An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town , or the place where the central administration of a commune , is located.
71-509: 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
142-404: A chef-lieu ( French pronunciation: [ʃɛfljø] , plural form chefs-lieux , literally 'chief place' or 'main place'), is a town or city that is important from an administrative perspective. The capital of an Algerian province is called a chef-lieu . The capital of a district , the next largest division, is also called a chef-lieu , whilst the capital of the lowest division,
213-489: A "U" shape around a communal courtyard. Some facilities included a chapel for religious worship. The Bakewell Almshouses in Derbyshire, England – dating from 1709 – were six separate homes, hence the six front doors visible today. Each home had one tiny room downstairs and one upstairs, with no bathroom, toilet or kitchen. The Manners family, Dukes of Rutland from 1703, maintained the building until 1920. They gave it and
284-502: A branch of the Syracuse State School. It was located on 104 acres of land within the town of Newark, New Jersey, and held around 853 patients. The nine dormitory buildings that housed the patients were able to hold anywhere from 45 to 130 people. There was also a small hospital within the almshouse that could hold up to 30 patients. There were not many employees, only about 110, to take care of the hundreds of young women admitted to
355-515: A central city as chef-lieu of delegation . In the United Kingdom it is the centre of a local authority , which is distinct from a historic county with a county town. Almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house , poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community , especially during the Middle Ages . They were often targeted at
426-457: 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
497-616: 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
568-682: A decade later. In 1884, the statistical analysis of the Massachusetts almshouses showed four in the city of Boston and 225 almshouses throughout the state. These almshouses housed nearly 7,000 people. Of these residents, 700 were believed to have a mental illness. Half of these almshouses did not house children. Upon entering the almshouses in Connecticut, patients were whipped ten times. There were similar institutions developed from 1725 to 1773 in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and New York. At
639-409: A district ( liwa ), or a governorate ( muhafazah ). Luxembourg is divided into two judicial arrondissements (Luxembourg City, Diekirch), four electoral circonscriptions (constituencies), twelve cantons , as well as 100 communes (municipalities; Luxembourgish: Gemengen ). Arrondissements, districts and cantons have each a chef-lieu and are named after it. The same is true for each commune which
710-494: 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
781-562: 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
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#1732843970641852-474: 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
923-481: 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
994-467: 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
1065-703: A well-organized system of relief". A number of hofjes are still functioning as accommodation for elderly people. Most residents are women. In 1269 or 1270, an almshouse was established in Stavanger , the first known in Norway . The English tradition of almshouses was introduced to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by its founder, William Penn . The Maryland legislature created almshouses in Anne Arundel County, financed by property taxes on landowners throughout
1136-506: Is a term commonly ascribed to the settlement that serves as a municipal administrative centre. This level handles the local administrative and political tasks of the surrounding settlements. Since central place theory was the guiding principle during the municipal reform 1962–1977, most municipalities were dominated by a larger urban area where the political seat was located. Most municipalities are named for their central locality, but there are several exceptions. There are many deviations from
1207-620: Is an important delineation between almshouses and other forms of sheltered housing in that almshouse residents generally have no security of tenure, being solely dependent upon the goodwill of the administering trustees. Some 2,600 almshouses continue to be operated in the UK, providing 30,000 dwellings for 36,000 people. Almshouses were first founded in Holland in the Middle Ages. Usually founded by rich citizens or guilds , these almshouses "constituted
1278-589: Is composed of more than one town or village. Usually (with a few exceptions), the commune is named after the communal chef-lieu. In Russia , several million-plus cities in federal districts have the official status of an administrative centre: Moscow (as the main city of the Central Federal District ), Vladivostok , Volgograd , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Novosibirsk , Pyatigorsk , Rostov-on-Don and St. Petersburg . The main cities of regions and municipal districts are also called unofficially
1349-569: 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
1420-632: 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. Administrative centre In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and many African countries),
1491-770: 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
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#17328439706411562-624: Is the Hospital of St. Cross in Winchester , dating to about 1132. In the Middle Ages , the majority of European hospitals functioned as almshouses. Many of the medieval almshouses in England were established with the aim of benefiting the soul of the founder or their family, and they usually incorporated a chapel. As a result, most were regarded as chantries and were dissolved during the Reformation under
1633-443: 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
1704-638: The Abolition of Chantries Acts of 1545 and 1547 . The legal basis for civil almshouses and workhouses in England was the Act for the Relief of the Poor . These institutions underwent various population, program, and name changes, but by 1900, the elderly made up 85 percent of the residents of these institutions. Almshouses generally have charitable status and aim to support the continued independence of their residents. There
1775-721: 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
1846-496: The Stockholm metropolitan area . The term central locality has no legal standing and it is unclear how it should be applied to these municipalities. Some municipalities appointing one or several localities to be the central locality. A residence city (Swedish: "residensstad") is the town or city which is the political and administrative seat of the county . This level handles the more regional political and administrative tasks of
1917-502: The Västra Götaland Region . The term chef-lieu is applied to the capital of each Swiss canton . In 16 of the 26 cantons, the territory is subdivided into districts. Every district also has a location nominated as chef-lieu and each has a prefect. The term chef-lieu is used to designate the capital of each gouvernorat (department). Each of the 24 gouvernorats is subdivided into delegations (districts) which each have
1988-468: The municipalities , is called agglomération de chef-lieu (chef-lieu agglomeration ) and is abbreviated as A.C.L. The chef-lieu in Belgium is the administrative centre of each of the ten provinces of Belgium . Three of these cities also give their name to their province ( Antwerp , Liège and Namur ). The chef-lieu of a département is known as the préfecture . This is the town or city where
2059-733: The poor of a locality, at those from certain forms of previous employment, or their widows, and at elderly people who could no longer pay rent , and are generally maintained by a charity or the trustees of a bequest ( alms are, in the Christian tradition, money or services donated to support the poor and indigent). Almshouses were originally formed as extensions of the church system and were later adapted by local officials and authorities. Many almshouses are European Christian institutions though some are secular. Almshouses provide subsidised accommodation , often integrated with social care resources such as wardens. Almshouses were established from
2130-469: The prefect of the department (and all services under their control) are situated, in a building known as the prefecture . In every French region , one of the departments has pre-eminence over the others, and the prefect carries the title of Prefect of region X..., Prefect of Department Z... and the city where the regional prefect is found is known as chef-lieu of the region or, more commonly, Regional prefecture . The services are, however, controlled by
2201-563: The 10th century in Britain, to provide a place of residence for poor, old, and distressed people. They were sometimes called bede-houses, and the residents were bedesmen or bedeswomen. Bede is the Anglo-Saxon word for prayer, and the almsmen and women were obliged to pray for the founder of the charity. The first recorded almshouse was founded in York by King Athelstan ; the oldest still in existence
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2272-475: The 1990s, the chef-lieu has transitioned from the location of the Governor, Commandant, or Prefect and their staff, to the location of Commune, Cercles of Mali / Departments of Niger , and Regional Councils and a variety of decentralized bodies. The chefs-lieux of a Region, Cercle or Département, is usually also a Communal chef-lieu. Both nations collect these councils in a "High Council of Collectivites" seated at
2343-520: 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
2414-686: The Pennsylvania Hospital, some "lunatics" were chained to a cellar wall or made to wear a primitive straitjacket . Before the American Civil War, local officials regulated almshouses and did not ensure the people inside them were being cared for in the proper way or given the time they needed for help. It was not until the 1860s that more progressive states such as New York began to create boards that regulated, inspected, and reported on almshouses. The Newark almshouse opened in September 1878 as
2485-515: 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
2556-485: The adjacent former town hall to the trustees who had been running the charity. The town hall was sold at a 1966 auction for £1,137. Financial problems caused the homes to become derelict and unfit for habitation by 2001. They were rescued and restored by the trustees in 2004–2006 at a cost of £325,000, which was raised through donations and grants. They are now three larger homes, combining modern facilities with many historical features. The most famous almshouse in literature
2627-491: The administration being devolved usually to the Secretary-general of the departmental prefecture , who functions as sub-prefect for the arrondissement. The chef-lieu of a canton is usually the biggest city or town within the canton, but has only a nominal role. No specific services are controlled by it. In past decades, there was always a Gendarmerie , a treasurer and a justice of the peace. The chef-lieu indicates
2698-430: The administrative centre or simply the centre. The only exception to this rule is the republics , for which the term " capital " is used to refer to the seat of government. The capital of Russia is also an entity to which the term "administrative centre" does not apply. In Sweden there are two levels of administrative centre; the local municipal and the regional county . Central locality ( Swedish : "centralort")
2769-496: The administrative subdivisions down to the Commune level each have a formal place of administrative headquarters, titled the chef-lieu. The larger portion of the terminology of administrative division is inherited from colonial rule as part of French West Africa , and has survived and been somewhat modified over time. In both nations there have been remarkably parallel histories. With the decentralization process begun in both nations in
2840-590: The almshouse. Patients were committed to the Newark State School by superintendents of the poor as well as judges who declared them insane or feeble-minded in court. Many of the patients of the New York Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women were falsely considered to be mentally ill. Mary Lake was the daughter of a young woman who had been sentenced to 10 years in a state prison. Mary and her other siblings were split up and put into almshouses. She
2911-661: 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
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2982-576: The biggest problems with almshouses is that they were rarely self-sustaining. They were costly to run, and the capacity of the inmates to pay for their own keep by working at the farm, or working at the almshouse itself, was greatly overestimated. There were not enough staff, facilities were not kept up, and the poor kept coming. By the end of the 1800s, almshouses began to be replaced by asylums and institutions. Almshouses are often multiple small terraced houses or apartments providing accommodation for small numbers of residents. The units may be constructed in
3053-535: 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
3124-450: The central locality principle. Some municipalities are dominated by two or more towns of similar size, and sometimes they share the municipal administration, with the municipality having its official address in one of the towns. For example, both Skillingaryd and Vaggeryd are central localities of Vaggeryd Municipality . Conversely, there are municipalities within metropolitan areas . For example, there are twenty-six municipalities within
3195-497: The county, such as healthcare and public transport . The name comes from that this is the town or city where the governor ( Swedish : "landshövding") have their residence . There are some exceptions to this, however. In the newer amalgamated "greater counties", often referred to as "regions", the administrative centre is placed in one of the older residence cities . Examples of this is Malmö in Region Scania and Gothenburg in
3266-403: 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
3337-559: 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
3408-612: 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
3479-552: 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
3550-403: The mentally ill, and the developmentally disabled from all almshouses and increase the number of institutions, hospitals, and asylums for them to reside in. As her movement gained momentum, she played a vital role in the establishment and expansion of over 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill. Her efforts removed specific groups from almshouses, leaving the elderly to remain. One of
3621-622: The nation's capital. Smaller sub-divisions in Mali's Communes (Villages, Tribal councils, Quarters) are administered from or identified as a Place / Site ( Site in French), so the chef-lieu is literally the Chief-Place even at the lowest level. In the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , the administrative centres are known as "chief towns" or nahias . Nahias may be in charge of a sub-district ( qda ),
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#17328439706413692-462: 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
3763-574: 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
3834-405: The prefecture of the department. The chef-lieu of an arrondissement , commonly known as the sous-préfecture is the city or town where the sub-prefect of the arrondissement (and the services directly under their control) are situated, in a building called the sub-prefecture . The arrondissement where the département prefecture is located does not normally have a sub-prefect or sub-prefecture,
3905-462: The principal city of the provinces of New Caledonia. So Nouméa is the chef-lieu of South Province. But the chef-lieu can also mean the principal area within a town. So Wé is part of the town of Lifou , but is the chef-lieu of Lifou. In the Loyalty Islands and the other islands, the name of the chef-lieu differs from that of the name of the town. For the towns of the mainland, the chef-lieu has
3976-586: The same name as the town. Nouméa is a town composed only of Nouméa. Many of the West African states which gained independence from France in the mid-20th century also inherited the French administrative structure of Departments and Communes, headed by a Chief-Lieu . States still using Chief-Lieu to identify the administrative headquarters of a government subdivision include Senegal , Burkina Faso , Benin , Mali , and Niger . Taking Niger and Mali as examples,
4047-437: 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
4118-505: The state. Massachusetts also had a long tradition of almshouses. In the United States, aid tended to be limited to the elderly and disabled, and children had to sleep in the same rooms as adults. The first almshouse in United States history was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1622. The original Boston Almshouse was burned down in 1682 and was rebuilt away from the heart of Boston nearly
4189-525: 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
4260-459: 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
4331-577: 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 the corner of
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#17328439706414402-404: 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
4473-579: 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
4544-433: 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,
4615-532: Was committed to the almshouse in Newark as feeble-minded. It was not until years later that she was pronounced not mentally ill and was able to leave the almshouse. Throughout the 19th century almshouses were a last resort for those who were poor, disabled, and elderly. Residents experienced mistreatment, destitution, and inhumanity. As almshouses continued into the 19th century, activists such as Dorothea Dix fought for institutional reform. Dix sought to remove children,
4686-519: 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
4757-584: 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
4828-460: 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
4899-592: 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
4970-464: 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
5041-486: 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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