43-559: Bescot is an area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is served by Bescot Stadium railway station , adjacent to which is Bescot depot where locomotives are maintained. The Banks's Stadium was built in 1990 for Walsall F.C. The area is bisected by the M6 motorway , including its 'Junction 9', where it meets the A461 which leads to Pleck and Wednesbury. The River Tame also runs through
86-459: A century after its opening on 3 October 1938. It was refurbished in 1973 and became the Cannon Cinema after a takeover in 1986, but closed on 18 November 1993 after operating as a cinema for 55 years. It was demolished some 18 months later and the town's new Woolworth's store was built on its site. The store closed down at the end of 2008 when the retailer went into liquidation, and the building
129-619: A cost of £20,000 to a design by Francis Goodwin . St Martin's Church was consecrated in 1960 to serve the suburban housing estates of Orchard Hills, Brookhouse and Park Hall. Mellish Road Methodist Chapel , built 1910, had to be demolished in 2011, due to subsidence. Other churches in Walsall include: The Crossing at St Paul's , in the town centre, and the Rock Church, near the Walsall Arboretum, Walsall Community Church, which meets at
172-496: A few years later. Construction is ongoing in St Matthew's Quarters. A new Asda store opened in 2007 and when completed St Matthew's Quarters will also include brand shops and modern flats. In 2010 Tesco opened a new 10,000 sq ft (930 m ) shopping complex upon the former site of Walsall College , which moved to its new Wisemore Campus the year prior. The Savoy Cinema was a landmark on Park Street for more than half
215-564: A gas explosion killed one person and destroyed the west window of St Matthew's Church. Walsall finally received a railway line in 1847, 48 years after canals reached the town, Bescot having been served since 1838 by the Grand Junction Railway . In 1855, Walsall's first newspaper, the Walsall Courier and South Staffordshire Gazette , was published. The Whittimere Street drill hall was completed in 1866. The Victorian Arcade in
258-474: A number of housing regeneration projects in the most deprived areas. Many of the town's 1960s tower blocks have been demolished, as well as interwar council housing in parts of Blakenall Heath and Harden, along with all of the Goscote estate. New private and social housing has been built on the site of most of the demolished properties. Walsall underwent modernisation in the 1970s with a new town centre being built at
301-481: A regional depot. Currently established businesses include Homeserve plc and South Staffordshire Water . The three largest businesses by turnover in the borough are all involved with the storage and distribution of retail goods to an associated network of high street or cornershop stores. Poundland Ltd (owned by South African giant Steinhoff), A F Blakemore and Sons Ltd and One Stop Stores Ltd (part of Tesco plc) turn over more than £4.5bn annually between them. Walsall
344-468: A village of 2,000 people in the 16th century to a town of over 86,000 in approximately 200 years. The town manufactured a wide range of products including saddles, chains, buckles and plated ware. Nearby, limestone quarrying provided the town with much prosperity. In 1824, the Walsall Corporation received an Act of Parliament to improve the town by providing lighting and a gasworks . The gasworks
387-530: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Walsall Walsall ( / ˈ w ɔː l s ɔː l / , or / ˈ w ɒ l s ɔː l / ; locally / ˈ w ɔː s ʊ l / ) is a market town and administrative centre of the borough of the same name in the West Midlands , England. Historically part of Staffordshire , it is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Birmingham , 7 miles (11 km) east of Wolverhampton and 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Lichfield . Walsall
430-572: Is derived from " Walh halh", meaning "valley of the Welsh", referring to the British who first lived in the area. Later, it is believed that a manor was held here by William FitzAnsculf , who held numerous manors in the Midlands . By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small market town with a manor house , with the weekly market being introduced in 1220 and held on Tuesdays. The mayor of Walsall
473-532: Is home to four mosques: Masjid-e-Usman, Shah Jalal Masjid, Jalalia Masjid, and Ghausia Qasmia Mosque. In Chuckery , in the southeast of Walsall, lies Anjuman-e-Gosia Mosque, and Jamia Masjid Ghausia is located in the Birchills neighbourhood. There is also a private Islamic school and Madrassah with four campuses across Walsall known as Abu Bakr Trust. Most mosques in Walsall also run their own evening Madrassahs. William Fitz-Ansculf William Fitz-Ansculf
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#1733085661716516-770: Is home to the University of Wolverhampton 's Sports and Art Campus and School of Education, all part of the Walsall Campus in Gorway Road, which includes a student village. Walsall College provides further education , and is based around three sites across Walsall. There are ten secular junior schools and three religious junior schools near the town centre. Walsall also houses many secondary schools, including comprehensives, academies, private and state grammar schools (Namely Queen Mary's Grammar School and Queen Mary's High School ). The age of transfer to secondary school throughout
559-445: Is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Walsall . It was transferred from Staffordshire to the newly created West Midlands County in 1974. At the 2011 census, the town's built-up area had a population of 67,594, with the wider borough having a population of 269,323 . Neighbouring settlements in the borough include Darlaston , Brownhills , Pelsall , Willenhall , Bloxwich and Aldridge . The name Walsall
602-721: The Queen's handbags, saddles for the royal family and leathergoods for the Prince of Wales . Walsall is the traditional home of the English saddle manufacturing industry, hence the nickname of Walsall Football Club , " the Saddlers " . Apart from leather goods, other industries in Walsall include iron and brass founding, limestone quarrying, small hardware, plastics, electronics, chemicals and aircraft parts. Walsall's location in Central England and
645-613: The English People’ writes that: “Then from the middle of February they besieged the castle of ‘Arqah , for almost three months. Easter was celebrated there (10 April). But Anselm of Ribemont , a very brave knight, died there, struck by a stone, and William of Picardy, and many others.”. The Domesday Book of 1086 shows William holding from the Crown around one-hundred estates in twelve counties. Many of these were estates formerly held by King Harold Godwinsson, Lady Godiva, Earl Algar and Ulwin,
688-522: The Goldmine Centre. The Catholic St Mary's Church was built in 1827, designed by Joseph Ireland and is a Grade II* listed building. There are also numerous mosques or Masjids in Walsall. Most of these are in close proximity to each other, located in the adjoining areas of Caldmore and Palfrey , just south of the town centre. In the ward of Palfrey , there is Walsall's most-attended mosque, Masjid-Al-Farouq, alongside Aisha Mosque. Caldmore
731-515: The Walsall Borough, shown in the 2011 census as 59.0%. The second largest is Islam recorded at 8.2%. Of the churches in Walsall, St Matthew's Church lies to the north of the town centre near the ASDA supermarket, and can be seen when entering Walsall in any direction where it is the highest structure. In 1821, St Matthew's Church was demolished with exception of the tower and chancel and replaced at
774-663: The area of Caldmore . The Manor of Walsall was later sold to the Wilbrahim and Newport families, and passed by inheritance to the Earls of Bradford. On the death of the fourth Earl in 1762, the estate was transferred to his sister Diana, Countess of Mountrath and then reverted to the Earls of Bradford until the estates were sold after World War II. The family's connection with Walsall is reflected in local placenames, including Bridgeman Street, Bradford Lane, Bradford Street and Mountrath Street. The Industrial Revolution changed Walsall from
817-602: The area. Bescot was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a carucate of waste land in the possession of the King . It was mentioned in other ancient writings under the name of 'Berkenscot' and 'Bresmundscote'. An ancient manor house was then constructed before 1311 in the area and first possessed by the Hillary family. In 1403, Sir Roger Hillary died and the manor was passed on to the possession of his wife, Margaret. When she died,
860-535: The borough is 11 years, although the Aldridge-Brownhills area of the borough had a system of 5–9 first, 9–13 middle and 13–18 secondary schools until 1986, as the former urban district council of this area had adopted the three-tier system in 1972. Schools within the borough are administered by Walsall MBC. SERCO Archived 26 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Christianity is the largest religion in
903-590: The castle built by his father in Dudley, Worcestershire. He and his successors were overlords of the manors of Selly Oak and Birmingham both of which had previously been owned by Wulfwin. His ownership of Selly Oak was challenged by the Bishop of Lichfield using a nuncupative (oral) will made by Wulfwin as evidence. It would appear that William Fitz-Ansculf died during the First Crusade . Henry of Huntingdon in his ‘History of
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#1733085661716946-568: The corner of the main road, just opposite a furniture shop. A plaque commemorates the incident. The town also has a memorial to local VC recipient, John Henry Carless and decorated air ace Frederick Gibbs . Walsall's first cinema opened in the town centre in 1908; however, the post World War II decline in cinema attendances brought on by the rise in television ownership resulted in that and all of Walsall's other cinemas eventually being closed. The first Wurlitzer theatre organ in Great Britain
989-733: The estate was stated as having an area of 507 acres (2.05 km). Slaney sold the estate to Richard Wilks and in 1794, the estate was purchased by Richmond Aston. During the Industrial Revolution , Bescot was dominated by the Forge Works which were owned by Edward Elwell. The works featured a tall, tapered chimney and a pool from which was extracted, called Elwell's Pool. The forge employed 300 people and manufactured spades, hoes, shovels and axes. 52°33′55″N 1°59′27″W / 52.5654°N 1.9907°W / 52.5654; -1.9907 This West Midlands location article
1032-404: The expense of some medieval properties. In 1974, Walsall was transferred from the county of Staffordshire to form the metropolitan county of the West Midlands . The Saddlers' Centre , a modern shopping complex, was opened in the town centre in 1980. This included a new Marks & Spencer department store. Early 2000 saw the opening of The New Art Gallery Walsall in the north-west of
1075-515: The fact that the M6 runs through the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall has increased its investment appeal. The main RAC control centre is located in Walsall close by J9 of the M6 and there are now plans to redevelop derelict land in nearby Darlaston and turn it into a state-of-the-art regional centre. Between Bloxwich and Walsall there is a business corridor where TK Maxx has recently opened
1118-614: The locally born author (1859–1927), was opened in 1984. The town's prolific leather industry was recognised in 1988 when the Princess Royal opened Walsall Leather Museum. By the 1990s, a canalside area in the town centre known as Town Wharf was being developed for leisure, shopping and arts facilities. The town's new art gallery opened at Town Wharf in early 2000. The following year, Crown Wharf retail park opened nearby, accommodating retailers including Next and TK Maxx which closed on 9 September 2020. The 21st century has also seen
1161-464: The north of the town centre such as Coal Pool , Blakenall Heath (where Walsall's first council houses were built in 1920), Goscote and Harden . after the end of World War II , Beechdale . Significant developments also took place nearer to the town centre, particularly during the 1960s when a host of tower blocks were built around the town centre; however, most of these had been demolished by 2010. The Memorial Gardens opened in 1952 in honour of
1204-576: The opening of a Poundland store in the building on 22 October that year. A local landmark is Barr Beacon , which is reportedly the highest point following its latitude eastwards until the Ural Mountains in Russia. The soil of Walsall consists mainly of clay with areas of limestone , which were quarried during the Industrial Revolution. At the 2021 census, Walsall's built-up area population
1247-493: The property was passed on to Sir John Saer de Rochford, Roger's nephew. It later passed into the possession of the Mountfort family. In 1460, the manor passed into the possession of Sir Baldwin Mountfort following the death of Sir William Mountfort. Edward Mountfort, who died in 1691, appears to be the last male heir in the family and the estate was passed on to his daughter who passed it on to her husband Jonas Slaney in 1717. By 1717,
1290-437: The site of Walsall College. The college agreed a land swap with Tesco resulting in the construction of a new college building as part of the new Tesco development. A row of derelict shops were demolished in 2016, and rebuilt as a Poundland , which opened on Saturday 15 July 2017, and B & M , which opened on 17 August 2017. Much of the reconstruction of the post-war period was quickly reconsidered as ugly and having blighted
1333-525: The town and other religions/ethnic minorities form the remainder of the population of the town. The Walsall dialect is often referred to as " Yam-Yam ". The accent is often incorrectly referred to as a Brummie accent by people from outside the West Midlands. Walsall has had many industries, from coal mining to metal working. In the late 19th century, the coal mines ran dry, and Walsall became internationally famous for its leather trade. Walsall manufactured
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1376-461: The town centre near Wolverhampton Street, along with the new Crown Wharf Retail Park shortly afterwards. Part of Park Street, the town's main shopping area, was redeveloped around the same time. The centrepiece of this redevelopment was the new British Home Stores department store, which relocated from St Paul's Street at the end of the 1990s. The BHS store closed in 2016 after the company went into administration. Marks and Spencer closed their store
1419-564: The town centre, originally named the Digbeth Arcade, was completed in 1897. Over 2000 men from Walsall were killed in fighting during the First World War . They are commemorated by the town's cenotaph , which is located on the site of a bomb which was dropped by Zeppelin 'L 21' , killing the town's mayoress and two others. Damage from the Zeppelin can still be seen on what is now a club on
1462-404: The town's fallen combatants of the two world wars . The Old Square Shopping Centre, a modern indoor shopping complex featuring many big retail names, opened in 1969. The Old Square shopping centre is currently laying derelict, with shops set to open in the centre soon. Primark and The Co-operative have opened in the former Tesco store, after the supermarket chained moved to Littleton Street on
1505-630: The town. In 1959, John Betjeman advised that with sensitive restoration the old buildings of the High Street could become "one of the most attractive streets in England." Instead, almost every building was demolished. The County Borough of Walsall, which was established at Walsall Council House and originally consisted of Walsall and Bloxwich, was expanded in 1966 to incorporate most of Darlaston and Willenhall , as well as small parts of Bilston and Wednesbury . The current Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
1548-625: Was a Norman-French landowner who succeeded his father, Ansculf de Picquigny . William's date of birth is not known, though it was likely in Picquigny , Picardy , now in the Somme department , France, in the mid 11th Century. William inherited many lands in central England that had been granted to his father, Ansculf de Picquigny by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest in 1066. William made his base at
1591-435: Was built in 1826 at a cost of £4,000. In 1825, the corporation built eleven tiled, brick almshouses for poor women. They were known to the area as 'Molesley's Almshouses'. The 'Walsall Improvement and Market Act' was passed in 1848 and amended in 1850. The Act provided facilities for the poor, improving and extending the sewerage system and giving the commissioners the powers to construct a new gas works. On 10 October 1847,
1634-425: Was created as a political position in the 14th century. The Manor of Walsall was held by the Crown and given as a reward to royal proteges. In 1525, it was given to the King's illegitimate son, Henry Duke of Richmond , and in 1541 to the courtier Sir John Dudley , later Duke of Northumberland. It was seized by Queen Mary in 1553, after Northumberland had been found guilty of treason. Queen Mary's Grammar School
1677-585: Was formed in 1974 when Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District was incorporated into Walsall. At the same time, Walsall was transferred from the historic county of Staffordshire to become part of the new West Midlands county. The Saddlers Centre , a modern shopping mall, opened in 1980, being refurbished within a decade. On 23 November 1981, an F1/T2 tornado touched down in Bloxwich and later moved over parts of Walsall town centre and surrounding suburbs, causing some damage. The Jerome K. Jerome museum, dedicated to
1720-462: Was founded in 1554, and the school carries the queen's personal badge as its emblem: the Tudor Rose and the sheaf of arrows of Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon tied with a Staffordshire Knot . The town was visited by Queen Elizabeth I , when it was known as 'Walshale'. It was also visited by Henrietta Maria in 1643. She stayed in the town for one night at a building named the 'White Hart' in
1763-593: Was installed in the New Picture House cinema in Lower Bridge Street in the town centre. It was later renamed the Gaumont then Odeon. Slum clearances began after the end of World War I , with thousands of 19th century buildings around the town centre being demolished as the 20th century wore on, with new estates being built away from the town centre during the 1920s and 1930s. These were concentrated in areas to
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1806-466: Was re-occupied by a new T J Hughes department store which opened on 9 October 2009. However, the building became vacant again on 14 August 2011 when financial difficulties led to T.J. Hughes pulling out of the town after less than two years of trading. (TJ Hughes returned to the former Argos store in the Saddler Centre but have since closed for a second time.) It was re-occupied two months later with
1849-486: Was recorded as having a population of 70,778. Of the findings, the ethnicity and religious composition of the wards separately were: The religious composition of the built-up area at the 2021 Census was recorded as: The tables show that Walsall's surrounding suburbs have the largest Asian and Muslim populations of any town in West Midlands County. White British and Christians remain the second-largest population of
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