75-560: Sedgley is a town in the north of the Dudley district, in the county of the West Midlands , England. Historically part of Staffordshire , Sedgley is on the A459 road between Wolverhampton and Dudley , and was formerly the seat of an ancient manor comprising several smaller villages, including Gornal , Gospel End , Woodsetton , Ettingshall , Coseley , and Brierley (now Bradley ). In 1894,
150-525: A grammar school established in 1552, converting to a sixth form centre in 1976. A small number of secondary schools in the borough offer sixth form facilities, while several others did so until the beginning of the 1990s when the local authority decided to concentrate post-16 education in further education colleges. In March 2011 Eton College and Star Academies announced their intention to open one of three sixth form colleges in Dudley, subject to funding through
225-655: A Green Flag Community Award. Despite not being in the bounds of Dudley borough, Himley Hall and Park is owned and run by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. In addition to the 180 acres of ‘ Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland, the Hall has a gallery exhibition space and is a wedding venue. Large public and private sector developments have taken place in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley since its creation in 1974. The closure of Round Oak Steelworks in December 1982 paved
300-584: A Nursery Unit (24 Primary Academy ); 19 Secondary (of which 15 are Secondary Academy Schools) and 7 Special Schools . Pupils transfer to secondary school at the age of 11, although between 1972 and 1990 pupils in the north of borough transferred to secondary school at the age of 12, and from 1972 to 1982 there was a three-tier education system in Halesowen where pupils entered first school at 5, middle school at 9 and secondary school at 13. The borough had well over 30 secondary schools on its creation, although this
375-683: A comprehensive school). The sole independent school in the borough is the Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School in Stourbridge, which follows the Steiner Waldorf curriculum. The Old Swinford Hospital school in Stourbridge is one of only 34 state-funded boarding schools in England, with education being funded by the local education authority (LEA). The main NHS hospital serving the borough
450-461: A focus on higher level engineering courses, it partners Dudley College of Technology , University of Wolverhampton , University of Worcester , In-Comm Training Services Limited and Avensys UK Limited. A Higher Education Centre for Health & Care is proposed as a partnership between Dudley College of Technology and University of Worcester and expected to be open for Autumn 2024. There are 104 Dudley Council schools: 78 Primary, 40 of which include
525-402: A merger of the existing Dudley County Borough with the municipal boroughs of Stourbridge and Halesowen . The borough's main settlement is Dudley but it also includes the outlying towns of Brierley Hill , Halesowen , Kingswinford , Lye , Netherton , Sedgley , and Stourbridge . The borough borders Sandwell to the east, the city of Birmingham to the south east, Bromsgrove to
600-621: A number of homes for private sale. In November 2021 Dudley Council was named homebuilder of the year (organisations with 16,000 homes or more category) at the Inside Housing UK Housing Awards. There are two further education colleges in the Dudley Borough: Dudley College of Technology , Halesowen College . The borough is also home to the King Edward VI sixth form college in Stourbridge, originally
675-534: A research facility for the development of VLR technologies and projects. The centre will redevelop the former Dudley Railway Station and reconnect the town with the National Rail Network. The DY5 Business and Innovation Enterprise Zone was launched in 2017 with the ambition to create 7,000 new jobs over 25 years. The zone is centred around the Brierley Hill area. The Dudley Townscape Heritage programme
750-406: A seating capacity of over 1,000, but was later re-seated to hold 850. The church is located on the corner of Vicar Street and Dean Street, with the modern vicarage and church hall on the opposite side of Vicar Street. At the time, it was the only parish church in the large but relatively lightly populated parish of Sedgley, but the parish was later divided into five ecclesiastical districts, to cover
825-492: A shift in focus towards the service sector (accounting for 79.1% of employment) and tourism . Despite this, there are still numerous large industrial sites around the borough, such as the Pensnett Trading Estate , with the manufacturing industries making up 15.3% of employment. Tourism is of increasing importance to the local economy, with approximately 6,600 people employed within the sector. Attractions such as
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#1732845158627900-430: A £4million scheme. The former Sessions Court in the same complext of buildings been converted into Brookes Bistro restaurant. Named for Brooke Robinson who was a former MP and coroner for Dudley and left a bequest which led to the building for the former Museum and Art Gallery , Town Hall and Coroners Court. Relatively little new council housing has been built in the borough since the early 1980s, with almost all of
975-617: Is Russells Hall Hospital , situated to the south of Dudley town centre. Following a major expansion of the hospital in 2005, all inpatient services were transferred to the site from smaller hospitals around the borough, resulting in the closure of Wordsley Hospital , and the downgrading of the Guest Hospital and Corbett hospitals into outpatient centres. Psychiatric care is offered at the Bushey Fields Hospital , located adjacent to Russells Hall Hospital. Himley Himley
1050-659: Is a small village and civil parish in Staffordshire , England, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Dudley and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Wolverhampton . At the 2011 Census , it had a population of 802. Himley Hall was the home of the Lords of Dudley . Himley parish became part of Seisdon Union following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 , and later the Seisdon Rural District until 1974, when it became part of
1125-643: Is also possible to see another Beacon hill – Barr Beacon , some 15 miles away. The Sarah Hughes Brewery founded in 1921 in a Victorian brew house and pub is situated in Bilston Street, Sedgley, attached to the Beacon Hotel. Due to its hilly geography Sedgley has never had a rail or canal link, although near its historic border with Kingswinford there was a halt on the railway between Stourbridge and Wolverhampton known as Gornal Halt which opened in 1925 and closed in 1932 after just seven years in use, although
1200-481: Is approximately the same age as the Court House, and was once the village prison. It is still connected to the Court House by a passageway, though this has long fallen into disuse. The Clifton was opened in 1937 as Sedgley's first cinema, and remained open until 1978, when it closed and was converted into a bingo hall before being taken over by JD Wetherspoon and converted into a public house in 1998. The White Horse
1275-475: Is next to the estate. Also adjoining the estate is Sedgley Hall Park, built in the grounds of Sedgley Hall, a 15th-century house which was demolished in 1966. The park includes playing facilities for children, although some of the playing equipment was dismantled in the 1990s and 2000s due to vandalism. The centre of the Northway Estate features shops, a medical centre and public house called "The Cabin", which
1350-471: Is on ongoing programme of work improving historical buildings in Dudley town centre. Phase 1 ran from 2008-2015, phase 2 from 2017-2023. Phase 2 started following a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £1.2 million. As part of the programme historic buildings were identified, repaired or restored. Heritage trails and open days were also developed. In addition, further development of the former Dudley Museum and Art Gallery site has been proposed as part of
1425-618: Is situated off the intersection of the main A449 road between Wolverhampton and Kidderminster , and the B4176 road between Dudley and Telford , which includes the village's bypass opened in July 1988. Bus routes National Express West Midlands 15/15a from Wolverhampton to Merry Hill Shopping Centre serve Himley village. Service 15 runs every 30 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes, hourly at other times except for Sunday daytimes when service 15A operates,
1500-456: Is the bulk of Woodsetton. Gospel End is no longer even in the same county as Sedgley, having remained in Staffordshire. The central area of Sedgley, so named because it was originally the site of bull baiting before the sport was declared illegal in 1835. All signs of the actual ring were destroyed in about 1930 on the construction of a traffic island, but the traffic island is still known as
1575-604: The Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Brierley Hill is one of the largest shopping centres in the UK and is the main retail centre of the borough, with an average of 23.5 million visitors a year, and houses branches of several large retailers including Primark , Marks & Spencer , and Next . Other large employers in
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#17328451586271650-628: The Church of England in the 1950s, is now a private residence and is briefly mentioned in Nikolaus Pevsner 's Buildings of Staffordshire . It was Grade II listed in 1963. When the building was still a working rectory, its garden was once visited by Mary of Teck , Queen consort as the wife of George V . The rectory for the parish is now in Swindon . There are two parks in Himley: the main park located within
1725-617: The Department for Education’s Free Schools Programme. Since the University of Wolverhampton closed its Dudley campus in 2002, the metropolitan borough is the largest district in the UK without its own university. Several projects in the Castle Hill area of the Dudley are now linking with local universities. The Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology opened in September 2021, with
1800-463: The Local Government Act 1985 , and Dudley effectively became a unitary authority . Dudley Council has its main offices in Dudley town centre (where Dudley Council House is located), along with additional smaller offices throughout the borough. The council is made up of 72 councillors representing 24 wards . On its formation in 1974, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley was controlled by
1875-504: The 2021 festival postponed to 2022 due to the covid-19 pandemic. The Caste Hill area of Dudley is also a hub of visitor attractions including the Black Country Living Museum and the Canal and Tunnel Trust. Dudley Zoological Gardens , which is also in this area, is the second most visited paid visitor attraction in the West Midlands. The Archives and Local History Centre is now also
1950-486: The Bull Ring. The current Bull Ring is surrounded by a number of notable buildings. The Court House, built in the early 19th century, was originally the law court for Sedgley but is now empty despite their attempts of a succession of owners to keep in competitive with other local pubs. These law courts were relocated to a building at the nearby police station until the town's courts were declared redundant in 1988. The Red Lion
2025-595: The Coseley and Brierley Hill districts. The Gospel End area, however, was merged into the Seisdon Rural District (later South Staffordshire ), and the Goldthorn Park estate in the extreme north of the area was transferred into Wolverhampton . The civil parish was also abolished on 1 April 1966 and merged with Dudley, Himley and Wolverhampton. In 1961 the parish had a population of 27,912. The Gornal villages are generally not considered part of modern-day Sedgley, nor
2100-725: The Council and serves for the whole of the Municipal Year until the next Annual Meeting. As part of the West Midlands Combined Authority , Dudley is also served by the Mayor of the West Midlands . The 24 wards of the Dudley Borough are each represented by 3 councillors. At the 2021 Census , the total population of Dudley Metropolitan Borough was 323,488, an increase of 10,563 from the 2011 Census . The population density
2175-618: The Crestwood School since adopting comprehensive status), King Edward VI Boys Grammar School in Stourbridge (which is now a mixed sixth form college), Stourbridge Girls High School (which merged with the Boys Grammar School and Valley Road Secondary Modern School to form Redhill School), Halesowen Grammar School (which merged with Halesowen Technical School to form Earls High School) and High Arcal Grammar School in Sedgley (which survived as
2250-609: The Labour Party. Since then the controlling party has frequently changed, sometimes with no political party having a clear majority. Following the local elections in May 2024 the council returned to no overall control. The Mayor of the Borough acts as the Borough's first citizen attending many civic and ceremonial functions to represent the Council. They are elected at the Annual Meeting of
2325-464: The area became redeveloped, with residential suburbs now dominating the landscape. Many pre-1900 buildings in Sedgley survive to this day. They include Queen Victoria Primary School (1897), All Saints' Church (1805) and the early 19th century courthouse, now used as a public house. The ancient Manor of Sedgley consisted of nine villages; Sedgley, Gospel End, Cotwall End, Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, Woodsetton, Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley. In 1897,
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2400-538: The area has changed dramatically since the Second World War by the construction of mostly upmarket detached houses in Cotwall End Road and Catholic Lane. Cotwall End Primary School has served the area since 1962, by which time most of the current surrounding houses had been built. The Sandyfields Estate between Cotwall End Road and Sandyfields Road was built in the late 1950s, and is similar in style and layout to
2475-509: The border with Wolverhampton. The development began in the mid 1950s on land to the north of Gospel End Road, gathered pace in the 1960s and was mostly completed in the 1970s (by which time some 1,000 houses had been built) to join up with Wolverhampton Road. Alder Coppice Primary School was opened on the Northway estate in 1967. Alder Coppice , designated a local nature reserve in November 2019,
2550-620: The borough include JCDecaux UK, which has its Birmingham area office in Halesowen , Rentokil Initial , and Midtherm Engineering . Dudley borough has an increasing tourism offer, with attractions such as the Black Country Geopark being recognised in 2020 and the Stourbridge Glass Museum due to open in 2022. Tourism and the visitor economy is an important sector to the borough, supporting approximately 8,000 jobs. Many of
2625-528: The borough stood at 3.8%, slightly higher than the national average of 3.5%. 41.1% of those aged 16 and over were economically inactive, consisting of 24.3% retired, 5.2% looking after homes or family, 4.5% long-term sick or disabled, 4.2% students and 3.0% other economically inactive. A part of the Black Country , Dudley traditionally has been an industrial centre of manufacturing , quarrying , and mining , although this has declined in more recent years, with
2700-595: The borough's tourist attractions draw on the industrial heritage of the area. For example, the Red House Glass Cone is an original structure from the 18th Century glass making industry in Stourbridge. The site includes designer-maker studios, galleries and hot glass studio. The Stourbridge Glass Quarter locality is also home to The Lace Guild , Glasshouse Heritage Centre and hosts the International Festival of Glass every 2 years, most recently in 2019 with
2775-592: The boundaries of Himley Hall; and a second smaller park located on School Road. The 18th-century Crooked House pub, just within the boundaries of Himley parish, was gutted by fire in August 2023, and then promptly demolished without council permission. In February 2024 South Staffordshire Council issued the landowner with an enforcement notice which requires them to reconstruct the building. The grounds of Himley Cricket Club have held one Twenty20 match for Worcestershire . This Staffordshire location article
2850-456: The bus station was rebuilt and a section of the 1960s shopping area demolished to make way for a new Asda superstore. A similar redevelopment of Stourbridge town centre in 2011/12 saw most of the Crown Centre completely rebuilt to incorporate a new Tesco superstore. There are currently several major regeneration projects throughout the borough. Significant infrastructure projects include
2925-544: The development of the Priory and Wrens Nest Estates , where new council housing was built to rehouse families from the slum clearances in central Dudley in the 10 years leading up to the outbreak of World War II in 1939. The Old Park Farm Estate was added in the early 1950s. Sedgley Urban District Council survived until 1 April 1966, when the majority of the area was merged into the Dudley County Borough , along with
3000-506: The estate were demolished as part of the regeneration. Since 2017 small developments of council housing have been built, including bungalows, housing and low-rise flats. Some properties have been designed to accommodate those with specific physical needs or those in need of supported living. The homes have been built across the borough ( Brierley Hill , Coseley , Dudley , Halesowen , Kingswinford , Lower Gornal , Sedgley and Stourbridge ). During this period Dudley Council have also built
3075-601: The estate. Two local men, Shylon Wishart and James Cartwright, were later convicted of Mr Watson's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. All Saints' Church is a parish church situated in the centre of Sedgley. The first records of the church date back to the Domesday Survey of 1086, but the current structure dates to the early 19th century. Paid for by the Earl of Dudley , the Neo-Gothic building, completed in 1829, originally had
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3150-728: The home of the council run Dudley Museum . The museum is also the headquarters of the Black Country Geopark . Along with sites recognised as part of the Geopark, the borough has seven nature reserves and many parks contributing to its green spaces. In 2021, the Green Flag award was obtained by seven of the boroughs sites ( Buffery Park , Huntingtree Park, Mary Stevens Park , Priory Park , The Leasowes , Wrens Nest National Nature Reserve and Saltwells National Nature Reserve ). Mary Stevens Park and Priory Park were also awarded Green Heritage Site status, with Abbey Road Allotments recognised with
3225-408: The homes on the estate are three-bedroomed semi detached houses. It is also served by a recreation ground which includes a large football pitch and at one stage also a playground. However, the playground was dismantled in 2000 after more than 10 years of continued vandalism and gradual loss of playing equipment, which had reduced its popularity with local children. Situated north of Cotwall End towards
3300-523: The land commenced in January 1981, with the park officially opened by Princess Anne in June 1983. It has so far been largely free of many of the problems which have become increasingly common across the rest of Sedgley since then. Beacon Hill , one of several Beacon hills in England, is 237 metres (778 ft) above sea level, one of the highest points in the West Midlands . It is well known for fossils . The hill
3375-821: The last separate infant and junior schools to merge being Red Hall in Lower Gornal in January 1997. There are no grammar schools in the borough, with all state schools being comprehensive , a system which has been universal in the borough since the mid-1970s. The former grammar schools in the borough were Dudley's Boys Grammar and Girls High Schools (merged with Park Secondary Modern School in 1975 to form The Dudley School, which in turn merged with The Blue Coat School to form Castle High in 1989), Sir Gilbert Claughton Grammar School in Dudley (which adopted comprehensive status in 1975 before closing in 1990), Brierley Hill Grammar School (actually situated in Kingswinford; it has been known as
3450-568: The latter omitting Wombourne village. Late night journeys also operate. In addition Diamond Bus operate bus service 242S to Kinver High School on schooldays. Between 1925 and 1932, there was a railway station known as Himley railway station on the Wombourne Branch Line , which opened as a goods line in 1911 but was only open for just over half a century. It was operated by the Great Western Railway . A picnic area now stands on
3525-422: The line on which it was situated survived into the 1960s. However, it is served by bus routes to neighbouring areas such as Wolverhampton , Dudley , Bilston and Tipton . Services 27, 27A, 223, 224 and 229 are operated by Diamond Bus and service 1 is operated by National Express West Midlands . Crime in Sedgley increased significantly during the 1990s and early 2000s, but has fallen in more recent years. In
3600-449: The manor was split to create the Sedgley and Coseley urban districts , the bulk of which were later merged into the Dudley County Borough in 1966. Most of Sedgley was absorbed into an expanded County Borough of Dudley in 1966, with some parts being incorporated into Seisdon and Wolverhampton . Since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. The place name Sedgley
3675-444: The middle-ages, the village became industrialized as natural resources such as coal and limestone were exploited, and by the 18th century it was producing goods such as iron and brick. Sedgley expanded rapidly during the early part of the 20th century, partly in response to the development of the nearby Baggeridge Colliery , despite a depletion in raw materials and a general decline in industry. As industry continued to decline, much of
3750-407: The most frequent type of property in the area. Most residents on the estate are tenants of their homes, while some have shared ownership or full ownership. High Arcal is the largest post-1970s housing development in Sedgley. Cotwall End is situated around the rural Cotwall End Valley, and is one of the nine historic villages of the Sedgley manor. A few pre-1900 buildings still exist, but the face of
3825-433: The nearby Brownswall and Straits Estates. One of the few surviving buildings from the historic village of Cotwall End is Spout House Farm, which was built in the 18th century and remained in use for some 200 years, finally being abandoned during the 1970s. The farm house and buildings fell into disrepair over the next two decades but were restored in 2001 and converted into apartments. A nature reserve, Cotwall End Valley ,
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#17328451586273900-533: The new Dudley Transport Interchange and the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill West Midlands Metro extension. The 11km metro extension will connect Dudley, Merry Hill and Brierley Hill with the metro network and so to the proposed HS2 line. The first phase to Dudley town centre is expected to open for passenger services in 2024. The second phase will then extend to Brierley Hill, terminating in Cottage Street in
3975-611: The new social housing developments since then being built by housing associations . Most of the older private housing in the borough has been renovated rather than demolished during this time. However, there have been a number of redevelopment programmes involving 20th century council housing. In July 1999, four of the borough's tower blocks (two at Eve Hill in Dudley and two at Tanhouse in Halesowen) were demolished on consecutive weekends in controlled explosions. Two years later, two more tower blocks at Queens Cross in Dudley were demolished using
4050-422: The newly formed South Staffordshire district. Despite these administrative boundaries, Himley Hall is owned by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council . Located next to Himley Hall is St. Michael's Church, the only church in the village, which was erected in 1764 and is a Grade II listed building . Most recent Earls of Dudley are interred in a private burial ground at the rear of Himley's parish church. Himley
4125-637: The nine villages of the Manor. Baggeridge Park is a country park located 1.5 miles south-west of Sedgley in Gospel End. Originally part of the Earl of Dudley's Himley estate, coal mining operations began on the site in 1902, with the opening of the Baggeridge Colliery . After its closure in 1968 the colliery was bought by Seisdon Rural District Council, and later granted country park status in 1970. Full reclamation of
4200-403: The number of reported crimes in the Sedgley ward has regularly fallen to less than 50 crimes in a month, with the final two months of 2013 seeing less than 40 crimes reported each month. Metropolitan Borough of Dudley The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands , England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972 , through
4275-498: The number of secondary schools in the borough fall to 21, dropping to 20 with the closure of Pensnett High School in July 2012, and to 19 when the Coseley School closed five years later. When the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley was formed, many primary schools were existed as separate infant and junior or first and middle schools, but by 1990 virtually all of the separate schools had been merged to create full circle primary schools,
4350-579: The same method. Four tower blocks in Netherton are scheduled for demolition in 2017/18. In 2009, 266 homes on the predominantly 1930s Priory Estate in Dudley were demolished and the land later redeveloped with new housing. In the mid-1990s, the neighbouring Wren's Nest Estate underwent extensive refurbishment as well as improved community facilities in a multimillion-pound project funded by the European Single Budget . Four blocks of low-rise flats on
4425-453: The site of the station, forming part of the 10-mile (16 km) Kingswinford Railway Walk. Regular events take place at Himley Hall such as wedding functions and exhibitions, as well as local council-organised firework displays. Himley Golf Club, located within the grounds of Himley Hall, is open to the public. The Old Rectory, built c. 1760 , is almost as big as St. Michael's Church behind it. The building, which had been sold by
4500-543: The south in Worcestershire , South Staffordshire District to the west, and the city of Wolverhampton to the north. The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley was created in 1974 from the existing boroughs of Dudley , the Municipal Borough of Stourbridge and the Municipal Borough of Halesowen. This followed an earlier reorganisation in 1966, as per the provisions of the Local Government Act 1958 , which saw an expansion of
4575-418: The three boroughs from the abolition of the surrounding urban districts of Amblecote , Brierley Hill , Coseley , and Sedgley ; and the municipal boroughs of Tipton , Oldbury , and Rowley Regis . Initially the borough had a two-tier system of local government, with the borough council sharing power with the West Midlands County Council . In 1986 metropolitan county councils were abolished under
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#17328451586274650-484: The town centre following an additional £60million funding from central government. Regeneration projects around the Castle Hill area are combining innovation and education. The Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology opened in September 2021 and focuses delivery on higher level courses in manufacturing and engineering, medical engineering, modern construction methodologies and digital technologies. The Very Light Rail (VLR) National Innovation Centre will provide
4725-452: The town centre of Dudley from a merger of The Dudley School and Blue Coat School ; this new school also took in some of the former Gilbert Claughton and Mons Hill pupils. The 1980s had also seen the closure of some the borough's less popular and smaller primary schools, with the older buildings mostly being demolished and the more modern ones being converted for community use. The closure of Cradley High School in Halesowen in July 2008 saw
4800-446: The villages of Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley broke away from the Manor of Sedgley to form the Coseley Urban District , while Sedgley itself, Gospel End, Cotwall End, Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, and Woodsetton were formed into the Sedgley Urban District . The entire area was part of the Wolverhampton Parliamentary Borough , created in 1832. The east of the Sedgley district was transferred into Dudley as long ago as 1926, to allow for
4875-430: The ward of Sedgley (which includes the town centre, Brownswall, Northway and Beacon estates as well as some of the High Arcal Estate) it was not uncommon for more than 100 crimes to be reported in a single month – with anti-social behaviour by teenagers being particularly rife, more often than not fuelled by alcohol or drugs. The police regularly had to deal with incidents at Dormston School involving pupils. However, by 2014
4950-422: The way for the creation of the Merry Hill Shopping Centre on nearby farmland between 1985 and 1989. The Waterfront leisure and commercial complex was developed on the site of the steelworks itself between 1989 and 1995. Pensnett Trading Estate in Kingswinford has been developed since the 1960s for mostly light industry and services. A major redevelopment of Halesowen town centre took place in 2007/08, when
5025-408: Was 3,320.4 residents per square km compared to the West Midlands region population density was 457.8 residents per square km. 84.9% of Dudley's population identified as White, with 82.4% identifying as White British , 0.3% as White Irish , and 2.1% as Other White. The second largest ethnic group was Asian and British Asian , making up 8.4% of the population (an increase from 2011 where the figure
5100-423: Was 6.1%). Black and Black British people comprised 2.5% of the population of the borough (an increase from 2011 where the figure was 1.5%). Statistics on religious beliefs show that 49.3% of the population identify as Christian (65.3% in 2011), with the second largest religious group being Muslim , at 6.2% (4.1% in 2011). 36% identified as having no religion. Unemployment amongst those aged 16 and over in
5175-431: Was built in the 19th century and was refurbished in 2014. Since then it has been the liveliest pub in Sedgley. Monty's wine bar also opened in 1998 in what was once a food store. Presto opened a large supermarket on High Holborn in the town centre in 1987, on the site of a former filling station – with a former public car park being incorporated into the supermarket. A year later it was re-branded Safeway , and in 2004 it
5250-459: Was first mentioned in a 985 charter from King Æthelred to Lady Wulfrūn , when describing the Wolverhampton border. The original Old English place name was 'Secg's lēah' – Secg being a personal name (meaning sword-bearing man or warrior) and lēah meaning wood, glade or woodland clearing. Sedgley was also mentioned in the Domesday Book , as an estate held by William Fitz-Ansculf , Lord of Dudley. Originally dotted with farming communities in
5325-401: Was once the site where beacons were lit to warn local people of invaders. Sedgley Beacon Hill provides views across the Black Country , Cannock Chase and Birmingham to the east, and to the Wrekin , Clee Hills and Malvern Hills to the west; on very clear days it is possible to see the hills of North Staffordshire and Derbyshire , as well as the mountains of both North and South Wales. It
5400-512: Was opened in the area by Dudley council in 1969. Since 2005 the Brockswood Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit making company caring for rescued animals, has operated from the nature reserve. Situated to the north of Cotwall End Valley, this private housing estate was developed by Coseley-based builders Joseph Webb between 1956 and 1959, consisting of semi-detached and detached houses and bungalows with either two or three bedrooms. Most of
5475-411: Was part of the late 1960s phase of the estate. The Beacon Estate was built by Sedgley UDC in the shadow of Beacon Hill during the 1920s and 1930s, with two small sections being added in the 1940s and 1950s. Some of the first houses built by Sedgley UDC were on the estate. During the early hours of 28 July 2012, Shane Watson, a 23-year-old man who lived on the estate, was found murdered in an alleyway on
5550-457: Was quickly reduced as a result of the introduction of the comprehensive system a year later, which resulted in a number of schools being merged or closed. By September 1990, however, the number of secondary schools in the borough had fallen to 22 as a result of the closure of Gilbert Claughton and Mons Hill Schools and the merger of High Park and Longlands Schools in Stourbridge to form Ridgewood High. A year earlier, Castle High had been formed in
5625-583: Was taken over by the Midcounties Co-Operative . This in turn closed in the April 2017 and was re-opened in August 2017 as an Asda following a major refurbishment. Situated to the south of the town centre. It was developed in phases on part of a large field between 1992 and 1996; part of the field has been retained as a public open space and play area. The estate consists of around 300 Housing Association houses, flats and bungalows. Three-bedroom houses are
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