27-730: Baggeridge Country Park is located within the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire , England . Its entrance is on the A463 just west of Gospel End , a small Staffordshire village just beyond the borders of the Wolverhampton , Gornal and the surrounding Metropolitan Borough of Dudley . Baggeridge Country Park is owned by the South Staffordshire Council. The main feature is a large hill of Pit Mounds which has plenty of paths to its summit and
54-412: A Country Park with full reclamation being completed on 12 January 1981. The north eastern area became Baggeridge Brick, which was demolished in 2012 and redeveloped with housing as well as small commercial units and a care home. It was officially opened on 17 June 1983 by Princess Anne . The northern part of the park consists of grassland , woodland and wetland . A marsh with a small path next to it
81-473: A lake named Bag Pool located between the parking grounds and the hill. The nearest bus service is Diamond Bus service 27/27A which operates daily from Wolverhampton to Dudley via Sedgley and Gornal . Passengers should alight at the stop in Northway at the junction of Gospel End Road from where Baggeridge is approximately a 20 minute walk. Unfortunately the last direct bus to the village of Gospel End
108-621: A lake, fed by a series of waterfalls from a higher chain of smaller pools. The family left Himley in the 1830s, because it was too close to the Black Country . They instead lived in great grandeur on their mineral wealth at Witley Court at Great Witley in Worcestershire . In 1934, the Duke and Duchess of Kent honeymooned at Himley Hall. King Edward VIII spent his last weekend there before his abdication in 1936. After
135-507: A mainly level gradient which takes 30 minutes. It is designed for the disabled. Toposcope Trail: The Toposcope Trail walk goes past Bag Pool and up to the summit of the hill where views of the park and surrounding area as far as the Welsh Mountains can be found. The total route talks about 45 minutes and has many step gradients. Baggeridge Circular Walk: The Baggeridge Circular Walk has fair step gradients and goes past Bag Pool to
162-638: A secondary home to the Lords of Dudley and their knights. Its occupants included Dud Dudley , whose 17th-century experiments in smelting iron ore with coal were carried out nearby. In 1645, King Charles I encamped in the grounds on his way to defeat at the Battle of Naseby during the English Civil War . In 1628, the Ward family inherited the title Lords of Dudley through the marriage of Humble Ward to
189-550: A shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 1982 have been: Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 20 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The district covers
216-734: A similar geographic area to South Staffordshire parliamentary constituency , although the north of the district is covered by the Stafford constituency . Sir Patrick Cormack of the Conservative Party held the South Staffordshire seat, and its predecessor, Staffordshire South-West, between 1974 and 2010, when he retired and the seat was won by Gavin Williamson for the Conservative Party. The council
243-519: Is a local government district in Staffordshire , England . Its council is based in Codsall . Other notable settlements include Brewood , Cheslyn Hay , Coven , Essington , Featherstone , Four Ashes , Great Wyrley , Huntington , Kinver , Landywood , Penkridge , Perton , Wedges Mills , Weston-under-Lizard and Wombourne . The district covers a largely rural area lying immediately to
270-675: Is based at the Council Offices on Wolverhampton Road in Codsall. The building was purpose-built for the council shortly after it was created, opening in 1976 to replace buildings in Penkridge and Wombourne that the council inherited from its predecessors. The whole district is divided into civil parishes . No parish in South Staffordshire has been declared to be a town by its parish council. None of South Staffordshire's settlements are classed as post towns either; postal addresses in
297-413: Is located near Newt Meadow, wetlands and heathland at Gospel End Common. The south of the park consists of woodland and parkland which was landscaped by Capability Brown . The terrain is mainly hilly, but level with some flat areas, and some rough terrain in areas. There are many walks around Baggeridge; the official routes are as follows: The Easy Access: The Easy Access walk is a circular walk with
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#1732787119127324-705: Is possible follow a route up initially steep steps into a woodland with views over the nearby countryside and towns, before joining the Circular Walk where turning right leads back to Bag Pool. Another walk takes visitors to the nearby Himley Park ; the Himley path goes past two lakes and a waterfall following the stream from the main lake. It also provides access to Whites Wood and has several paths running alongside it. 52°32′01″N 2°09′06″W / 52.5336°N 2.1518°W / 52.5336; -2.1518 South Staffordshire South Staffordshire
351-733: The Second World War , the property was sold to the National Coal Board for £45,000 in January 1947, only two hours before it was set to go on the auction block. The board planned to use as office space for 250 of its West Midlands staff. Three months later, during its conversion for this new purpose, a fire broke out and gutted the South wing. The house was unoccupied when fire broke out, and all of Lord Dudley's art and furnishings had been removed three days prior. This part of
378-548: The South Staffordshire district, for example the village of Wombourne has the Wom Brook Walk and the Bratch Locks on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in the nearby village of Bratch. Other sites include: Bunkers Tree Wood is also in the area and contains a large Corvid roost . In terms of television, the area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from
405-412: The base of the hill and then down to the edge of Whites Wood before looping around past multiple lakes and back up to the car park. Baggeridge Woodland Walk: The Baggeridge Woodland Walk starts off following the same route as the Circular Walk until it goes along public footpaths through the private part of Baggeridge Wood outside the country park. It comes out at Gospel End Common and then finally ends at
432-510: The county in the small village of Himley , near to the town of Dudley and the city of Wolverhampton . Himley Hall is a Grade II* listed building . Its park and garden, which were extended in the 1770s by Lancelot "Capability" Brown , are Grade II listed with the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . In early days, it was a moated manor house, standing beside the medieval church. For over four centuries it served as
459-549: The district therefore all include the name of a post town outside the district, the main ones being Cannock , Stourbridge , Stafford , Walsall and Wolverhampton . The district's parishes are: At the 2021 census the Office for National Statistics identified three built-up areas in the district with a population over 10,000, being Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay with 17,640 people, Wombourne with 12,815 and Codsall (including Bilbrook) with 11,865. There are many beauty spots within
486-501: The either Sutton Coldfield or Wrekin TV transmitters. Radio stations for the area are: Local newspaper is the Express & Star . 52°37′33″N 2°11′30″W / 52.6258°N 2.1918°W / 52.6258; -2.1918 Himley Park Himley Hall is an early 17th-century country house situated in Staffordshire , England . It is situated in the south of
513-431: The grounds of Himley Hall, Himley Park was created in the 1970s and is now visited by over 200,000 visitors each year. It features a large lake and hill with many woodland walks along with open parkland. It is well known for its thriving population of ducks . There is a small log cabin café which is open for hot food and drinks. There is also a nine-hole public golf course which was designed by A & K Baker in 1980 and
540-512: The heiress to the Dudley estates, Frances Sutton . Humble Ward was the son of the jeweller and goldsmith to the court of King Charles I. Following damage to Dudley Castle during the Civil War, Himley Hall became the principal family home. The current hall dates from the 18th century when John Ward demolished the medieval manor to make way for a great Palladian mansion. The village of Himley
567-613: The house was rebuilt, but not according to its former appearance. The decline in the coal mining industry in the area led to the Hall being once more put on the market. In 1966, it was purchased jointly by Dudley and Wolverhampton County Borough Councils − despite existing within the Seisdon Urban District (and then South Staffordshire from 1974). The park was opened as a public leisure area. In 1988, Dudley bought Wolverhampton's share, gaining outright ownership. Set in
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#1732787119127594-480: The southern boundary up to the Wishing Pools. The whole site remained as landscaped by Brown until 1902 when work began to mine the northern half when pit shafts were sunk and a cast mining operation began. The mine was then nationalized in 1947 and closed down on 1 March 1968 - by which time it was the last deep coal mine in the local area. In 1970 the western, central, southern and eastern areas were designated
621-438: The upper meadow near the top of the car parks. The total route takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes and has fair step gradients. Besides these official routes there are many paths which fork from the main routes, such as. There are paths around Bag Pool for a circular walk around the lake that turn and join onto another path where it is possible to go either up the hill or into Newt Meadow. From Newt Meadow and many other paths it
648-552: The west and north-west of the West Midlands conurbation . The neighbouring districts are Stafford , Cannock Chase , Walsall , Wolverhampton , Dudley , Bromsgrove , Wyre Forest , Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin . The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . The new district covered two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time: The new district
675-518: Was named South Staffordshire, reflecting its position within the wider county. South Staffordshire District Council, which styles itself "South Staffordshire Council", provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Staffordshire County Council . The whole district is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1976. The first elections were held in 1973, initially operating as
702-457: Was relocated at this time, and its parish church rebuilt on its present site in 1764. Most recent Earls of Dudley are interred in a private burial ground at the rear of this church. In 1774 John Ward died and was succeeded by his son John Ward, Junior, who commissioned Capability Brown to redesign the 180 acres (730,000 m ) of parkland. Changes in Brown's 1779 plans included the addition of
729-535: Was withdrawn several years ago. The facilities located near parking space are It is a local nature reserve . Baggeridge was originally owned by the Earls of Dudley as part of the Himley Estate and consisted of small farms and ancient woodland along with the parkland of Himley Park . It was later landscaped by Lancelot "Capability" Brown in the 18th century; the landscape is still largely unchanged from
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