Walsall
Encyclopedia
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands
of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham
and east of Wolverhampton
. Historically
a part of Staffordshire
, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation
and part of the Black Country
.
Walsall is the administrative headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
. In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 170,994 with the wider borough
having a population of 253,500. Neighbouring towns in the borough include Brownhills
, Willenhall
, Bloxwich
and Aldridge
.
, while the settlements of Aldridge
, Bescot
, Shelfield
, Pelsall
,
Bloxwich
, Great Barr
and Rushall
within the Metropolitan Borough are. However, it is believed that a manor was held here by William FitzAnsculf, who held numerous manors in the Midlands
. By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small market town
, with the weekly market being introduced in 1220 and held on Tuesdays. The mayor of Walsall was created as a political position in the 14th century. Walsall is known as "the town of a hundred trades". (This appellation is a nod to the fact that nearby Birmingham is known as "the city of a thousand trades".)
The town was visited by Queen Elizabeth I
, when it was known as 'Walshale'. It was also visited by Henrietta Maria
in 1643. She stayed in the town for one night at a building named the 'White Hart' in the area of Caldmore
. Queen Mary's Grammar School
was founded by Queen Mary I
in 1554, and the school carries the queen's personal badge as its emblem: the Tudor Rose
and the sheaf of arrow
s of Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon
tied with a Staffordshire Knot.
changed Walsall from a village of 2,000 people in the 16th century to a town of over 86,000 in approximately 200 years. The town manufactured a wide range of products including saddle
s, chains, buckles and plated ware. Nearby, limestone
quarrying provided the town with much prosperity.
In 1821, St. Matthew's Church was demolished with exception of the tower and chancel and replaced at a cost of £20,000 to a design by Francis Goodwin. In 1824, the Walsall Corporation received an Act of Parliament
to improve the town by providing lighting and a gas works. The gas works were built in 1826 at a cost of £4,000. In 1825, the corporation built eleven tiled, brick almshouse
s for poor women. They were known to the area as 'Molesley's Almshouses'.
The 'Walsall Improvement and Market Act' was passed in 1848 and amended in 1850. The Act provided facilities for the poor, improving and extending the sewerage system and giving the commissioners the powers to construct a new gas works. On 10 October 1847, a gas explosion killed one person and destroyed the west window of St Matthew's Church.
48 years after canals reached the town, Walsall finally received a railway line in 1847, Bescot having been served since 1838, by the Grand Junction Railway
. In 1855, Walsall's first newspaper, the Walsall Courier and South Staffordshire Gazette
, was published.
: which is located on the site of a bomb which was dropped by Zeppelin 'L 21' - killing the town's mayoress, and two others. Damage from the Zeppelin can still be seen on what is now a club on the corner of the main road, just opposite the furniture shop. A plaque commemorates the incident. The town also has a memorial to local VC
recipient John Henry Carless
.
Slum clearances began after the end of World War
, with thousands of 19th century buildings around the town centre being demolished as the 20th century wore on, with new estates being built away from the town centre during the 1920s and 1930s. These were concentrated in areas to the north of the town centre such as Coal Pool, Blakenall Heath
(where Walsall's first council houses were built in 1920), Goscote
and Harden. after the end of World War II
, Beechdale
.
Significant developments also took place nearer to the town centre, particularly during the 1960s
when a host of tower blocks were built around the town centre; however most of these had been demolished by 2010.
The Memorial Gardens opened in 1952 in honour of the town's fallen combatants of the two world wars. The Old Square Shopping Centre, a modern indoor shopping complex featuring many big retail names, opened in 1969.
The Saddlers Centre
, a modern shopping mall, opened in 1980, being refurbished within a decade.
The Jerome K. Jerome
museum, dedicated to the locally born author (1859–1927), was opened in 1984.
The town's prolific leather industry was recognised in 1988 when The Princess Royal
opened Walsall Leather Museum.
to form the metropolitan county of the West Midlands
. Walsall is currently undergoing a new era of urban regeneration with many brownfield sites being replaced with modern houses, flats and offices.
Construction is ongoing in St Matthew's Quarters. A new Asda
store opened in 2007 and when completed St Matthew's Quarters will also include brand shops and modern flats. Walsall College
has moved to a new site within the town centre whilst on the old site Tesco
have recently opened a new 10000 sq ft (929 m²) shopping complex.
The Saddlers' Centre
, a modern shopping complex, was opened in the town centre
in 1980. This included a new Marks & Spencer
department store.
The other plans are to redevelop Old Square Shopping Centre (opened in 1969) to make it bigger and connect it to the St Matthew's Quarter.
Early 2000 saw the opening of a new art gallery
in the northwest of the town centre near Wolverhampton Street, along with the new Crown Wharf Retail Park shortly afterwards. Part of Park Street, the town's main shopping area, was redeveloped around the same time. The centrepiece of this redevelopment was the new British Home Stores department store, which relocated from St Paul's Street at the end of the 1990s.
The Savoy Cinema was a landmark on Park Street for more than half a century after its opening on 3 October 1938. It was refurbished in 1973 and became the Cannon Cinema after a takeover in 1986, but closed on 18 November 1993 after operating as a cinema for 55 years. It was demolished some 18 months later and the town's new Woolworths
store was built on its site. The store closed down at the end of 2008 when the retailer went into liquidation, and the building was re-occupied by a new T J Hughes
department store which opened on 9 October 2009. However, the building became vacant again on 14 August 2011 when financial difficulties led to T J Hughes pulling out of the town after less than two years of trading. It was re-occupied two months later with the opening of a Poundland
store in the building on 22 October that year.
, which is reportedly the highest point following its latitude eastwards until the Ural Mountains
in Russia
. There was a plaque on the summit attesting to this, although it has been repeatedly stolen. The soil of Walsall consists mainly of clay
with areas of limestone
, which were quarried during the Industrial Revolution.
The 2001 Census
gives the Walsall Urban Subdivision as the fourth most populous in the West Midlands conurbation
, with a total resident population of 170,994.
The Walsall dialect is often referred to as "Yam-Yam". The accent is often incorrectly referred to as a Brummie
accent by people from outside the West Midlands.
to metal working. In the late 19th century, the coal mines ran dry, and Walsall became internationally famous for its leather trade. Walsall still manufactures the Queen's
handbags and leathergoods for the Prince of Wales
. Walsall is the traditional home of the English saddle
manufacturing industry, hence the nickname of Walsall Football Club, "the Saddlers". Apart from leather goods, other industries in Walsall include iron and brass founding, limestone
quarrying, small hardware, plastics, electronics, chemicals and aircraft
parts.
Walsall's location in Central England and the fact that the M6
runs through the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
has increased its investment appeal. The main RAC
control centre is located in Walsall close by J9 of the M6
and there are now plans to redevelop derelict land in nearby Darlaston
and turn it into a state-of-the-art regional hub. Between Bloxwich
and Walsall there is a business corridor where TK Maxx has recently opened a regional depot. Currently established businesses include Homeserve plc and South Staffordshire Water
.
's Sports and Art Campus and School of Education, all part of the Walsall Campus in Gorway Road, which includes a Student Village. Walsall College
provides further education
, and is based around three sites across Walsall. There are ten secular junior schools and two religious junior schools in Walsall.
Schools within the town are administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
.
; west to Wolverhampton
, Willenhall
and Bloxwich
; north to Cannock
and Brownhills
; and east to Sutton Coldfield
and Aldridge
, with many to the latter. In addition, more infrequent services to Lichfield
run. St Paul's is also home to the Walsall Information Centre. Bradford Place operates buses mainly to the south and southwest, to West Bromwich
, Oldbury
, Dudley
and Stourbridge
. There are also numerous shorter bus routes, leaving from both stations which give the town centre a link to housing estates including Alumwell, Beechdale, Chuckery, Park Hall and the Mossley Estate.
Walsall has a busy railway station
; four trains per hour run south from the station to Birmingham and two trains per hour run north to Cannock
and Rugeley
with fewer trains in the evenings and on Sundays. There are also suburban stations at Bescot, Bloxwich
and Bloxwich North
.
Walsall is served by the A34
, the A454
and the M6
for road travel. There are three nearby junctions on the M6 motorway
: J7, J9 and J10. The stretch between these junctions is one of the busiest in Europe.
was officially opened on 4 May 1874 by the wealthy Hatherton family. It was hoped that the park would provide "a healthy change from dogfights, bull-baiting
and cockfights", however the 2d (old pence) admission was not popular with the public and within seven years the council took over ownership to provide free admission. Among the attractions available were two boating lakes on the sites of former quarries, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, and later - in the extension - a children's play area and paddling pool.
Over the years the Arboretum
has seen many events and changes, including the beginnings of the Walsall Arboretum Illuminations
as an annual event in 1951.
Originally white bulbs in trees for courting couples in the autumn, in the 1960s and 1970s, the lights were purchased secondhand from Blackpool Illuminations
, but over the years they were increasingly made "in house" and are now all are.
The Illuminations had up to sixty thousand bulbs and they needed year-round planning. Although the event had attracted an estimated 250,000 people in 1995, lack of growth beyond this figure has raised the prospect of major redevelopment as the light shows have been exactly the same for a number of years. In February 2009, Walsall council announced that the Illuminations will not take place in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
In January 2010, it was announced that the Illuminations had been permanently scrapped and would be replaced by other events such as concerts and laser shows throughout the year. The existing lights would be sold off where possible to interested parties.
The New Art Gallery Walsall
opened in 2000. Named, as was its predecessor, the E M Flint Gallery in memory of Ethel Mary Flint, head of art at Queen Mary's Grammar School, an exhibitor at the Royal Academy, and a former mayor of Walsall, it contains a large number of works by Jacob Epstein
as well as works by Van Gogh, Monet, Turner
, Renoir
and Constable
. The large gallery space is host to temporary exhibitions.
and Walsall Leather Museum
. Walsall Museum features local history objects primarily from the manufacturing trades and also has a space for temporary exhibitions, while the leather museum displays a mixture of leather goods and has recreations of leatherworkers workshops.
statue stands at the crossroads of Park Street and Bridge Street. Opposite this, stood a locally famous concrete hippopotamus
, which has since been moved to a corner of the square and replaced by a fountain.
was born in the town, he never wrote about it. Some writers have, including the Walsall born John Petty (1919–1973) who set a number of his of his books in Walsall, most famously Five Fags a Day (1956). More recently the comic novelist Paul McDonald
has used Walsall as a location for Surviving Sting (2001) and Kiss Me Softly, Amy Turtle (2004).
, the Saddlers, was founded in 1888 when Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. merged. They won their first game against Aston Villa
. The club currently play in Football League One
.
Walsall also has a cricket club, Walsall Cricket Club
who won Birmingham League Premier Division in 2006.
Walsall RUFC is Walsall's rugby union team who are currently competing in Midlands 2 West
.
Walsall Hockey Club currently play in the West Midlands Premier League and are managed by Sir Mark Grundy
.
Walsall was home to a horse racing course. The grandstand was constructed in 1809 at a cost of £1,300 on a piece of land donated by the Earl of Bradford
on a lease of 99 years. Soon after completion, one of the lower compartments was converted into a billiards
room which contained a table donated by Lord Chichester Spencer of Fisherwick Park. Throughout the 19th century, races were held annually at the racecourse on Michaelmas
.
In 1847, the corporation tried to construct a new market hall on the 'Bowling Green', to the rear of the Dragon Inn. The scheme proposed to use a large amount of public money to construct the hall. Shopkeepers feared that their businesses would be affected and demonstrations were held across the town against the proposals. The demonstrations forced the plans to be shelved.
Park Street remains Walsall's main shopping high street with Bridge Street cutting through the middle to host two average-sized indoor shopping centres at opposite ends; 'The Old Square' and 'Bradford Mall' formerly known as the 'Saddlers Centre
'. The recent development known as 'Crown Wharf Retail Park' is host to larger scale shops including the first non-food Asda store. Other redevelopments include that of the former 'Quasar Centre' now known as 'Park Place Shopping Centre'. The Broadwalk Retail Park
is also located within Walsall.
The area around Walsall's new art gallery is soon to be redeveloped into a huge shopping area coined 'the Waterfront' designed by architect Will Alsop
with space available for restaurants, cafés and a new hotel.
top Property awards. This is for a range of future development projects worth £1 billion. These are projects for developing offices, flats, leisure facilities and shopping outlets. The projects due in completion in 2009 and 2010 are Walsall Manor Hospital redevelopment worth £174 million,the new Walsall College worth £65 million,the Waterfront South development worth £60 million and the St. Matthew's Quarter worth more than £25 million. There are also future plans which have recently given the 'go ahead' by the Government include the £500 million Walsall Gigaport which is a high-speed fibre optic internet environment for national and international businesses, Waterfront North development worth £65 million and the Waterfront Lex development.
Walsall Transport Package worth £17 million was also due for completion in 2009 but actually completed earlier allowing the early opening of a £55 million supermarket development to create scores of extra jobs. This is an overall development of roads in and out of Walsall town centre as well as those towards Walsall Arboretum
.
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...
of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and east of Wolverhampton
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...
. Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation
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....
and part of the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
.
Walsall is the administrative headquarters of 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,...
. In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 170,994 with the wider borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
having a population of 253,500. Neighbouring towns in the borough include Brownhills
Brownhills
Brownhills is a town in the West Midlands, England. Located on the edge of Cannock Chase near the large artificial lake Chasewater, it is north-east of Walsall and a similar distance south-west of Lichfield. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the Aldridge-Brownhills...
, Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
, Bloxwich
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...
and Aldridge
Aldridge
Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.- History :...
.
Early settlement
The name Walsall is thought to have derived from the words "Walh halh", meaning "valley of the Celtic speakers" (referring to the Celts). Walsall is first referenced as 'Walesho' in a document dated 1002. Possibly as a result of a clerical error, it is not referenced in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, while the settlements of Aldridge
Aldridge
Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.- History :...
, Bescot
Bescot
Bescot is an area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.It is served by Bescot Stadium railway station, adjacent to which is Bescot depot where locomotives are maintained. The Bescot Stadium was built in 1990 for Walsall F.C.....
, Shelfield
Shelfield
Shelfield is a small village to the north of Walsall in the West Midlands conurbation.The name Shelfield derives from the Anglo Saxon Skelfeld for sloping ground or field -Education:...
, Pelsall
Pelsall
Pelsall is an area of Walsall in the West Midlands, England. It is part of the Parliamentary Constituency of Aldridge-Brownhills.- History :Pelsall was first mentioned in a charter of 994, when it was amongst various lands given to the monastery at Heantune by Wulfrun, a Mercian noblewoman...
,
Bloxwich
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...
, Great Barr
Great Barr
Great Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall , West Midlands, England...
and Rushall
Rushall, West Midlands
Rushall is a residential area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is centred around the main road between Walsall and Lichfield, and was mostly developed after 1920...
within the Metropolitan Borough are. However, it is believed that a manor was held here by William FitzAnsculf, who held numerous manors in the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, with the weekly market being introduced in 1220 and held on Tuesdays. The mayor of Walsall was created as a political position in the 14th century. Walsall is known as "the town of a hundred trades". (This appellation is a nod to the fact that nearby Birmingham is known as "the city of a thousand trades".)
The town was visited by Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, when it was known as 'Walshale'. It was also visited by Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
in 1643. She stayed in the town for one night at a building named the 'White Hart' in the area of Caldmore
Caldmore
Caldmore is one of the villages that make up the town of Walsall. The name is pronounced "Kar-ma" by the local populace.-History:The area was an important junction of roads which created a triangular shaped green called Caldmore Green...
. Queen Mary's Grammar School
Queen Mary's Grammar School
Queen Mary's Grammar School is a selective grammar school located in Sutton Road, Walsall, England, about a mile from the town centre.-Admissions:...
was founded by Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
in 1554, and the school carries the queen's personal badge as its emblem: the Tudor Rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
and the sheaf of arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s of Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
tied with a Staffordshire Knot.
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
changed Walsall from a village of 2,000 people in the 16th century to a town of over 86,000 in approximately 200 years. The town manufactured a wide range of products including saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
s, chains, buckles and plated ware. Nearby, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarrying provided the town with much prosperity.
In 1821, St. Matthew's Church was demolished with exception of the tower and chancel and replaced at a cost of £20,000 to a design by Francis Goodwin. In 1824, the Walsall Corporation received an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to improve the town by providing lighting and a gas works. The gas works were built in 1826 at a cost of £4,000. In 1825, the corporation built eleven tiled, brick almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s for poor women. They were known to the area as 'Molesley's Almshouses'.
The 'Walsall Improvement and Market Act' was passed in 1848 and amended in 1850. The Act provided facilities for the poor, improving and extending the sewerage system and giving the commissioners the powers to construct a new gas works. On 10 October 1847, a gas explosion killed one person and destroyed the west window of St Matthew's Church.
48 years after canals reached the town, Walsall finally received a railway line in 1847, Bescot having been served since 1838, by the Grand Junction Railway
Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
. In 1855, Walsall's first newspaper, the Walsall Courier and South Staffordshire Gazette
Walsall Courier and South Staffordshire Gazette
Walsall Courier and South Staffordshire Gazette is the earliest known newspaper to serve Walsall in the ancient county of Staffordshire, now the West Midlands....
, was published.
First World War
Over 2000 men from Walsall were killed in fighting during the First World War. They are commemorated by the town's cenotaphCenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
: which is located on the site of a bomb which was dropped by Zeppelin 'L 21' - killing the town's mayoress, and two others. Damage from the Zeppelin can still be seen on what is now a club on the corner of the main road, just opposite the furniture shop. A plaque commemorates the incident. The town also has a memorial to local VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
recipient John Henry Carless
John Henry Carless
John Henry Carless VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War.Carless was born on 11 November 1896 to John Thomas and Elizabeth Carless, of Walsall. He died when he was 21 years old, and an Ordinary Seaman in the Royal Navy during World War I...
.
20th century developments
Walsall's first cinema opened in the town centre in 1908; however the post Second World War decline in cinema attendances brought on by the rise in television ownership resulted in that and all of Walsall's other cinemas eventually being closed. The first Wurlitzer theatre organ in Great Britain was installed in the New Picture House (later renamed the Gaumont) cinema in the town centre.Slum clearances began after the end of World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
, with thousands of 19th century buildings around the town centre being demolished as the 20th century wore on, with new estates being built away from the town centre during the 1920s and 1930s. These were concentrated in areas to the north of the town centre such as Coal Pool, Blakenall Heath
Blakenall Heath
Blakenall Heath is a neighbourhood in Walsall, West Midlands, England. It straddles the border of Walsall and neighbouring town Bloxwich.It was originally a rural area north of Walsall, but the face of the area changed dramatically between 1918 and 1939....
(where Walsall's first council houses were built in 1920), Goscote
Goscote
Not to be confused with Goscote, WalsallGoscote was a wapentake of Leicestershire, England, consisting of the north and north-west of the county...
and Harden. after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Beechdale
Beechdale
Beechdale, originally named Gypsy Lane Estate, is a housing estate in Walsall, England, that was developed predominantly during the 1950s and 1960s....
.
Significant developments also took place nearer to the town centre, particularly during the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
when a host of tower blocks were built around the town centre; however most of these had been demolished by 2010.
The Memorial Gardens opened in 1952 in honour of the town's fallen combatants of the two world wars. The Old Square Shopping Centre, a modern indoor shopping complex featuring many big retail names, opened in 1969.
The Saddlers Centre
Saddlers Centre
The Saddlers Centre is a shopping centre located in Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom.The shopping centre takes its name from the towns saddle manufacturing heritage and is also known as the nickname for the towns football team Walsall FC....
, a modern shopping mall, opened in 1980, being refurbished within a decade.
The Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
museum, dedicated to the locally born author (1859–1927), was opened in 1984.
The town's prolific leather industry was recognised in 1988 when The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
opened Walsall Leather Museum.
Redevelopment and local government reorganisation
Walsall underwent modernisation in the 1970s with a new town centre being built at the expense of some medieval properties. In 1974, Walsall was transferred from the county of StaffordshireStaffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
to form the metropolitan county of the 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...
. Walsall is currently undergoing a new era of urban regeneration with many brownfield sites being replaced with modern houses, flats and offices.
Construction is ongoing in St Matthew's Quarters. A new Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
store opened in 2007 and when completed St Matthew's Quarters will also include brand shops and modern flats. Walsall College
Walsall College
Walsall College is a further education college in Walsall, West Midlands, England.The college is the largest provider of qualifications for 14-19 year olds in the Borough of Walsall. In addition, Walsall College provides education and training for adults, delivered both at the college campuses and...
has moved to a new site within the town centre whilst on the old site Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
have recently opened a new 10000 sq ft (929 m²) shopping complex.
The Saddlers' Centre
Saddlers Centre
The Saddlers Centre is a shopping centre located in Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom.The shopping centre takes its name from the towns saddle manufacturing heritage and is also known as the nickname for the towns football team Walsall FC....
, a modern shopping complex, was opened in the town centre
Town centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
in 1980. This included a new Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
department store.
The other plans are to redevelop Old Square Shopping Centre (opened in 1969) to make it bigger and connect it to the St Matthew's Quarter.
Early 2000 saw the opening of a new art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in the northwest of the town centre near Wolverhampton Street, along with the new Crown Wharf Retail Park shortly afterwards. Part of Park Street, the town's main shopping area, was redeveloped around the same time. The centrepiece of this redevelopment was the new British Home Stores department store, which relocated from St Paul's Street at the end of the 1990s.
The Savoy Cinema was a landmark on Park Street for more than half a century after its opening on 3 October 1938. It was refurbished in 1973 and became the Cannon Cinema after a takeover in 1986, but closed on 18 November 1993 after operating as a cinema for 55 years. It was demolished some 18 months later and the town's new Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
store was built on its site. The store closed down at the end of 2008 when the retailer went into liquidation, and the building was re-occupied by a new T J Hughes
T J Hughes
T J Hughes is a British discount department store brand. As an individual chain of shops T J Hughes emerged in Liverpool in 1925 and continued to trade until entering liquidation in 2011...
department store which opened on 9 October 2009. However, the building became vacant again on 14 August 2011 when financial difficulties led to T J Hughes pulling out of the town after less than two years of trading. It was re-occupied two months later with the opening of a Poundland
Poundland
Poundland is a British-based variety store chain which sells every item in its stores for £1. Established in April 1990 by Dave Dodd and Stephen Smith, Poundland stock a variety of around 3,000 home and kitchen-ware, gifts, healthcare and other products, across 16 categories many of which are brand...
store in the building on 22 October that year.
Geography
A local landmark is Barr BeaconBarr Beacon
Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr and to the local school Barr Beacon Language College. It is historically the site of a beacon where fires were lit in times of impending attack or on...
, which is reportedly the highest point following its latitude eastwards until the Ural Mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. There was a plaque on the summit attesting to this, although it has been repeatedly stolen. The soil of Walsall consists mainly of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
with areas of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, which were quarried during the Industrial Revolution.
Suburbs and areas
Demography
| Walsall Compared | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... |
Walsall | Walsall MB 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,... |
West Midlands conurbation 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.... |
England |
| Total population | 170,994 | 253,499 | 2,284,093 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 81.6% | 86.4% | 79.6% | 90.9% |
| Asian | 14.6% | 10.5% | 13.5% | 4.6% |
| Black | 1.7% | 1.4% | 3.9% | 2.3% |
| Source: Office for National Statistics | ||||
The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
gives the Walsall Urban Subdivision as the fourth most populous in the West Midlands conurbation
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....
, with a total resident population of 170,994.
The Walsall dialect is often referred to as "Yam-Yam". The accent is often incorrectly referred to as a Brummie
Brummie
Brummie is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum...
accent by people from outside the West Midlands.
Economy
Walsall has had many industries, from coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
to metal working. In the late 19th century, the coal mines ran dry, and Walsall became internationally famous for its leather trade. Walsall still manufactures the Queen's
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
handbags and leathergoods for the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. Walsall is the traditional home of the English saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
manufacturing industry, hence the nickname of Walsall Football Club, "the Saddlers". Apart from leather goods, other industries in Walsall include iron and brass founding, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarrying, small hardware, plastics, electronics, chemicals and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
parts.
Walsall's location in Central England and the fact that the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
runs through 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,...
has increased its investment appeal. The main RAC
RAC plc
RAC Limited is a breakdown company in the United Kingdom supplying products and services for motorists. Initially formed as the "Associate Section" of the Royal Automobile Club, it was incorporated as R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1978. It was then sold by the members of the Royal Automobile...
control centre is located in Walsall close by J9 of the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
and there are now plans to redevelop derelict land in nearby Darlaston
Darlaston
Darlaston is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.-History:Archaeological evidence of the history of Darlaston has been destroyed by The de Darlaston family owned Darlaston and lived in the manor between the 12th century and 15th century. When the de...
and turn it into a state-of-the-art regional hub. Between Bloxwich
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...
and Walsall there is a business corridor where TK Maxx has recently opened a regional depot. Currently established businesses include Homeserve plc and South Staffordshire Water
South Staffordshire Water
South Staffordshire Water PLC known as South Staffs Water, is a privately owned water company supplying water to parts of Staffordshire and the West Midlands, England....
.
Education
Walsall is home to the University of WolverhamptonUniversity of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford...
's Sports and Art Campus and School of Education, all part of the Walsall Campus in Gorway Road, which includes a Student Village. Walsall College
Walsall College
Walsall College is a further education college in Walsall, West Midlands, England.The college is the largest provider of qualifications for 14-19 year olds in the Borough of Walsall. In addition, Walsall College provides education and training for adults, delivered both at the college campuses and...
provides further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
, and is based around three sites across Walsall. There are ten secular junior schools and two religious junior schools in Walsall.
Schools within the town are administered 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,...
.
Transport
Walsall Bus Station, is made up of two smaller bus stations, Bradford Place Bus Station and St Paul's Bus Station. Over 90 bus routes operated by eleven bus operators serve Walsall. Services from St Paul's Bus Station leave Walsall in many directions; there are services southeast to BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
; west to Wolverhampton
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...
, Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
and Bloxwich
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...
; north to Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
and Brownhills
Brownhills
Brownhills is a town in the West Midlands, England. Located on the edge of Cannock Chase near the large artificial lake Chasewater, it is north-east of Walsall and a similar distance south-west of Lichfield. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the Aldridge-Brownhills...
; and east to Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
and Aldridge
Aldridge
Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.- History :...
, with many to the latter. In addition, more infrequent services to Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
run. St Paul's is also home to the Walsall Information Centre. Bradford Place operates buses mainly to the south and southwest, to West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, Oldbury
Oldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
, Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
and Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
. There are also numerous shorter bus routes, leaving from both stations which give the town centre a link to housing estates including Alumwell, Beechdale, Chuckery, Park Hall and the Mossley Estate.
Walsall has a busy railway station
Walsall railway station
Walsall railway station is the principal railway station of Walsall, West Midlands, England and situated in the heart of the town. It is operated by London Midland, who run all of its train services...
; four trains per hour run south from the station to Birmingham and two trains per hour run north to Cannock
Cannock railway station
Cannock railway station serves the town of Cannock in Staffordshire, England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by London Midland.-History:...
and Rugeley
Rugeley Town railway station
Rugeley Town railway station serves the town of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.-History:...
with fewer trains in the evenings and on Sundays. There are also suburban stations at Bescot, Bloxwich
Bloxwich railway station
Bloxwich 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:...
and Bloxwich North
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:...
.
Walsall is served by the A34
A34 road
The A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A6042 in Salford to Winchester in Hampshire. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester...
, the A454
A454 road
The A454 is a major road in England. Starting from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, it runs eastwards, crossing a narrow part of Staffordshire, to Wolverhampton, West Midlands. It then by-passes Willenhall where it becomes the eastern section of "The Black Country Route" before meeting the M6 motorway at...
and the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
for road travel. There are three nearby junctions on the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
: J7, J9 and J10. The stretch between these junctions is one of the busiest in Europe.
Arboretum and illuminations
Walsall ArboretumWalsall Arboretum
Walsall Arboretum is a Victorian public park located very close to Walsall town centre in the West Midlands. Part of the park and surrounding housing are covered by the Arboretum conservation area.-17th-19th centuries:...
was officially opened on 4 May 1874 by the wealthy Hatherton family. It was hoped that the park would provide "a healthy change from dogfights, bull-baiting
Bull-baiting
Bull-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of bulls.-History:In the time of Queen Anne of Great Britain, bull-baiting was practiced in London at Hockley-in-the-Hole, twice a week – and was reasonably common in the provincial towns...
and cockfights", however the 2d (old pence) admission was not popular with the public and within seven years the council took over ownership to provide free admission. Among the attractions available were two boating lakes on the sites of former quarries, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, and later - in the extension - a children's play area and paddling pool.
Over the years the Arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
has seen many events and changes, including the beginnings of the Walsall Arboretum Illuminations
Illuminations (festival)
Illuminations are secular Autumn festivals of electric light held in several English cities, towns and villages, in particular:*Blackpool *Matlock Bath*Mousehole*Walsall.-Blackpool Illuminations:...
as an annual event in 1951.
Originally white bulbs in trees for courting couples in the autumn, in the 1960s and 1970s, the lights were purchased secondhand from Blackpool Illuminations
Blackpool Illuminations
Blackpool Illuminations is an annual Lights Festival, founded in 1879 and first switched on 18 September that year, held each autumn in the English seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire....
, but over the years they were increasingly made "in house" and are now all are.
The Illuminations had up to sixty thousand bulbs and they needed year-round planning. Although the event had attracted an estimated 250,000 people in 1995, lack of growth beyond this figure has raised the prospect of major redevelopment as the light shows have been exactly the same for a number of years. In February 2009, Walsall council announced that the Illuminations will not take place in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
In January 2010, it was announced that the Illuminations had been permanently scrapped and would be replaced by other events such as concerts and laser shows throughout the year. The existing lights would be sold off where possible to interested parties.
Art gallery
Walsall Art Gallery
The New Art Gallery Walsall is a modern and contemporary art gallery sited in the centre of the West Midlands town of Walsall, England. It was built with £21 million of public funding, including £15.75 million from the UK National Lottery and additional money from the European Regional Development...
opened in 2000. Named, as was its predecessor, the E M Flint Gallery in memory of Ethel Mary Flint, head of art at Queen Mary's Grammar School, an exhibitor at the Royal Academy, and a former mayor of Walsall, it contains a large number of works by Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
as well as works by Van Gogh, Monet, Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
, Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
and Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
. The large gallery space is host to temporary exhibitions.
Museums
Walsall has two museums, Walsall MuseumWalsall Museum
The Walsall Museum is located in the centre of Walsall, in the West Midlands, and displays objects from the local area in its permanent history gallery, 'The Changing Face of Walsall', on the 1st floor...
and Walsall Leather Museum
Walsall Leather Museum
Walsall Leather Museum is located in Walsall, in the West Midlands in England, and was opened in 1988 on the site of a Victorian leather factory, renovated by Walsall Council...
. Walsall Museum features local history objects primarily from the manufacturing trades and also has a space for temporary exhibitions, while the leather museum displays a mixture of leather goods and has recreations of leatherworkers workshops.
Public art
The refurbished Sister DoraSister Dora
Sister Dora was a 19th century Church of England nun and a nurse in Walsall, Staffordshire.-Life:...
statue stands at the crossroads of Park Street and Bridge Street. Opposite this, stood a locally famous concrete hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, which has since been moved to a corner of the square and replaced by a fountain.
Literature
Though the novelist and essayist Jerome K. JeromeJerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
was born in the town, he never wrote about it. Some writers have, including the Walsall born John Petty (1919–1973) who set a number of his of his books in Walsall, most famously Five Fags a Day (1956). More recently the comic novelist Paul McDonald
Paul McDonald (writer)
Paul McDonald born 1961 in Walsall is a British academic, comic novelist, and poet. He teaches English and American Literature at the University of Wolverhampton, where he also runs the Creative and Professional Writing Programme. He left school at 16 and began work as a saddlemaker, an occupation...
has used Walsall as a location for Surviving Sting (2001) and Kiss Me Softly, Amy Turtle (2004).
Sports
Walsall's football club, Walsall F.C.Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, the Saddlers, was founded in 1888 when Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. merged. They won their first game against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. The club currently play in Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
.
Walsall also has a cricket club, Walsall Cricket Club
Walsall Cricket Club
Walsall Cricket Club is an amateur cricket club in Walsall, West Midlands, England, UK.Established in 1833, it originally trained and played games in the Chuckery area of Walsall. It then moved to one at Windmill in 1847 and remained there until around 1850. The Chuckery ground became used by...
who won Birmingham League Premier Division in 2006.
Walsall RUFC is Walsall's rugby union team who are currently competing in Midlands 2 West
Midlands 2 West
English Rugby Union Midland Division - Midlands 2 West is an English Rugby Union League.Midlands 2 West is made up of teams from around the Midlands of England who play home and away matches throughout a winter season.Promoted teams move up to Midlands 1....
.
Walsall Hockey Club currently play in the West Midlands Premier League and are managed by Sir Mark Grundy
Mark Grundy
Sir Mark Grundy, KB, current Head Teacher of Shireland Language College, Sandwell, Warley, West Midlands, England, was knighted in 2006 for "his work at George Salter High School in West Bromwich, as well as his work in ICT".-Methodology:...
.
Walsall was home to a horse racing course. The grandstand was constructed in 1809 at a cost of £1,300 on a piece of land donated by the Earl of Bradford
Earl of Bradford
Earl of Bradford is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created in 1694 for Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport. However, all the Newport titles became extinct on the death of the fourth Earl in 1762. The...
on a lease of 99 years. Soon after completion, one of the lower compartments was converted into a billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
room which contained a table donated by Lord Chichester Spencer of Fisherwick Park. Throughout the 19th century, races were held annually at the racecourse on Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
.
Shopping
In 1809, a market house was constructed at the end of High Street, on the site of the market cross, for the sale of poultry, eggs, butter and dairy produce. The building was demolished in 1852 along with other buildings that had fallen into disrepair. A pig market was constructed in the town in 1815 on High Street. At its peak, the market would handle the sale of 2,000 pigs per day.In 1847, the corporation tried to construct a new market hall on the 'Bowling Green', to the rear of the Dragon Inn. The scheme proposed to use a large amount of public money to construct the hall. Shopkeepers feared that their businesses would be affected and demonstrations were held across the town against the proposals. The demonstrations forced the plans to be shelved.
Park Street remains Walsall's main shopping high street with Bridge Street cutting through the middle to host two average-sized indoor shopping centres at opposite ends; 'The Old Square' and 'Bradford Mall' formerly known as the 'Saddlers Centre
Saddlers Centre
The Saddlers Centre is a shopping centre located in Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom.The shopping centre takes its name from the towns saddle manufacturing heritage and is also known as the nickname for the towns football team Walsall FC....
'. The recent development known as 'Crown Wharf Retail Park' is host to larger scale shops including the first non-food Asda store. Other redevelopments include that of the former 'Quasar Centre' now known as 'Park Place Shopping Centre'. The Broadwalk Retail Park
Broadwalk Retail Park
Broadwalk Retail Park is considered the largest retail park in the Walsall area of the West Midlands, England. It is named after Walsall's ring road the Broadway which goes past Broadwalk...
is also located within Walsall.
The area around Walsall's new art gallery is soon to be redeveloped into a huge shopping area coined 'the Waterfront' designed by architect Will Alsop
Will Alsop
Will Allen Alsop, OBE RA is a British architect based in London. He is responsible for several distinctive and controversial modernist buildings, most in the United Kingdom. Alsop's buildings are usually distinguished by their use of bright colour and unusual forms...
with space available for restaurants, cafés and a new hotel.
Recent changes
Walsall has been in the forefront of redevelopment in West Midlands. Recently, Walsall's regeneration company have won the prestigious Gold award for overseeing 'the regeneration project of the year' at the Midlands'English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
top Property awards. This is for a range of future development projects worth £1 billion. These are projects for developing offices, flats, leisure facilities and shopping outlets. The projects due in completion in 2009 and 2010 are Walsall Manor Hospital redevelopment worth £174 million,the new Walsall College worth £65 million,the Waterfront South development worth £60 million and the St. Matthew's Quarter worth more than £25 million. There are also future plans which have recently given the 'go ahead' by the Government include the £500 million Walsall Gigaport which is a high-speed fibre optic internet environment for national and international businesses, Waterfront North development worth £65 million and the Waterfront Lex development.
Walsall Transport Package worth £17 million was also due for completion in 2009 but actually completed earlier allowing the early opening of a £55 million supermarket development to create scores of extra jobs. This is an overall development of roads in and out of Walsall town centre as well as those towards Walsall Arboretum
Walsall Arboretum
Walsall Arboretum is a Victorian public park located very close to Walsall town centre in the West Midlands. Part of the park and surrounding housing are covered by the Arboretum conservation area.-17th-19th centuries:...
.
Notable residents
- Harry HinsleyHarry HinsleySir Francis Harry Hinsley OBE was an English historian and cryptanalyst. He worked at Bletchley Park during the Second World War and wrote widely on the history of international relations and British Intelligence during the Second World War...
- Sir Francis Harry Hinsley OBE (26 November 1918 – 16 February 1998) was an English historian and cryptanalyst. He worked at Bletchley ParkBletchley ParkBletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
during the Second World War. - Erin O'ConnorErin O'Connor-Early life:Erin O'Connor was born and brought up in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, England and went to Brownhills Community School . She was raised Catholic and her father is from Ballycastle, Northern Ireland...
- Model, born 9 February 1978 - Francis AsburyFrancis AsburyBishop Francis Asbury was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now The United Methodist Church in the United States...
– one of two founders of the Methodist movement in the United States was born in HandsworthHandsworth, West MidlandsHandsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and lived for a large part of his life close to the SandwellSandwellSandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
/Walsall border. - Fred BakewellFred BakewellFred Bakewell was a Northamptonshire and England opening batsman who was renowned as one of the most exciting players of his time, largely owing to his unorthodox methods, which allowed him to play some of the most brilliant innings in county cricket, despite the...
– The 1930s Northamptonshire batsman. - Tom Major-BallTom Major-BallTom Major-Ball was a music hall performer and circus artiste. He was the father of Sir John Major, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
– Music hallMusic hallMusic Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
performer and father of John MajorJohn MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
(British prime ministerPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1990 to 1997), born at Walsall in 1879 but lived in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the time of his death in 1962. - Boy GeorgeBoy GeorgeBoy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
– Another famous musical resident of 'the BeechdaleBeechdaleBeechdale, originally named Gypsy Lane Estate, is a housing estate in Walsall, England, that was developed predominantly during the 1950s and 1960s....
', who spent much of his youth in the town as well as renting a flat for a time on High Street in the town centre. - David Brown – Warwickshire and England fast bowler. Went to Queen Mary's Grammar School
- John Byrne – Comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
creator, born in Walsall but grew up in Canada. - Colin CharvisColin CharvisColin Charvis is a former captain of the Welsh national rugby union team and also played for the British and Irish lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no...
– British and Irish Lion and Welsh International rugby union player studied at Queen Mary's Grammar SchoolQueen Mary's Grammar SchoolQueen Mary's Grammar School is a selective grammar school located in Sutton Road, Walsall, England, about a mile from the town centre.-Admissions:...
and played for Walsall RUFC and QMGS 1st VX - Peter CoreyPeter CoreyPeter Corey is the author of the Coping With... children's book series. The series targets youngsters using humour. He is also the author of books of non-humorous nature. He has also written scripts for many television programmes and he has played characters in drama]]s and soap operas.- Biography...
– Author of the Coping with... and television actor. - Zoe DawsonZoe DawsonZoe Dawson is an English actress. Best known for minor roles in the BBC soap opera, Doctors.-Career:Starting her career in 1999 as Susie in Oklahoma! and then moving to International Docu-drama series, Mayday; playing the British Airways stewardess Sue Gibbons. In 2006 Dawson had the one-off role...
, English actress, born & brought up in Walsall. - Martin DegvilleMartin DegvilleMartin Degville was the lead singer and co-songwriter of the UK pop-cyberpunk band, Sigue Sigue Sputnik - which had a worldwide hit single in 1986 with "Love Missile F-1-11" - and six other EMI single releases...
– From the Beechdale, lived with Boy George and later went on to form Sigue Sigue SputnikSigue Sigue SputnikSigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band created in 1982 by the former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band had three UK Top 40 hit singles, including the song "Love Missile F1-11".-Early years:... - Martin FowlerMartin Fowler-Online presentations:* at RailsConf 2006* at JAOO 2006* at QCon London 2007 * at QCon London 2008 * at ThoughtWorks Quarterly Technology Briefing, October 2008...
- Author on software development, born in Walsall, educated at Queen Mary's SchoolQueen Mary's SchoolQueen Mary's School is a girls' school for day and boarding students ages 3–16 in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire, England. Established in 1921, the school is set on of landscaped grounds and houses approximately 300 students. The school aims to offer a broad, inclusive curriculum... - Don GiletDon GiletDon Gilet is a British actor, best known for his roles in BBC productions Babyfather, EastEnders and 55 Degrees North. Don's surname is actually pronounced 'Gillit' but takes the stage name 'Jillay'.-Personal life:...
– Actor born in the Caldmore area of Walsall. - Nick GillinghamNick GillinghamNicholas Gillingham is a former swimmer from Great Britain, who participated in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. In August 1989, he tied the existing world record in the long-course 200 m breaststroke, only to co-hold it for 1-day before the other co-holder, Mike...
– Olympic swimmer. - GoldieGoldieClifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist...
– Drum 'n' Bass musician. Lived in the Stroud Avenue orphanage in WillenhallWillenhallWillenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
and attended St. Francis of Assisi RC Secondary School in AldridgeAldridgeAldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.- History :...
. - Rob HalfordRob HalfordRobert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
– Singer of heavy metal band Judas PriestJudas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, was born in Walsall on 25 August 1951. - Noddy HolderNoddy HolderNeville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
– Lead singer of 1970s rock band, SladeSladeSlade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
, born in Caldmore in Walsall and then later moved to Beechdale. Also attended T.P. Riley Comprehensive School in BloxwichBloxwichBloxwich 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...
. - James Alexander Holden - Founder of the automobile company, HoldenHoldenGM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
. - Jerome K. JeromeJerome K. JeromeJerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
– Author of Three Men in a BoatThree Men in a BoatThree Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
. - Alex LesterAlex LesterAlex Lester is a British broadcaster. He presents the weekday overnight/early-morning programme on BBC Radio 2...
– Presenter for BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. - Mark Lewis-FrancisMark Lewis-FrancisMark Anthony Lewis-Francis is a British track and field athlete, specifically a sprinter, who specialises in the 100 metres. A renowned junior, his greatest sporting achievement at senior level has been to anchor the Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4 x 100 metres relay team to a shock gold...
– 100 metres sprinter and a member of the gold medal winning 4x100 metres relay team at the 2004 Olympics, was born in Darlaston and attended Darlaston Comprehensive School. He is nicknamed the Darlaston Dart. - Paul McDonaldPaul McDonald (writer)Paul McDonald born 1961 in Walsall is a British academic, comic novelist, and poet. He teaches English and American Literature at the University of Wolverhampton, where he also runs the Creative and Professional Writing Programme. He left school at 16 and began work as a saddlemaker, an occupation...
- Comic novelist and academic was born in Walsall in 1961. - Peter McEneryPeter McEneryPeter McEnery is an English stage and film actor. His daughter Kate, by his first marriage to British actress Julie Peasgood, is an actress....
– English actor of stage and screen, born 21 February 1940 in Walsall. He was reported to have given actress Hayley MillsHayley MillsHayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
her first ever kiss, while filming The Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. The film was based upon a suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson...
(1964.) He has also acted with the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. - Tony MillsTony Mills (musician)Tony Mills is an English musician and the vocalist in the Norwegian hard rock band TNT.Hailing from Birmingham, when he was 14 years old, he sang in his first band, the punk band The Rip-Offs, before joining fellow Birmingham punk band Cracked Actors as bass guitarist...
– Lead singer of Norwegian rock band TNTTNT (band)TNT is a Norwegian hard rock/glam metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1982. The band has released twelve studio albums, three EPs and two live albums while going through numerous line-up changes since its formation...
(and previously Brummie rockers ShyShy (band)Shy are a British metal band formed in 1980 under the name 'Trojan', hailing from Birmingham, England.-Biography:Formerly known as Trojan, Shy featured vocalist Tony Mills, Steve Harris , Paddy McKenna , Mark Badrick and drummer Alan Kelly...
) lives in the town. - Frank MullingsFrank MullingsFrank Mullings was a leading English tenor with Sir Thomas Beecham's Beecham Opera Company and its successor, the British National Opera Company, during the 1910s and 1920s...
– Operatic tenor and the first to sing ParsifalParsifalParsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
in English - Sir Henry Newbolt – Poet
- Garry Newman – Creator of Half-Life 2Half-Life 2Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
sandbox mod, Garry's ModGarry's ModGarry's Mod is a sandbox physics game using the Source engine. Garry's Mod has been available on Steam's content delivery service since November 29, 2006... - Sue NichollsSue NichollsSusan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
– Actress in Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960... - Mark Oakley - Playwright & screenwriter. Born in Pleck
- Andrew PeachAndrew PeachAndrew Peach is a radio presenter in the UK. He presents regular news and phone-in shows on BBC WM and BBC Radio Berkshire...
– BBC Radio 2 broadcaster - Nick RedfernNick RedfernNicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
- Cryptozoologist. - Mark RhodesMark RhodesMark Thomas Rhodes is an English singer and television presenter.-Career:...
– Runner-up of pop idol, also born in Darlaston. - Meera SyalMeera SyalMeera Syal MBE is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No...
– Comedienne, attended Queen Mary's High SchoolQueen Mary's High SchoolQueen Mary's High School, situated on Upper Forster Street, just outside Walsall town centre, is an all-female selective-education school and entry in Year 7 is by passing an entrance exam...
. - Baroness Jenny TongeJenny TongeJennifer Louise Tonge, Baroness Tonge is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Richmond Park in London from 1997 to 2005.-Early life:...
- Liberal Democrat politician and doctor of medicine. - Professor Sir James UnderwoodJames UnderwoodProfessor Sir James Underwood is a British pathologist who was awarded a knighthood for services to medicine in the 2005 New Year honours list.-Early life and education:...
– Leading international pathologist - Rachel UnittRachel UnittRachel Elizabeth Unitt is an English football player. She currently plays as a left back for England Women and Everton Ladies.-Club career:...
– England Women's football star. Born in Bentley. - Dorothy Wyndlow PattisonSister DoraSister Dora was a 19th century Church of England nun and a nurse in Walsall, Staffordshire.-Life:...
(Sister Dora) – Born in YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
but lived locally 1865–77. She is honoured, for her compassion and her medical work, by a statue in the centre of town, thought to be the first to a non-royal woman in England. She is now buried in The Sister Dora Gardens/Queen Street Cemetery which is a short walk from the town centre. - Frank WindsorFrank WindsorFrank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
- Actor - Matthew MarsdenMatthew MarsdenMatthew Marsden is an English actor and singer. In the United Kingdom he is widely remembered for playing the character Chris Collins in the popular soap opera, Coronation Street. However, he is best known in the USA as a film actor. He has played the roles of Paris in Helen of Troy, Dr...
- Actor, started his career in the British soap Brookside, now work is America and has starred in such films as Black Hawk Down and Helen of Troy. - Eleanor SimmondsEleanor SimmondsEleanor Simmonds MBE is a British Paralympian swimmer who has achondroplasia.Simmonds competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China in the 50 m, 100 m and 400 m freestyle, 50 m butterfly, and 200 m individual medley. She swims in the S6 disability category...
- Swimmer. Won gold in the 100m and 400m freestyle events in the Beijing 2008 paralympic games.
External links
- Walsall community forum and message board
- Walsall Daily News (theyamyam)
- BBC Black Country
- Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
- St Matthew's Church
- New Art Gallery Walsall
- Walsall Leather Museum
- Born in Walsall – photos of large mural
- Pictures of Fellows Park football ground – old home of Walsall FC
- Walsallfans.co.uk – Walsall FC supporters site
- Black Country subsection of the Birmingham Mail
- History of Walsall's Theatres
- Walsall People and Events Portal