90-528: Wednesfield ( / ˈ w ɛ n z . f iː l d / ) is a town and historic village in the City of Wolverhampton , in the county of the West Midlands , England, It is 2 miles (3.2 km) east-northeast of Wolverhampton city centre and about 10 miles (16 km) from Birmingham and is part of the West Midlands conurbation . It was historically within the county of Staffordshire . Its name comes from
180-559: A blue plaque was erected in memory of British immigrant rights activist Paulette Wilson , a member of the Windrush generation . The plaque was launched with campaigners including Patrick Vernon and Claire Darke at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre. The Centre is a cornerstone of the area's local Caribbean community and was formerly the constituency office of Enoch Powell where his Rivers of Blood speech
270-426: A metropolitan borough , transferring from Staffordshire into the newly formed West Midlands county. Wolverhampton was granted city status on 31 January 2001 – an honour that had been unsuccessfully applied for in 1953, 1966, 1977, 1985 and 1992 – making it one of three "Millennium Cities". Wolverhampton also made an unsuccessful application for a Lord Mayor in 2002. Many of the city centre's buildings date from
360-538: A municipal borough on 15 March 1848 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 before becoming a county borough in 1889. It was represented politically in Victorian times by Charles Pelham Villiers , a Liberal MP and noted free trade supporter who was also the longest-serving MP in parliamentary history. Lord Wolverhampton, Henry Hartley Fowler was MP for Wolverhampton at the turn of
450-596: A branch of Safeway which Morrisons were forced to sell off as part of the acquisition of the supermarket chain, closed at the end of trading on 31 December 2020. The store was sold to Tesco which opened in June 2021. Aldi have two stores close to the city centre: one just off the A4123 Birmingham Road and a newer branch close to the former Wolverhampton Low Level railway station in Sun Street. In 2021,
540-627: A brief period the Wolverhampton trolleybus system was the world's largest trolleybus system. The last Wolverhampton trolleybus ran in 1967, just as the railway line through the High Level station was converted to electric operation. England's first automatic traffic lights could be seen in Princes Square in 1927. The modern traffic lights at this location have the traditional striped poles to commemorate this fact. Princes Square
630-424: A fitness gym. The proximity to Wolverhampton city centre has been a major constraint on retail economic growth within the town. Wednesfield is part of a network of lower order Black Country town centres, providing principally convenience shopping facilities for a local catchment area and it is surrounded by centres with a similar role including Bilston to the south, Willenhall to the south east and Bloxwich to
720-529: A former Lord Mayor of London and a twice Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors , who was born in the city, founded Wolverhampton Grammar School , one of the oldest active schools in Britain. From the 16th century onwards, Wolverhampton became home to a number of metal industries including lock and key making and iron and brass working. Wolverhampton suffered two Great Fires:
810-474: A large stained glass rotunda in its foyer. It is among the few canal street factories in the "Black Country" that has been preserved. Wolverhampton's biggest public art display took place between July and September 2017; Wolves in Wolves saw the installation of 30 wolf sculptures in the city centre and West Park, with the sculptures auctioned off to raise money for charity. Ashmore Park Ashmore Park
900-641: A member of the Mander family , was Liberal MP for Wolverhampton East from 1929 to 1945, distinguished for his stance against appeasement and as a supporter of the League of Nations . He was known as "the last of the Midland radicals". More recent members have included the Conservative mavericks Enoch Powell and Nicholas Budgen . Powell was a member of Edward Heath 's Tory shadow cabinet from 1964, until he
990-555: A reason for the separation of Wednesfield and Heath Town. Public transport in Wednesfield is coordinated by Transport for West Midlands . Most bus services within the town are operated by National Express West Midlands , with services from the town centre to destinations including Wolverhampton city centre, Bilston , Bloxwich , Walsall and Willenhall . The 59 bus route which runs from Wolverhampton city centre to Ashmore Park via New Cross Hospital and Wednesfield High Street
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#17327755221501080-409: A secondary school, Coppice Performing Arts School , serves the estate, with three primary schools: Oak Meadow Primary School, Corpus Christi Catholic School, and St. Alban's Primary School. At the heart of the estate is a large green park consisting of a children's play area and several sports facilities, including a skate park, multi-sports pitch, BMX track, and bowling green. The park is also home to
1170-506: A total of over 230 people below and above ground. Ordnance Survey mapping shows the colliery linked by a mineral tramway to a basin on the Wyrley and Essington Canal . The land was owned by the Duke of Cleveland . A reminder of the area's mining history arose in 2019 when melting snow revealed a shaft near a children's playground. The Coal Authority carried out work to seal the shaft and compact
1260-527: Is a large housing estate in Wednesfield , England. It has been part of the city of Wolverhampton , West Midlands since 1966, when the majority of Wednesfield was incorporated into Wolverhampton. It forms part of the Wednesfield North ward of the City of Wolverhampton council . The estate consists predominantly of council-built houses , flats and bungalows from the 1950s. Ashmore Park
1350-436: Is held that in the 14th and 15th centuries that Wolverhampton was one of the "staple towns" of the woollen trade, which today can be seen by the inclusion of a woolpack on the city's coat of arms, and by the many small streets, especially in the city centre, called "Fold" (examples being Blossom's Fold, Farmers Fold, Townwell Fold and Victoria Fold), as well as Woolpack Street and Woolpack Alley. In 1512, Sir Stephen Jenyns ,
1440-541: Is located in the town centre. It was originally consecrated in August 1750, as a chapel of ease of St. Peter's Collegiate Church , Wolverhampton and known as the Chapel of St. Thomas in Wednesfield. It became a separate parish in 1849. It was almost completely destroyed by fire on 18 January 1902, as a result of which the tower is the only remaining part of the original building. The church was reconstructed in similar style to
1530-466: Is recorded as being the site of a decisive battle between the unified Mercian Angles and West Saxons against the raiding Danes in 910, although sources are unclear as to whether the battle itself took place in Wednesfield or Tettenhall . Both places have since been incorporated into Wolverhampton. The Mercians and West Saxons claimed a decisive victory, and the field of Woden is recognised by numerous place names in Wednesfield. In 985, King Ethelred
1620-624: Is represented by the wards of Wednesfield North , Wednesfield South and Fallings Park , which together make up the Wednesfield and Fallings Park LANA (Local Area and Neighbourhood Arrangements). It is part of the Wolverhampton North East constituency and is represented in the House of Commons by Jane Stevenson (a member of the Conservative Party ) following her election on 12 December 2019 . On 5 August 910
1710-457: Is the most frequent in the city. National Express West Midlands service 9 (previously 60) operates between Walsall, Pelsall, Bloxwich and Wolverhampton half hourly. The 71 bus route by Chaserider (previously Arriva) provides an hourly link to Essington , Great Wyrley and Cannock. Diamond Bus tendered service 65 provides an hourly service between Wolverhampton and Fordhouses via New Cross Hospital and Bushbury Crematorium. An extension of
1800-690: The County Borough of Wolverhampton in 1933, the Urban District remained intact until 1 April 1966, when due to the provisions of the Local Government Act 1958 , most of the Wednesfield Urban District was merged into Wolverhampton County Borough, though some parts were incorporated into Walsall County Borough and others into Cannock Rural District , now part of South Staffordshire district. The parish
1890-666: The Great Western Railway in 1854. In the 19th century, the city saw much immigration from Wales and Ireland , the latter following the Great Famine . In 1866, a statue was erected in memory of Prince Albert the Prince Consort , the unveiling of which brought Queen Victoria back to Wolverhampton. The unveiling of the statue was the first public appearance Queen Victoria made after the funeral of her husband. A 40-foot-tall (12 m) archway made of coal
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#17327755221501980-585: The Gunpowder Plotters , Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton , who had fled to the Midlands. The pair played no part in the original plot nevertheless suffered a traitor's death of being hanged, drawn and quartered on butcher's blocks set up in the square a few days before the execution of Guy Fawkes and several other plotters in London. There is also evidence that Wolverhampton may have been
2070-538: The Old English Wōdnesfeld meaning Woden 's Field , open land belonging to, or holy to, the high god of the Germanic Pantheon . Local areas include Ashmore Park and Wood End . There is also a formal garden at Wednesfield Park. Wednesfield lies at 52°35′59″N 2°04′58″W / 52.5998°N 2.0827°W / 52.5998; -2.0827 (52.5998°, −2.0827°), and is located to
2160-507: The Wednesfield Local Board of Health was established. With reference to the Local Government Act 1858 , it was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the township, and replaced an earlier Sanitary Committee that was established in 1856. The Local Board was only in existence for three years before being split into two, one for Wednesfield itself, and one for Wednesfield Heath . Wednesfield
2250-499: The West Midlands Metro through Wednesfield is planned, on the "5Ws" route from Wolverhampton to Wednesbury via Willenhall and Walsall . City of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( / ˌ w ʊ l v ər ˈ h æ m p t ə n / WUUL -vər- HAMP -tən ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands , England, 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Birmingham . The population in 2021
2340-552: The Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway was opened in 1872, connecting the town with Wolverhampton High Level and Walsall . It was operated by the Midland Railway , and was located on Neachells Lane to the south of the town centre. It closed to passenger traffic in 1931, although it remained open for goods traffic until the 1980s. Much of the trackbed was reused for the A4124 Wednesfield Way, which bypasses
2430-627: The World War I . New estates at Parkfields (near the border with Coseley ) and Birches Barn (near Bantock Park in the west of Wolverhampton) gave the city some 550 new council houses by 1923, although this was a fraction of the number of new council houses required. The first large council housing development in Wolverhampton was the Low Hill estate to the north-east of the city, which consisted of more than 2,000 new council houses by 1927 and
2520-717: The 1950s and 1960s, mostly settling in the Blakenhall , All Saints , Whitmore Reans and Heath Town areas. Wolverhampton is home to a large proportion of the Pakistani and the Sikh community, who settled there during the period (1935–1975) from the Indian state of Punjab . Today, the Sikh community in Wolverhampton is roughly 9.1% of the city's population. In 1974, as a result of local government reorganisation, Wolverhampton became
2610-520: The 1960s and 1970s. Wolverhampton gained its first parliamentary representation as part of the Reform Act 1832 , when it was one of 22 large towns that were allocated two members of parliament. A local mob attacking electors who voted or intended to vote for the Tory candidate led to the 1835 Wolverhampton riot , with dragoons being called in to end the intimidation. Wolverhampton was incorporated as
2700-464: The 20th century, several older parts of the town were redeveloped for new council housing during the 1960s and early 1970s. The most notable example is the Heath Town area, where almost all of the 19th-century buildings were demolished during the 1960s and replaced by four tower blocks and several blocks of maisonettes. However, the state housing at Heath Town quickly became unpopular and by the 1980s
2790-506: The British Prime Minister David Lloyd George announced a General Election. He also made his "Homes fit for heroes" speech at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in the same year. It was on the idea of "Homes fit for heroes" that Lloyd George was to fight the 1918 "Coupon" General Election . Mass council housing development in Wolverhampton, to rehouse families from slum housing, began after the end of
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2880-467: The Horse". The Stafford Street drill hall was completed in 1890. Wolverhampton had a prolific bicycle industry from 1868 to 1975, during which time a total of more than 200 bicycle manufacturing companies existed, none remaining today. These manufacturers included Viking, Marston, Sunbeam, Star, Wulfruna and Rudge. The last volume manufacturers of bicycles left Wolverhampton during the 1960s and 1970s –
2970-697: The House of Lords as Lord Bilston. After the end of World War II in 1945, the council erected 400 prefabricated bungalows across Wolverhampton, and built its first permanent postwar houses at the Underhill Estate near Bushbury in the late 1940s. The 1950s saw many new houses and flats built across Wolverhampton as the rehousing programme from the slums continued, as well as the local council agreeing deals with neighbouring authorities Wednesfield Urban District and Seisdon Rural District which saw families relocated to new estates in those areas. The 1960s saw
3060-552: The Mercian King, who according to tradition established an abbey in 659, though no evidence of an abbey has been found. The variation Wolveren Hampton is seen in medieval records, e.g. in 1381. The Oxford English Dictionary includes the demonym Wulfrunian , defined as "An inhabitant of Wolverhampton", its earliest example of use being from 1959. A local tradition states that King Wulfhere of Mercia founded an abbey of St Mary at Wolverhampton in 659. Wolverhampton
3150-561: The Unready granted lands at a place referred to as Heantun to Lady Wulfrun by royal charter, and hence founding the settlement. In 994, a monastery was consecrated in Wolverhampton for which Wulfrun granted land at Upper Arley in Worcestershire, Bilston , Willenhall , Wednesfield, Pelsall , Ogley Hay near Brownhills , Hilton near Wall , Hatherton , Kinvaston , Hilton near Wolverhampton, and Featherstone . This became
3240-477: The Urban Districts of Wednesfield and Tettenhall and parts of Willenhall , Sedgley and Coseley , almost a third of Wolverhampton's population lived in council housing, but since that date social housing has been built on a minimal scale in the area, and some of the 1919–1975 developments have since been demolished. As well as the many new council estates which sprang up around Wolverhampton during
3330-504: The Wednesfield Aces and Wednesfield Dragons cycle speedway teams. The park was built on top of a slag heap left over from mining activity in the area. There are two main shopping areas, known locally as the "top" and "bottom" shops due to their geographic location. The "bottom shop" precinct houses a mix of local and independent businesses and underwent an extensive facelift during the early 2000s that included work to preserve
3420-427: The abundance of coal and iron deposits in the area. The remains of this wealth can be seen in local houses such as Wightwick Manor and The Mount (both built for the prominent varnish and paint manufacturers, the Mander family ) as well as Tettenhall Towers. All three are located in the western fringe of Wolverhampton, in the areas known as Wightwick and Tettenhall. Many other houses of similar stature were demolished in
3510-520: The ages of 60 and 74. The neighbourhood is not ethnically diverse, with 97.4% of its residents classified as Caucasian; the largest ethnic minority group is Black Caribbean, representing just 0.9% of the population. 54.5% of the 2,968 households in the neighbourhood were owner-occupied, while 39.4% of homes were council houses. Ashmore Park had an unemployment rate of 7.1%, ranking above the Wolverhampton average of 5.3%. Of those identified as economically inactive, 24.4% were retired. And of all households in
3600-530: The allied forces of Mercia and Wessex defeated an army of Northumbrian Vikings in the Battle of Tettenhall (sometimes called the Battle of Wednesfield or Wōdnesfeld). Wednesfield was formerly well known for making all kinds of traps, from mousetraps , to mantraps and locks. Many of the factories that dominated the area have been cleared to make way for houses and other buildings. The Church of St Thomas
3690-600: The area was plagued with crime and unemployment. The first regeneration projects on the estate began during the 1990s, and in 2017 some of the maisonette blocks were demolished. A similar redevelopment took place around the same time in Blakenhall, where new shops and five tower blocks were built in a 1960s redevelopment area. However, all of these buildings were demolished between 2002 and 2011 and have since been replaced with new private and social housing. Large numbers of black and Asian immigrants settled in Wolverhampton from
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3780-484: The canal, it is recorded that some local residents felt that it actually obstructed the development of the town, rather than assisting it. A second canal through the town, the Bentley Canal , opened in 1843 between Wednesfield Junction, near the modern New Cross Hospital , and Walsall. The canal was abandoned in the 1960s, and only a short section at Wednesfield Junction is extant. Wednesfield railway station on
3870-437: The car park with the public house, whilst the bookmakers previously there moved to the "bottom shops" shopping precinct. [1] [2] The nearest train stations to Ashmore Park are Bloxwich North, Bloxwich, and Wolverhampton. Several bus services serve Ashmore Park, including the 57, 59, and 69 lines. The 59 bus, which is operated by National Express West Midlands , runs the most frequent service. It provides regular access to
3960-608: The century. The railways reached Wolverhampton in 1837, with the first station located at Wednesfield Heath , now Heath Town, on the Grand Junction Railway . This station was demolished in 1965, but the area exists as a nature reserve just off Powell Street. Wolverhampton railway works was established in 1849 for the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway and became the Northern Division workshop of
4050-483: The city centre) is now the northern terminus for the West Midlands Metro light rail system. An extension to the railway station opened in 2023, the opening being delayed until the new railway station was completed. Wolverhampton was one of the few towns to operate surface contact trams and the only town to use the Lorain Surface Contact System. Trolleybuses appeared in 1923, and in 1930 for
4140-642: The city. The site is now home to a relocated outdoor market. Following the closure of the Mander Centre branch of Tesco and relocation of Sainsbury's , the only remaining supermarket in the central shopping area was Iceland . In September 2023 a Tesco Express convenience store opened in Dudley Street replacing a branch of Clinton Cards. Outside the Ring Road were major branches of Sainsbury's , Asda and Waitrose . The Waitrose store, originally
4230-417: The early 20th century and before, the oldest buildings being St Peter's Church (which was built in the 13th century but has been largely extended and refurbished since the 15th century, situated on Lichfield Street) and a framed timber 17th-century building on Victoria Street which is now one of just two remaining in the area which was heavily populated by them until the turn of the 20th century. This building
4320-481: The east. However, since 2009 the Bentley Bridge Retail Park has thrived with empty units being filled by national retailers. In September 2011 retailer TK Maxx announced plans to close its city centre store in Wolverhampton and relocate to Bentley Bridge. Whilst the retail park thrives, local independent traders on the high street continue to suffer due to economic circumstances. The area to
4410-523: The estate from Wolverhampton via Heath Town, New Cross Hospital and Wednesfield roughly every six minutes during the day (Monday-Saturday) and every 12 minutes in the evenings, on Sundays, and bank holidays. The 69 bus, also operated by National Express West Midlands , provides service to the lower zone of the estate between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Heath Town, New Cross Hospital, Wood End, Coppice Farm, New Invention, Beechdale, and Reedswood Retail Park. This service operates every 30 minutes during
4500-417: The estate: The True Briton, The Ashmore Inn and Corpus Christi Social Club. In 2014 more than 350 members of the local community signed a petition to save The Ashmore Inn public house from being closed and turned into a retail store. The petition succeeded in having The Ashmore Inn listed as an Asset of Community Value. In 2016 a Coop Food convenience store and Tanning Salon were opened on adjacent land sharing
4590-655: The filling material. 1,500 homes were initially planned for Ashmore Park by Wednesfield Urban District Council in 1954 as part of Staffordshire County Council's overspill housing scheme for Wolverhampton. The first house was opened on 16 June 1955 by the Chairman of Staffordshire County Council, Alderman A G B Owen and it was reported that 6,500 people would be housed in 1,750 homes. A shopping precinct and dwellings were opened by Cannock constituency MP Jennie Lee in September 1958. The Dean of Wolverhampton probably used
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#17327755221504680-544: The first in April 1590, and the second in September 1696. Both fires started in today's Salop Street. The first fire lasted for five days and left nearly 700 people homeless, whilst the second destroyed 60 homes in the first five hours. This second fire led to the purchase of the first fire engine within the city in September 1703. On 27 January 1606, two farmers, Thomas Smart and John Holyhead of Rowley Regis , were executed on High Green, now Queen Square, for sheltering two of
4770-402: The historic moat site. In 2014 a revamped community centre opened called The Hub at Ashmore Park with many facilities for the local community to use. The library which was located next to the "bottom shops" shopping precinct was closed and merged into the hub, whilst many other libraries were closed or had reduced opening hours in Wolverhampton. There are two public houses and a social club on
4860-441: The homestead in his role as Dean (landlord) of Ashmore Park. The original farmhouse was removed when a new one was built in the early 19th century. In 1957 authorities demolished that farmhouse and built a library near its site. According to the 2001 United Kingdom census , Ashmore Park had a total population of 6,734. Of these, 27.6% of its residents were between the ages of 25 and 44 years old, while 24.3% reported being between
4950-539: The largest and best-known of which was Viking Cycles Ltd, whose team dominated the UK racing scene in the 1950s (Viking's production of hand-built lightweight racing and juvenile bicycles exceeded 20,000 units in 1965). Closures of other smaller cycle makers followed during the 1980s including such well-known hand-builders as Percy Stallard (the former professional cyclist) and Jack Hateley. Wolverhampton High Level station (the current main railway station) opened in 1852, but
5040-406: The location of the first working Newcomen Steam Engine in 1712. A few years before she began her reign, Queen Victoria visited Wolverhampton in the 1830s and described it as "a large and dirty town" but one which received her "with great friendliness and pleasure". In Victorian times , Wolverhampton grew to be a wealthy town mainly due to the huge amount of industry that occurred as a result of
5130-415: The mid-1960s, with the Mander Centre (plans for which were unveiled on 15 April 1965) being opened in two phases, the first in 1968 and the second in 1971. Several refurbishments have taken place since. The Wulfrun Centre, an open shopping area, was opened alongside the Mander Centre's first phase in 1968, but has been undercover since a roof was added in the late 1990s. Central Wolverhampton police station
5220-561: The neighbourhood, only 11.1% were not considered deprived at all, while 7.2% were overcrowded. Christianity is the area's predominant religion, with 81.6% of the population identifying as Christian. 9.4% of residents reported that they did not have a religious affinity. The estate was served by Ashmore Park County Primary School and Danesfield Primary School. The two merged in 1983 to form Danesmore Primary, but this closed in February 1993. Both schools have since been demolished. Today
5310-429: The north of Wolverhampton, and later moved over Wolverhampton city centre and surrounding suburbs, causing some damage. The Wolverhampton Ring Road circumnavigates the city centre linking the majority of the city's radial routes. It was constructed in sections between 1960 and 1986, and carries the number A4150, although this is only marked on one road sign. The centre of Wolverhampton has been altered radically since
5400-704: The north. There are no navigable rivers within the town, although the original course of the River Tame crossed the south-east of the town. Following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 , Wednesfield formed part of the Wolverhampton Poor Law Union , an inter-parish unit established to provide social security . This replaced an earlier arrangement where the Parish had operated a workhouse on Old Heath Road since 1723. In 1863
5490-495: The northeast of Wolverhampton city centre on the northern fringe of the West Midlands conurbation . It was historically part of the county of Staffordshire , and since 1974 has been part of the West Midlands metropolitan county . The south of the town lies over coal measures whilst the town centre has dolerite deposits and the area to the north lies over mudstone and sandstone . The town lies on generally flat land between 130m and 140m above sea level, rising to around 170m in
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#17327755221505580-457: The original and continues in active use as a place of worship. The Guru Nanak Gurdwara was opened in 1984 and is also located in the town centre, and caters for the local Sikh community, many of whom are descendants of those who immigrated to the area in the 1950s and onwards. A part of the Gurdwara suffered fire damage in 2002 so the committee decided to demolish the original building and
5670-601: The original station was demolished in 1965 and then rebuilt. Wolverhampton Low Level station opened on the Great Western Railway in 1855. The site of the Low Level station, which closed to passengers in 1972 and completely in 1981, has since been redeveloped with much of the original station incorporated into a hotel. An Aldi store opened nearby in 2019. In 1918 at "The Mount" in Tettenhall Wood ,
5760-435: The ornate cast iron safe painting industry from the Victorian era. Numerous companies, such as Chubb Lock and Safe Company , expanded their artistic status to international reputation, whereby a safe became a work of art with fine script and hand-painted designs. The Chubb Building was converted into a National Historic Registered Landmark Treasure in 1992, which now houses a cinema, art galleries, nightclub, business offices and
5850-507: The rebuild was ready by 2004. It has lifts for the elderly. Wednesfield Village or 'the village' as it is still referred to by many residents provides a range of shopping, office and community facilities for residents in the north east of Wolverhampton and some adjoining parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall , along with services for the major industrial areas to the south of the town and New Cross Hospital . Just to
5940-529: The rehousing programme continue, with multi-storey blocks being built on a large scale across Wolverhampton at locations including Blakenhall , Whitmore Reans and Chetton Green . The later part of the decade saw the Heath Town district almost completely redeveloped with multi-story flats and maisonette blocks. By 1975, by which time Wolverhampton had also taken in the majority of the Borough of Bilston ,
6030-535: The site for the current St. Peter's Church . A statue of Lady Wulfrun, sculpted by Sir Charles Wheeler , can be seen on the stairs outside the church. Wolverhampton is recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as being in the Hundred of Seisdon and the county of Staffordshire . The lords of the manor are listed as the canons of St Mary (the church's dedication was changed to St Peter after this date), with
6120-414: The south of the former railway line is characterised by industrial development, mostly with small units although there is some larger development such a steel processing and distribution plant. Historically, the main industries were coal mining and trap making, although mining ceased in the area in the early twentieth century. The Wyrley and Essington Canal running through the town was opened in 1797. It
6210-508: The tenant-in-chief being Samson , William the Conqueror 's personal chaplain. Wolverhampton at this date is a large settlement of fifty households. In 1179, there is mention of a market held in the town, and in 1204 it had come to the attention of King John that the town did not possess a Royal Charter for holding a market. This charter for a weekly market held on a Wednesday was eventually granted on 4 February 1258 by Henry III . It
6300-830: The then Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick officially opened its new Wolverhampton offices at the recently completed i9 office development on 10 September 2021. At the opening of the new office development the Secretary of State was joined by the leader of City of Wolverhampton Council Ian Brookfield and the West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street . From the 18th century, Wolverhampton was well known for production of japanned ware and steel jewellery. The renowned 18th- and 19th-century artists Joseph Barney (1753–1832), Edward Bird (1772–1819), and George Wallis (1811–1891) were all born in Wolverhampton and initially trained as japanned ware painters. The School of Practical Art
6390-477: The town centre and opened in 1999. The first railway within the township was the Grand Junction Railway , where Wednesfield Heath railway station (opened in 1837) was the primary station for Wolverhampton , and was located on Station Road, Heath Town . The station was replaced by Wolverhampton High Level in the city centre, and closed to passengers in 1873 whilst remaining open for goods traffic until 1965. The siting of this station at Heath Town has been cited as
6480-547: The town in 985, from the Anglo-Saxon Wulfrūnehēantūn ("Wulfrūn's high or principal enclosure or farm"). Before the Norman Conquest , the area's name appears only as variants of Heantune or Hamtun ; the prefix Wulfrun or similar appearing in 1070 and thereafter. Alternatively, the city may have earned its original name from Wulfereēantūn (" Wulfhere's high or principal enclosure or farm") after
6570-476: The town's first purpose-built crown court. A few department store chains including Marks & Spencer and Next have stores in the centre of Wolverhampton. Beatties , a House of Fraser store, was announced to close in 2019. Debenhams opened a 3-floor department store in the Mander Centre in 2017, but has now closed. Rackhams had a store on Snow Hill for some 25 years until 1992. This building
6660-493: The west of the town centre, there is a large Sainsbury's supermarket and the Bentley Bridge Retail Park . There is also a retail market . Bentley Bridge consistes of both leisure and retail components. The leisure component is in the form of a multiplex cinema and bowling alley together with fast food outlets, a pub , numerous restaurants, whilst there is 14,700 m of retail space which includes
6750-562: Was 263,700. Historically in Staffordshire , the city grew as a market town specialising in the wool trade. In the Industrial Revolution , it became a major centre for coal mining, steel production, lock making, and automotive manufacturing. The economy of the city is still based on engineering, including a large aerospace industry, as well as the service sector . The city is named after Wulfrun , who founded
6840-413: Was also abolished on 1 April 1966 and merged with Wolverhampton, Essington and Walsall . In 1961 the parish had a population of 33,048. In the early 1950s, when Wednesfield was still independent from its larger neighbour, Wolverhampton council developed two overspill estates – Ashmore Park and Long Knowle – in Wednesfield to rehouse families from slums in the town. For electoral purposes, Wednesfield
6930-566: Was also the location of the United Kingdom's first pedestrian safety barriers, which were erected in 1934. On 2 November 1927, the A4123 New Road was opened by the then-Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII ) linking the city with Birmingham . The New Road was designed as an unemployment relief project and was the United Kingdom's first purpose-built intercity highway of the twentieth century. Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander ,
7020-425: Was built just south of the city centre on Birmingham Road during the 1960s, but operations there were cut back in the early 1990s when a new larger police station was built on Bilston Street on land which became vacant a decade earlier on the demolition of a factory. This was officially opened by Diana, Princess of Wales , on 31 July 1992. The city centre had several cinemas during the 20th century. The last of these
7110-537: Was constructed for the visit. The Queen was so pleased with the statue that she knighted Wolverhampton's mayor at the time, an industrialist named John Morris . Market Square, originally named High Green, was renamed Queen Square in honour of the visit. The statue replaced a Russian cannon captured during the Siege of Sevastopol in 1855, and remains standing in Queen Square. The statue is known locally as "The Man on
7200-408: Was constructed to allow coal traffic to travel between mines near Great Wyrley and Wolverhampton , and was constructed following the contours of the land. This meant that the centre of the town was surrounded on three sides by the canal, and that almost all of the pre-existing roads required hump-backed bridges, and despite the improvement in communications and the potential for transporting goods via
7290-570: Was dismissed in April 1968 following his controversial Rivers of Blood speech in which he warned of massive civil unrest if mass immigration of black and Asian commonwealth inhabitants continued. At the same period, Sikh bus drivers and conductors were demonstrating in Wolverhampton against the Transportation Committee's regulations requiring uniform caps and thus prohibiting turbans. In 2005, former Bilston councillor and MP for Wolverhampton South East , Dennis Turner entered
7380-608: Was established in 1884, whilst Wolverhampton Grand Theatre was opened in 1894. There is a Creative Industries Quarter in Wolverhampton, just off Broad Street, with facilities ranging from the newly opened Slade Rooms , to the art house cinema the Light House Media Centre (closed in 2022) and the Arena Theatre, which is part of the University of Wolverhampton . Wolverhampton has a strong history in
7470-422: Was formerly a township in the parish of Wolverhampton, in 1866 Wednesfield became a separate civil parish . Following the Local Government Act 1894 , the rump of the parish (minus Wednesfield Heath and part of what became Short Heath Urban District) became an urban district within the administrative county of Staffordshire . With the exception of a loss of 24 acres (with a census population of 224) to
7560-480: Was initially one of the wooded estates Lady Wulfruna transferred to St. Peter's Fold to allow the park to generate income and food. A moat-surrounded farmhouse was built here sometime during the mid-14th century. Three-quarters of the moat still exists today in the "bottom shops" precinct. A plaque placed by Wolverhampton Civic Society and Ashmore Park Community Association on The Hub Community Centre states Ashmore Park Colliery operated from 1875 to 1948 and employed
7650-466: Was one of the largest housing estates in Britain at the time. Mass council housing development in Wolverhampton continued into the 1930s, mostly in the north of the city in the Oxley and Wobaston areas and on the new Scotlands Estate in the north-east. However, council house building halted in 1940 following the outbreak of World War II in September the previous year. Wolverhampton St George's (in
7740-591: Was opened in the 1850s and eventually became a close associate of the Art Gallery. Among its students and teachers were Robert Jackson Emerson (1878–1944), Sir Charles Wheeler (Emerson's most famous pupil and the sculptor of the fountains in Trafalgar Square ), Sara Page who established her studio in Paris, and many other artists and sculptors recognised locally and nationally. Wolverhampton Art Gallery
7830-518: Was originally a residential property, but later became the Hand Inn public house. Later becoming Lindy Lou's children’s shop and still called Lindy Lou's by locals. It was completely restored in 1981 after a two-year refurbishment project and has been used by various businesses since then including as a second-hand book shop. On 23 November 1981, an F1/T2 tornado touched down in Fordhouses to
7920-658: Was the ABC Cinema (formerly the Savoy), which closed in 1991 after 54 years. It was then converted into a nightclub, with part of the site being converted into the offices of a recruitment agency in 2005. The building was demolished in 2019 to make way for an extension to the City of Wolverhampton College 's Metro One campus. A modern landmark in the city centre is the Wolverhampton Combined Court Centre on Pipers Row, which opened in 1990 as
8010-613: Was then divided between a Netto supermarket and the local archives service, but by 2006 its future was under threat as part of the proposed Summer Row retail development. This led to the closure of the Netto supermarket in June 2007 and the relocation of the archives service to the Molineux Hotel building in 2008. The building has since been demolished toward a development push from the Local Authority at various sites around
8100-617: Was written. On 20 February 2021, it was announced as part of the government's levelling up strategy, that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ) would be the first government department to have a headquarters based outside of London. Five hundred posts, including those of senior civil servants, will be moving to Wolverhampton by 2025. As DLUHC looks set to relocate some 500 members of staff to Wolverhampton,
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