Mossley Estate, Walsall
Encyclopedia
The Mossley Estate is a housing estate located in Bloxwich
, a town in the West Midlands
of England
. The vast majority of homes in the area are council properties built by the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
during the 1950s.
All the houses were originally council owned, but during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Walsall Council began to sell some of the houses off, a process which accelerated to the present day.
Mossley Infant and Junior and Abbey Primary School serve the estate's children, though after the age of 11, most used to go to the T P Riley School in Bloxwich. In the late 1970s Sneyd Comprehensive School opened and took a lot of its intake from Mossley Estate.
Two pubs were opened on the estate - The Eagle at the Broad Lane end, and the Leathern Bottle by the shopping centre in Cresswell Crescent. The Eagle also served as the terminus of the trolleybus route
from Walsall and Bloxwich which served the estate from the mid-1950s onwards. Originally numbered 30, it was changed to 31 to avoid confusion with other Bloxwich routes. The estate is now served by the National Express West Midlands
301 bus route and Bloxwich North railway station
is located on the northern edge of the estate.
Roads on Mossley Estate are named after towns in the UK which have abbeys of some kind. Abbey Square is the nominal centre of the estate, though the main shopping centre is on Cresswell Crescent (named after a Walsall mayor). Road names include, Glastonbury Crescent, Tintern Crescent, Neath Way, Netley Road, etc.
There is one church on the Estate, St Thomas Church of England
. Originally opened as a daughter church to All Saints Bloxwich,all residents paid a contribution towards a brick to build the church it gained District status in the 1980s or 1990s.
The estate itself is built on the site of a smallpox
isolation hospital, the entrance lodge of which remained at the junction of Cresswell Crescent and Sneyd Lane until the early 1960s when a set of 3 storey flats was built (still extant today)
Crime rates in Mossley are relatively high
Famous former inhabitants include politician David Howarth
, (once of Glastonbury Crescent) now MP for Cambridge and Chris Rolinson, (also once of Glastonbury Crescent) a composer of modern hymns and religious songs, who worked with Sheila Walsh and Graham Kendrick
.
Bloxwich
Bloxwich is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England, with a population of around 40,000 people.-Early history:Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as the Anglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a small Mercian settlement named after the...
, a town in the West Midlands
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The vast majority of homes in the area are council properties built by the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a local government district in the Black Country part of the West Midlands, England, with the status of a metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Walsall, but covers a larger area which also includes the towns of Aldridge, Brownhills,...
during the 1950s.
All the houses were originally council owned, but during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Walsall Council began to sell some of the houses off, a process which accelerated to the present day.
Mossley Infant and Junior and Abbey Primary School serve the estate's children, though after the age of 11, most used to go to the T P Riley School in Bloxwich. In the late 1970s Sneyd Comprehensive School opened and took a lot of its intake from Mossley Estate.
Two pubs were opened on the estate - The Eagle at the Broad Lane end, and the Leathern Bottle by the shopping centre in Cresswell Crescent. The Eagle also served as the terminus of the trolleybus route
Trolleybuses in Walsall
The Walsall trolleybus system once served the town of Walsall, then in Staffordshire, but now in West Midlands, England. Opened on , it gradually replaced the Walsall tramway network....
from Walsall and Bloxwich which served the estate from the mid-1950s onwards. Originally numbered 30, it was changed to 31 to avoid confusion with other Bloxwich routes. The estate is now served by the National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
301 bus route and Bloxwich North railway station
Bloxwich North railway station
Bloxwich North railway station serves the town of Bloxwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England.The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-History:...
is located on the northern edge of the estate.
Roads on Mossley Estate are named after towns in the UK which have abbeys of some kind. Abbey Square is the nominal centre of the estate, though the main shopping centre is on Cresswell Crescent (named after a Walsall mayor). Road names include, Glastonbury Crescent, Tintern Crescent, Neath Way, Netley Road, etc.
There is one church on the Estate, St Thomas Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Originally opened as a daughter church to All Saints Bloxwich,all residents paid a contribution towards a brick to build the church it gained District status in the 1980s or 1990s.
The estate itself is built on the site of a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
isolation hospital, the entrance lodge of which remained at the junction of Cresswell Crescent and Sneyd Lane until the early 1960s when a set of 3 storey flats was built (still extant today)
Crime rates in Mossley are relatively high
Famous former inhabitants include politician David Howarth
David Howarth
David Ross Howarth is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2005 to 2010.- Education and academic career :...
, (once of Glastonbury Crescent) now MP for Cambridge and Chris Rolinson, (also once of Glastonbury Crescent) a composer of modern hymns and religious songs, who worked with Sheila Walsh and Graham Kendrick
Graham Kendrick
Graham Kendrick is a prolific British Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader. He is the son of a Baptist pastor. He now lives in Croydon and is a former member of Ichthus Christian Fellowship...
.