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71-562: Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley , West Midlands , England, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Dudley and 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Stourbridge . Part of the Black Country and in a heavily industrialised area, it has a population of 13,935 at the 2011 census . It is best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined considerably since

142-529: 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

213-637: A ku (or 区 in Japanese writing ) is an administrative unit of one of the larger cities, closely equivalent to the divisions or wards of a London Borough or a New York Borough. In Vietnam , a phường is an administrative subunit of an inner city district, or quận . Wards and electoral divisions of Nepal are political divisions which are grouped into Gaunpalika ( Rural council ) and Municipality . A rural municipality or municipality has minimum of five and maximum of 33 divisions. Metropolitan Borough of Dudley The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley

284-673: 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

355-589: 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

426-716: 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

497-599: A district or municipality , used in local government elections. In the United States, wards are usually subdivided into precincts for polling purposes. In Wisconsin, a 'ward' is what in most other states would be a precinct In some cities of India , such as Mumbai and Delhi , a ward is an administrative unit of the city region; a city area is divided into Zones, which in turn contain numerous wards. The smallest administrative unit of Gram Panchayats in India

568-461: 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

639-583: A further 1,300 redundancies. The steelworks site, along with the adjacent Merry Hill Farm, were subsequently designated as an Enterprise Zone and were redeveloped to create the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and The Waterfront business park. In recent years, proposals have been drawn up by the local authority to regenerate Brierley Hill, with the Brierley Hill Regeneration Partnership formed to improve

710-653: 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

781-550: 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

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852-537: A separate civil parish , being formed from the part of Kingswinford parish in Brierley Hill urban district , under the Local Government Act 1894 . Previously, it had been an urban sanitary authority. The urban district expanded greatly in 1934 after taking in most of the Kingswinford and Quarry Bank districts, and made a failed bid to obtain borough status in 1952. On 1 April 1966 the district

923-502: 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

994-430: 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

1065-483: Is Mr David Priestley. The first religious building in Brierley Hill was St. Michael's Chapel, which was constructed in 1765 by public subscription. It became a parish church in 1842, covering the areas of Brockmoor, Delph, and Quarry Bank. In 1872, construction commenced on St. Mary's Catholic Church. Designed by E. W. Pugin , it was completed in 1873 and upon completion, consisted of a nave, sanctuary, aisle, and side chapel. There are also Methodist and Baptist churches in

1136-463: Is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands , England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972 , through 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

1207-495: Is also known as a ward. In Bangladesh wards are subdivisions of a city or town which administrates under City Corporations and municipalities ( pourashova ) In East Africa, the word ward used in English is translated into Swahili/Kiswahili as Kata. In the case of a municipal amalgamation , the former cities and towns that make up the new metropolis may be referred to as wards. In Monaco , wards are informal divisions of

1278-597: Is located immediately east of Brierley Hill. One of the largest shopping centres in the UK , it was built between 1985 and 1989 on the grounds of Merry Hill Farm, the last working urban farm in the West Midlands. Round Oak Steelworks was built in 1857 on land overlooking the site of what is now the Merry Hill Centre, and employed up to 3,000 people at its peak, but that figure had fallen to just over 1,200 by

1349-471: 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

1420-723: Is part of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands county in England. The Brierley Hill electoral ward is currently represented by one Labour councillor, Matthew Cook and two Conservative councillors, Adam Davies and Wayne Little on the borough council. On a national level, the ward forms part of the Dudley South constituency, with the Conservative MP Mike Wood currently elected. The Merry Hill Shopping Centre

1491-697: Is situated to the immediate north of the town centre. On the border with Wordsley was the Bottle and Glass Inn, erected on the bank of the Dudley Canal in about 1800 as The Bush. It remained here until 1980 when it was transferred to the Black Country Living Museum as a centrepiece of the then-new village. It is also home to Brockmoor Primary School, which has existed at its current site in Belle Isle since 1994. The original school

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1562-588: Is that the line diverts at Canal Street in Woodside and travels through The Waterfront and then through the Merry Hill Centre before travelling along Brierley Hill High Street, which under current plans may mean that the High Street is pedestrianised. West Midlands Police have their main Dudley area station in Brierley Hill, situated on the corner of Bank Street, next to the Civic Hall. The police station

1633-497: 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

1704-640: 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

1775-453: 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

1846-475: The Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio WM , BBC Radio Shropshire , Heart West Midlands , Smooth West Midlands , Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands , Capital Midlands , Hits Radio Birmingham , Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire and Black Country Radio , a community based station which broadcast from

1917-549: The West Midlands Metro will see the railway line north of Brierley Hill re-opened, with light rail services providing a link to the existing Metro line in Wednesbury and Dudley to the north and Stourbridge to the south. Though there is some speculation as to where in Brierley Hill the metro will route, with two suggested options. Number one is that the metro follows the disused South Staffs line. Number two

1988-614: The 12th century. The word was much later applied to divisions of other cities and towns in England and Wales and Ireland . In parts of northern England , a ward was an administrative subdivision of a county , very similar to a hundred in other parts of England. In Australia , Canada , New Zealand , South Africa , Sri Lanka , the United Kingdom , and the United States , wards are an electoral district , within

2059-734: The 1970s. One of the largest factories in the area was the Round Oak Steelworks , which closed down and was redeveloped in the 1980s to become the Merry Hill Shopping Centre . Brierley Hill was originally in Staffordshire . Since 2008, Brierley Hill has been designated as the Strategic Town Centre of the Dudley Borough. The name Brierley Hill derives from the Old English words 'brer', meaning

2130-452: 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

2201-697: 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

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2272-640: 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

2343-571: The Earl of Dudley, arrived late. Brierley Hill Civic Hall, situated on Bank Street in the town centre, hosted several of Slade's first gigs during the early 1970s, although none of the members were actually from Brierley Hill. Because Stourbridge has a small postal Sorting Office, Amblecote became part of Brierley Hill, although 2.1 miles away and historically part of Stourbridge ( and still in Stourbridge Constituency ) Brockmoor

2414-630: 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

2485-644: 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

2556-473: 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

2627-614: 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

2698-462: 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

2769-507: The country, grouped into quartiers. In the Republic of Ireland , urban divisions were called wards and rural ones were called district electoral divisions . Both were renamed as electoral divisions in 1996. The electoral districts for Irish local authorities are local electoral areas . These are generally defined as combinations of electoral divisions, and in urban areas were formally described as combination of wards. In Japan ,

2840-551: The east, the city of Birmingham to the south east, Bromsgrove to 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

2911-506: 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

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2982-739: 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

3053-888: 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

3124-612: The late 1920s and early 1930s. Brierley Hill is situated along the main A461 road between Stourbridge and Dudley , with other roads providing connections to neighbouring locations. A bypass now diverts the road on a new alignment behind the Asda store rather than through the town centre. It is also served by numerous bus services, with a bus station situated at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, and several bus stops along

3195-496: The main High Street. Buses from Brierley Hill and Merry Hill provide links to central Dudley, Halesowen , Stourbridge, Walsall , West Bromwich, and Wolverhampton , among others. From 1850 to 1962, Brierley Hill was served by a railway station for passengers on the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line between Dudley Town and Stourbridge Junction , before passenger services were withdrawn. This

3266-491: The majority of schools in other areas. However (along with Dudley, Sedgley, and Coseley) it ran a system of 5–8 first, 8–12 middle, and 12–16 secondary schools from 1972 until 1990, before reverting to the traditional age ranges. The school serves the Quarry Bank area which is situated approximately one mile south of the town centre, and there are currently around 175 pupils aged 5–11 on the roll. The current head teacher

3337-546: 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

3408-616: 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

3479-556: 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,

3550-542: The place where the Briar Rose grew; 'leah', meaning a woodland clearing; and 'hill'. Largely a product of the Industrial Revolution , Brierley Hill has a relatively recent history, with the first written records of the town dating back to the 17th century. Originally established as a settlement in the woodland of Pensnett Chase , it began expanding rapidly following the chase's enclosure in 1748, and

3621-577: The provisions of the Local Government Act 1958 , which saw an expansion of 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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3692-594: 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

3763-401: The site of a Victorian residential area. Quarry Bank is situated to the southeast of the town centre and leads to the border with Cradley Heath and Stourbridge. It has a bustling village high street with many independent shops, Church and Stevens Park. Like Amblecote it is part of the Stourbridge constituency. Hawbush Estate stands one mile to the west of the town centre and was developed in

3834-412: The time it closed in December 1982. The adjacent Waterfront office complex was built on the former steelworks site, being developed between 1989 and 1995, although since the onset of the recession in the late 2000s around half of its office units have become empty, with an application for government-funded Enterprise Zone status rejected. The original T.H. Baker store was on the High Street, central to

3905-414: The town centre and borders the townships of Sedgley , Kingswinford , and Dudley . Withymoor Village and Lakeside lie to the south of the town centre bordering Stourbridge and were mostly developed in the 1970s and 1980s, following open cast coalmining . A Sainsbury's store is at the centre of the village. Chapel Street Estate was developed during the 1960s with predominantly multi-storey flats on

3976-484: 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

4047-452: 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

4118-400: The town over 10 years, by investing in the infrastructure and increasing the number of homes and job opportunities. Brierley Hill is home to the renowned Bathams brewery on Delph Road. (See article on Daniel Batham & Sons). Brierley Hill was originally part of Staffordshire . Brierley Hill was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Kingswinford , on 31 December 1894 Brierley Hill became

4189-415: The town since 1888. The store closed in July 2018. The West Bromwich Building Society had intended to relocate to the Waterfront from its previous base in West Bromwich in 2012, although the plan was later shelved. The art deco former Danilo Cinema opened on Dudley Road in December 1936, with an opening ceremony conducted by George Formby and the young Viscount Ednam , who stepped in when his father,

4260-418: The town. The town is served by the local newspaper, Dudley News . The town currently has 10 primary schools and one secondary school. Thorns Community College and The Crestwood School are now the town's only secondary schools due to the closure of Pensnett High School . Brierley Hill runs a system of 5 to 7 infant, 7 to 11 junior, and 11 to 16 secondary schools, per the rest of the Dudley borough and

4331-426: The town. There is also a Chinese Buddhist temple located in Brierley Hill, to cater for the Buddhist community of the Dudley Borough. Brierley Hill War Memorial sits outside St. Michael's. Ward (electoral subdivision) The word "ward", for an electoral subdivision, appears to have originated in the Wards of the City of London , where gatherings for each ward known as "wardmotes" have taken place since

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4402-422: 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

4473-408: 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

4544-423: 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

4615-421: Was abolished and merged with the County Borough of Dudley , Seisdon Rural District , Municipal borough of Stourbridge , part also went to form the County Borough of Warley . The parish was also abolished on 1 April 1966 and merged with Dudley and Stourbridge, part also went to form Warley . In 1961 the parish had a population of 56,075. It became part of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough in 1974. Brierley Hill

4686-417: Was before the Beeching Axe came into effect in 1964. The section of line from Stourbridge to Brierley Hill is still in use for goods trains, with a railway steel terminal opening in 1986, but the line northbound to Dudley has been closed since 1993. Currently, the nearest passenger railway station is Cradley Heath , over a mile south-east of the town. Under current plans, an under-construction extension to

4757-412: Was built in the late 19th century, as an infant school for 5 to 7-year-olds and a junior school for 7 to 11-year-olds; it became a first school for 5–8-year-olds and a middle school for 8 to 12-year-olds in September 1972. However, the two schools merged in September 1989 to form Brockmoor Primary School and a year later the age range was altered to 5 to 11. Pensnett is situated more than a mile north of

4828-442: Was first recorded on a map in 1785 after the mapping of the Stourbridge Canal . Brierley Hill had become heavily industrialized by the beginning of the 19th century, with several quarries, collieries, glass works, and iron works emerging. Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Directory for 1828-9 describes Brierley Hill as a hamlet with extensive iron works manufacturing rod, bar and sheet iron, tanks, and boilers. A National School

4899-414: Was opened in the town in 1835, and a market area had developed along the High Street. By the start of the 20th century, the raw material deposits had become depleted, leading to the closure of many of the industries in the area. The decline in manufacturing resulted in an unemployment rate of 25% in Brierley Hill by the early 1980s, with the closure of the Round Oak Steelworks in December 1982 resulting in

4970-414: Was originally built in the 1960s as the future local council offices, but the plan was scrapped when Brierley Hill became a part of the Dudley Borough. There is also a fire station located on Dudley Road, with fire and rescue services provided by the West Midlands Fire Service . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from

5041-457: 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

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