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Walsall

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New Art Gallery Walsall
The traditionl market of Walsall, a Tescos nearby has had an adverse effect on the market traders, many believe

Walsall is an industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Walsall is a part of the West Midlands conurbation, is traditionally within the county of Staffordshire, and is sometimes described as part of the Black Country.

Walsall is the administrative headquarters of the Walsall Metropolitan Borough. In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 170,994 with the surrounding borough having a population of 252,800. Neighbouring towns in the borough include Willenhall, Bloxwich and Aldridge.

History

The name Walsall is thought to have derived from the words "Walh halh", meaning "valley of the foreigners" (referring to the Celts). Walsall is first referenced as 'Walesho' in a document dated 1002, however it is not referenced in the Doomsday Book. By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small market town, with the weekly market being introduced in 1220. The Mayor of Walsall was created as a political position in the 14th century. Walsall is known as "the town of a hundred trades".

Queen Mary's Grammar School was founded by Mary I of England in 1554, and the school carries the queen's personal badge as its emblem; the Tudor Rose and the sheaf of arrows of Catherine of Aragon tied with a Staffordshire knot.

The industrial revolution changed Walsall from a village of 2,000 people in the 16th century to a town of over 86,000 in approximately 200 years. It is a local story, although perhaps not accurate, that Walsall declined a railway line, which was later given to Birmingham, now England's second city. Walsall finally received a railway line in 1847, 48 years after canals reached the town.


Walsall suffered greatly in the hands of the town planners in the 1970s with much good old and medieval property being flattened to make way for a concrete town centre like so many other Midland towns. But the town faces a bright future to reverse the damage and open a Learning, Business and Retail zone schemes brought about by Walsall Regeneration Company. This will see Tesco swap with Walsall College meaning Tesco will have 100,000 sq ft to build a huge shopping complex. At the other end of town there are already starting to make St Matthews Quarters which will see Shannon Mill and the old Sainsburys site refurbished to make a Asda with other brand name shops like United Colours of Benetton and also build apartments, offices and a car park. The Asda will be opening in the Spring of 2007 to make it the fourth Asda in the Borough ( One in Bloxwich, One in Darlaston and a Asda Living in Crown Wharf Retail Park).

The other plans are to redevelop Old Square Shopping Centre to make it much bigger and connect it to St Matthews Quarters. The 800 year old Historic Market also has a new vision for the 21st century it will be moved lower down towards the town centre making it more accessible along with up to date new style stalls the Historic Market will work alongside the new developments ensuring Walsall's future.

Neighbourhoods

Economy

Walsall has had many industries, from coal mining to metal working, but in the late 19th century the coal mines ran dry, and Walsall became internationally famous for the leather trade. Walsall still manufactures the Queen's handbags, and Walsall leather products have been found as far afield as Italy, which prompted some embarrassment when a husband gave one to his wife as a present after a business trip, when she realised she immediately assumed that the handbag had been bought when the husband returned. Walsall is the traditional home of the English saddle manufacture industry, thus the nickname of Walsall FC: 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 is now an important place due to its proximity in Central England and the M6 going through the town. A RAC centre has opened just before J9 and there are now plans to redevelop derelict land in Darlaston and turn them into a-state-of-the-art regional hub. Also J10 which is entirely in Walsall is important for businesses as a newly opened Village Hotel is improving the Economy rapidly. On Green Lane (Between Bloxwich and Walsall) there is a business corridor where TK MAxx has recently opened a regional depot. Already established businesses include Homeserve plc and South Staffordshire Water Company.

Education

Walsall is home to University of Wolverhampton's Sports and Art Campus. Recently a Sports Complex opened which boasts state-of-the-art Basketball, Judo and Gym facilities. Also has a Costa Cafe. Walsall has its own college, Walsall College which is based around three sites across Walsall. The main site which is based in the town centre is planning to move to the Bridge and swapping with Tesco.

Infant Schools

  • Blue Coat CofE Infant School
  • Chuckery Infant School
  • Delves Infant School
  • Hillary Infant School
  • Park Hall Infant School
  • St Mary's R. C The Mount Infant School
  • Whitehall Infant School

Primary Schools

  • Alumwell Junior School
  • Blue Coat CofE Junior School
  • Butts Junior School
  • Caldmore Junior School
  • Croft Community Primary School
  • Chuckery Junior School
  • Delves Junior School
  • Hillary Junior School
  • Park Hall Junior School
  • St Mary's R. C The Mount Junior School
  • Whitehall Junior School

Independent

  • Mayfield
  • Hydesville (7-11)
  • Walsall Academy

Secondary Schools(Comprehensive)

  • Blue Coat CofE Comprehensive School
  • Joseph Leckie Comprehensive School

Secondary Schools(Grammar)

  • Queen Mary Grammar School (Boys)
  • Queen Mary High School (Girls)

Private School

  • Hydesville School (11-18)

Transport

Walsall has two Bus stations, St Pauls and Bradford Place. Services from St Pauls leave Walsall in many directions; there are services south-east to Birmingham; west to Wolverhampton, Willenhall and Bloxwich; north to Cannock and Brownhills; and east to Sutton Coldfield and Aldridge, with many to the latter. In addition, more infrequent services to Lichfield are run. St Pauls is also home to the Walsall Information Centre. Bradford Place operates buses mainly to the south and south-west, to West Bromwich, Oldbury, Dudley and Stourbridge. There are also numerous shorter bus routes which give the town centre a link to housing estates including Alumwell, Beechdale,Chuckery,Park Hall and the Mossley Estate.

Walsall also has a busy railway station; services operate to Birmingham, Shrewsbury via Wolverhampton, and Stafford. See Walsall railway station for more details.

Between 1850 and 1964, Walsall had direct passenger train links with Wednesbury, Tipton, Dudley, Brierley Hill and Stourbridge, but these services were withdrawn due to the Beeching Axe which saw passenger services completely removed from the South Staffordshire line between Walsall and Stourbridge. The Walsall end of the line is situated at Bescot Junction, and remained open until 19 March 1993, when the line between Walsall and Brierley Hill closed to through traffic. It is set to re-open in the early 2010s as a single track freight line, allowing for the second phase of the Midland Metro which will run between Wednesbury and Brierley Hill.

Walsall is served by the M6 for road travel. There are three junction where you can enter Walsall from. M6 J7,M6 J9 and M6 J10. The stretch between these junctions is one of the busiest in Europe. There is always traffic on the motorways causing problems on the Ring Road and Walsall Town Centre.

Politics

The local council is presently Conservative controlled. The Mayor is Conservative Councillor Barbara McCracken. For further details, see Metropolitan Borough of Walsall.

Facilities and culture

Arboretum and Illuminations

The Arboretum officially opened on May 4, 1874 by the wealthy Hatherton family. It was hoped that the park would provide, "a healthy change from dogfights, bull-baiting and cockfights," however the 2d (old pence) admission was not popular with the public and within seven years the council took over ownership to provide free admission. [1] Over the years the Arboretum has seen many events and changes, including the beginnings of the Walsall Arboretum Illuminations as an annual event in 1951. [2]

Originally white bulbs in trees for courting couples in the autumn, in the 1960s and 1970s, the lights were purchased second hand from Blackpool, but over they years they have been increasingly made 'in house' - indeed they all are now, and it has been said that Blackpool is no longer willing to sell lights to Walsall as it is too much of a competitor.

Currently, the Walsall Illuminations are the one of the biggest in the country with up to sixty thousand bulbs and the need for year-round planning. [3] Although the event had attracted an estimated 250,000 people in 1995, lack of growth beyond this figure has raised the prospect of major redevelopment. [4]

Art and exhibitions

Galleries

The New Art Gallery Walsall opened in the year 2000. It contains a large number of works by Jacob Epstein as well as works by Van Gogh, Monet, Turner, Renoir and Constable. The large gallery space is host to many contemporary exhibitions from locally, nationally and internationally recognised artists all throughout the year.

Public Art

The refurbished Sister Dora statue stands outside the LLoyds TSB building at the crossing between Park Street and Bridge Street.

One of the more amusing pieces of public art which has been on display in the town centre was the infamous concrete hippo, which once stood proudly opposite the statue of Sister Dora, but has now been replaced by a water fountain, the hippo lurking in the corner of the square.

Sports

Walsall's football club, Walsall F.C., The Saddlers, was founded in 1888 when Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. merged. They won their first game against Aston Villa F.C.. The club currently play in Football League Two and are managed by newly appointed Richard Money.

Walsall also has a very successful cricket club, Walsall Cricket Club who have just won the 2006 Birmingham League Premier Division (The top league in the West Midlands).

Walsall also have a rugby side, Walsall RUFC who are currently competing in Midlands Division One ( The top regional League in the Region). Despite the Club finishing in the bottom half (last season just manage to survive relegation) the team has ambitions to return to the professional Division 3N.

Shopping

Park Street remains Walsall's main shopping high street with Bridge street cutting through the middle to host two average sized indoor shopping centres at opposite ends; 'The Old Square' and 'Bradford Mall' formerly known as 'The Saddlers Centre'. The recent development known as 'Crown Retail Park' is host to larger scale shops including the first non-food Asda store. Other redevelopments include that of the former 'Quasar Centre' now known as 'Park Place'.

The area around the New Art Gallery Walsall is soon to be redeveloped into a huge shopping area coined 'The Waterfront' designed by Architect Will Alsop (designer of the internationally recognised Peckham Library) with space available for restaurants, cafes and the new hotel for the town.

Trivia

Pork scratchings are the most famous local snack.

A local landmark is Barr Beacon, which is reportedly the highest point following its latitude Eastwards until the Ural Mountains of Russia. There was a plaque on the summit attesting to this, unfortunately it has been repeatedly stolen.

Walsall is also famous for its relationship to John Wesley and Francis Asbury who began the Methodist movement in the United States. The latter was born in Handsworth, Birmingham and lived for a large part of his life close to the Sandwell/Walsall border.

Walsall is home to the Red Lion public house that still stands in Park Street. In 1881 the publican John Holden bred a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Pilot. The animal was exported to America by Charlie Lloyd. [5] Pilot gained fame in America And Sired 99% of all the American pitbull terrier's that you see today. Charlie Lloyd&CH Pilot


Famous people

  • Mark Lewis-Francis – 100 meter sprinter and a member of the gold medal winning 4x100 meter relay team at the 2004 Olympics, was born in Darlaston and attended Darlaston Comprehensive School. He is nick-named the darlaston dart.
  • Mark Rhodes – Runner-Up of pop idol, also born in darlaston.
  • Mark Oakley – Screenwriter.
  • Boy George – Another famous musical resident of 'The Beechdale', who spent much of his youth in the town as well as renting a flat for a time on High Street in the town centre.
  • Sister Dora – Born in Yorkshire but for a time lived locally. She is honoured, for her compassion, by a statue in the centre of town, next to the legendary concrete hippopotamus (known locally as George).
  • Rachel Unitt – England Women's football star. Born in Bentley.
  • Erin O'Connor – English fashion model. Born and brought up in Walsall.

Twin towns

France Mulhouse since 1953.

References

  1. ^ "Walsall Virtual Arboretum". Walsall MBC.
  2. ^ "Walsall Illuminations 2006". Walsall MBC.
  3. ^ "Walsall Illuminations 2005". BBC.
  4. ^ "Final chance for Illuminations". Express and Star.
  5. ^ "Charlie Lloyd's Pilot". Paw Village Database.
  6. ^ "Comic creator: John Byrne". URL retrieved 25 July 2006.
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