Spring Vale
Encyclopedia
Spring Vale is a ward of Wolverhampton
City Council, West Midlands
, England
. It is situated SSE of the city centre, on the city's border with the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
.
, Spring Vale borders the Blakenhall
, Ettingshall
and Bilston East
wards, and forms part of the Wolverhampton South East constituency. It contains the suburbs of Ettingshall Park, Woodcross
(which is actually part of the Bilston
township) and Lanesfield
.
. The works were a major employer for the area and the location where the first Bessemer
blast furnace was installed, which allowed the invention of Tarmac
using burnt coal residue. The closure of works resulted in the loss of 2,000 and the surrounding communities all witnessed a rise in unemployment and significant damage to their local economies.
FRBS. 'Roll Down' stands on the exact location of where the number 1 Bessemer Blast Furnace, known as Elizabeth to the steel workers, was sited. At a height of 45 feet (14 m) and 18.5 feet (6 m) wide, 'Roll Down' is made of wrought stainless steel. It was nominated for the Anderson Sculpture Prize. The sculpture was unveiled on 19 October 1994 by Labour
MP Dennis Turner
, who had worked as a steelman at the Elizabeth blast furnace. Past steel workers were invited to the ceremony and reception. 250 children from the Springvale Primary school adjacent to the sculpture, buried memory capsules beneath the sculpture. This was after a tour organised by Robert Erskine to the works in Derby where he was creating 'Roll Down', and involved the children in the project. The capsules contain poignant stories of the children's families experiencing unemployment, but also messages of thought for the future. Many children provided precious artifacts and objects from their relatives, which in time will be revealed and preserved for future generations. 'Roll Down' is designed to last a minimum of 500 years.
Also located in the ward is Spring Vale Library on Bevan Avenue.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
City Council, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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...
. It is situated SSE of the city centre, on the city's border with the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
.
Geography
As well as DudleyMetropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
, Spring Vale borders the Blakenhall
Blakenhall
Blakenhall is a ward in Wolverhampton, England.-Toponymy and history:Blakenhall's name, according to topynmists comes from the Old English 'blæc', meaning 'black' or dark coloured, & 'halh' meaning 'nook' or 'corner'...
, Ettingshall
Ettingshall
Ettingshall is an area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, and is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council.-History:Ettingshall was mentioned as an ancient manor in the Domesday Book of 1086...
and Bilston East
Bilston East
Bilston East is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council, West Midlands. It covers the southern and eastern parts of the town of Bilston, as well as Bradley. It borders the Spring Vale, Ettingshall, and Bilston North wards, as well as the Metropolitan Boroughs of Walsall, Sandwell, and Dudley...
wards, and forms part of the Wolverhampton South East constituency. It contains the suburbs of Ettingshall Park, Woodcross
Woodcross
Woodcross is a residential area of Bilston, West Midlands, England. It is set within the borough of Wolverhampton, though the area existed within the boundaries of Sedgley and finally Coseley until 1966.History=...
(which is actually part of the Bilston
Bilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
township) and Lanesfield
Lanesfield
Lanesfield is a district now within the boundaries of Wolverhampton, specifically in the city council's Spring Vale ward. Lanesfield lies within the Ancient Manor of Sedgley and was a rural village for many years until the growth of the Black Country's industries. Lanesfield's name originates from...
.
History
The area has seen some regeneration in recent years, as a result of the close of the Bilston Steel Works in 1979 by British SteelBritish Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
. The works were a major employer for the area and the location where the first Bessemer
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
blast furnace was installed, which allowed the invention of Tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
using burnt coal residue. The closure of works resulted in the loss of 2,000 and the surrounding communities all witnessed a rise in unemployment and significant damage to their local economies.
Places of interest
In 1994, Blue Lamp and Tarmac Industries developed the land building Springvale Retail Park, providing new employment to local people. In 1995, Blue Lamp Business Parks Ltd. commissioned a landmark sculpture called 'Roll Down', designed and created by sculptor Robert ErskineRobert Erskine
Colonel Robert Erskine was a Scottish inventor and later an American officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War....
FRBS. 'Roll Down' stands on the exact location of where the number 1 Bessemer Blast Furnace, known as Elizabeth to the steel workers, was sited. At a height of 45 feet (14 m) and 18.5 feet (6 m) wide, 'Roll Down' is made of wrought stainless steel. It was nominated for the Anderson Sculpture Prize. The sculpture was unveiled on 19 October 1994 by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Dennis Turner
Dennis Turner, Baron Bilston
Dennis Turner, Baron Bilston is a Labour and Co-operative politician in the United Kingdom and was a Member of Parliament from 1987 until 2005.-Early life:...
, who had worked as a steelman at the Elizabeth blast furnace. Past steel workers were invited to the ceremony and reception. 250 children from the Springvale Primary school adjacent to the sculpture, buried memory capsules beneath the sculpture. This was after a tour organised by Robert Erskine to the works in Derby where he was creating 'Roll Down', and involved the children in the project. The capsules contain poignant stories of the children's families experiencing unemployment, but also messages of thought for the future. Many children provided precious artifacts and objects from their relatives, which in time will be revealed and preserved for future generations. 'Roll Down' is designed to last a minimum of 500 years.
Also located in the ward is Spring Vale Library on Bevan Avenue.