mossley Primary School
• Little Bloxwich Church of England Primary School
• Elmore Green Primary School
• St Peter's Catholic Primary School
• Lower Farm Primary School
• Abbey Primary School
• All Saints National Academy (Formerly Bloxwich CofE Primary School)

Secondary schools

• Bloxwich Academy
• Walsall Academy

Defunct schools

• Black Country University Technical College
• Forest Comprehensive School
• Sneyd Comprehensive School
• T. P. Riley Comprehensive School

Transport

Bloxwich is well-served by public transport and has two railway stations, Bloxwich and Bloxwich North. Trains from these stations are operated by West Midlands Railway.

Regular buses link Bloxwich with Walsall, whilst others link the area to the surrounding towns and cities of Wolverhampton, Bilston, Willenhall, Brownhills, Wednesfield, Cannock and Birmingham. Other local services serve nearby estates of Coalpool, Harden, Mossley, Lower Farm, Goscote, Leamore, Beechdale, Dudley Fields, Landywood, Great Wyrley and Pelsall.

The main operator of bus services in the area is National Express West Midlands, but Chaserider (formerly Arriva Midlands), Walsall Community Transport and Diamond Bus also operate on routes in the area.

The A34, Southampton/Oxford/Manchester road, goes straight through the town and forms its High Street. Most shops are based on this linear development. The A4124 Wolverhampton to Brownhills road crosses to the north of the town. Bloxwich is 4 miles (6.4 km) from the M6 motorway between junctions 10 and 11.

Notable residents

• Pat Collins (1859–1943), showman and Liberal politician^[11]
• Tom Major-Ball (1879–1962), music hall performer and father of former Prime Minister John Major^[12]
• Harold Parry (1896–1917), World War I poet^[13]
• Bill Dolman (1906-1964), footballer^[14]
• Maurice Wiggin (1912–1986), journalist and author^[15]
• Phil Drabble (1914–2007), author and television presenter^[16]
• Arthur Tolcher (1922–1987), virtuoso British harmonica player and child star^[17]
• Neville "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946), Born in the Caldmore area of Walsall Holder and his family moved to the Beechdale Estate. Former lead singer with the rock group Slade.^[18]
• Rob Halford (born 1951), lead singer of seminal heavy metal band Judas Priest, who still owns a house in Walsall despite being resident in the USA.^[19]
• Meera Syal (born 1961), comedian^[20]
• Lee Naylor (born 1980), former professional footballer^[21]
• Garry Newman, developer of the 2006 video game Garry's Mod and owner of Facepunch Studios which was formerly located in the town until moving to a new skyscraper in Birmingham CC.^[22][23]

References

1. "Bloxwich East Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
2. "Bloxwich West Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
3. Ernest James Homeshaw (1955). The Story of Bloxwich. Geoff J. Clark Ltd. p. 281.
4. Edward Lees Glew (1856). History of the Borough and Foreign of Walsall. J.R. Robinson. p. 75.
5. "European Severe Weather Database". eswd.eu. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
6. Reeve, Alan; Shipley, Robert (2013). "TOWNSCAPE HERITAGE INITIATIVE SCHEMES EVALUATION: Ten Year Review Report" (PDF). Heritage Fund. Oxford Brookes University. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
7. Thandi, Gurdip (24 November 2021). "Grim statistics show levels of child poverty across Walsall". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
8. Law, Joy (2012). "Inspection report for Bloxwich Children's Centre". Ofsted. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
9. Lucas, Karen; Tyler, Sophie; Christodoulou, Georgina (2008). "The value of new transport in deprived areas: Who benefits, how and why? An assessment of the value of new transport services to people living in deprived neighbourhoods in England" (PDF). Joseph Rowntree Foundation. University of Westminster. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
10. Beatty, Christina; Lawless, Paul; Pearson, Sarah; Wilson, Ian (2009). "Residential mobility and outcome change in deprived areas Evidence from the New Deal for Communities Programme" (PDF). Sheffield Hallam University. Department for Communities and Local Government. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
11. "Pat Collins fair and cinema". Rediscover Bloxwich. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
12. "Tom Major". Great War Theatre. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
13. "Remembering Harold Parry – 100 years on". The Bloxwich Telegraph. 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017.
14. "Dolman Bill Image 1 Luton Town 1936". Vintage Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
15. "Maurice Wiggin". Medlar Press. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
16. "Phil Drabble". The Guardian. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
17. "Not Now Arthur!". Morecambe and Wise. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
18. "Slade's Noddy Holder gives lecture at his old school in Walsall". Express and Star. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
19. Young, Graham (26 September 2020). "Judas Priest star says he was a panto dame 'trying to make music for everybody'". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
20. Ellen, Barbara (10 April 2022). "Meera Syal: 'It's a golden age for TV – the streamers have kicked us all up the arse'". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
21. Phillips, Terry (28 March 2013). "Lee Naylor confident Bluebirds will get better". Wales Online. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
22. "Facepunch Bloxwich". garry.net. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
23. "careers at". facepunch. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

External links

Media related to Bloxwich at Wikimedia Commons