 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bloxwich" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Bloxwich | |
|---|---|
 Bloxwich Market | |
 Flag | |
  Bloxwich Location within theWest Midlands | |
| Population | 25,401 (2011 Wards)[1][2] |
| OS grid reference | SJ998025 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Shire county | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Areas of the town (2011 census BUASD) | List
|
| Post town | WALSALL |
| Postcode district | WS3 |
| Dialling code | 01922 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Bloxwich is a market town in theMetropolitan Borough of Walsall,West Midlands, England. It is located between the towns ofWalsall,Cannock,Willenhall andBrownhills.
Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as theAnglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a smallMercian settlement named after the family of Bloc (Bloxwich, earlier Blochescwic, meaning "Bloc's village").[3]
Some 19th-century works suggest that at one time Bloxwich was a settlement in the ancientmanor ofWednesbury. There is no conclusive evidence for this and Bloxwich has since at least medieval times been associated with the manor and town ofWalsall (which for reasons unknown does not appear in theDomesday Book of 1086). Bloxwich itself is however mentioned in this book under the name 'Blockeswich'.[4] Traditionally there has been a strong rivalry between Bloxwich and Walsall with origins as early as theEnglish Civil War, when Walsall was Parliamentarian in sympathy and Bloxwich, centre of the Foreign of Walsall, was Royalist. This situation was exacerbated by disputes over local taxation for thepoor rate in the 17th and 18th centuries.[3]
Bloxwich grew rapidly in the 18th century around coal mining, iron smelting and various manufacturing industries, as part of theIndustrial Revolution. Manufacturing in the area consisted of bridle bits, stirrups, keys, cabinet locks, plane irons, buckle tongues, chains and saddles. Its most famous product of manufacture wereawl blades, which it is reputed to have surpassed all other places in the United Kingdom in manufacturing.[4] In the early 19th century, Bloxwich was still a village. Most of its inhabitants were employed in the newly founded mining and forging industries, as well as light metalworking.[citation needed] It is also known for itscanals.
Bloxwich was heavily developed between the wars forcouncil housing. Most were constructed aroundBlakenall Heath, as well asHarden andGoscote. In the 20 years which followed theSecond World War, the Lower Farm, Beechdale and Mossley estates were also erected as council housing developments, while the southern side of Harden was developed along with the Rivers Estate at Blakenall Heath. Many privately owned houses, mostly in the Little Bloxwich area, were also constructed. In the 1990s and 2000s, many new housing developments have sprung up both in Bloxwich and at Blakenall Heath.[citation needed]
Bloxwich was struck byan F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.[5] The tornado later moved out overWalsall town centre, causing further damage.
Bloxwich has in recent years completed numerous redevelopment projects. Bloxwich Police Station, opened in 1884 on Elmore Green Road, was closed for reconstruction in 2000, and reopened byPrincess Anne on 26 September 2002. (It also has responsibility for Walsall,Willenhall andDarlaston.) The market square and library have also been refurbished.
Bloxwich town centre is mostly made up ofVictorian andEdwardian buildings and leafy parks and gardens, which maintain its origins as a Staffordshire town. Good built examples are Bloxwich Hospital, Bloxwich Hall,All Saints' Church and several private houses in Station Street, Stafford Road, Wolverhampton Street and Sandbank. Places of worship include the twin-towered St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, built in 1869.[6][7]
A 2013 report from the Townscape Heritage Research Unit atOxford Brookes University states that, as a result of economic decline "the architectural quality of Bloxwich has been steadily eroded, with a high proportion of upper floor disuse and deteriorating/lost architectural detail, poor shop fronts and inappropriate advertising".[8]
From theGeorgian period to the 1960s, Bloxwich had morepublic houses than any other town in theMetropolitan Borough of Walsall, though these have begun to disappear.[citation needed]
Beyond Bloxwich Golf Club, Yieldfields Hall, to the north of the town on theA34 marks the northernmost edge of Bloxwich, Walsall and the West Midlands, currently in the border with Staffordshire.
The town incorporates a number of areas that were previously separatehamlets, such as Little Bloxwich and Wallington Heath.[9] It also has somecouncil housing such as the Lower Farm and Turnbury estates.[10]
Bloxwich is the mostdeprived area of Walsall, which is itself in the 10% most deprived areas of the UK.[11] 32% of children in the north of Walsall, covering Bloxwich,Blakenall andBirchills-Leamore receivedfree school meals in 2021.[11] Of the four areas of Walsall, the north had the highest number of childrenexcluded from school in 2021.[11] Ofsted states that "Bloxwich West is an area of higher than average unemployment and lower than average academic achievement. Bloxwich East contains a more affluent community, with pockets of higher deprivation".[12]
Bloxwich was part of the BlakenallNew Deal for Communities (NDC) area.[13][14] A review of heritage and conservation work carried out in Bloxwich between 2001 and 2010 under the NDC and otherregeneration schemes reported a "mixed" picture of progress.[8] Not all available funding had been used.[8] People did feel that they were safer in the area, and school results had improved, but the sense of community in Bloxwich was weak and "Not surprisingly, people’s hopes for their future income and job prospects are not very positive ... Bloxwich remains a challenging town in terms of quality of life, and its economic prospects".[8]
Bloxwich is well-served by public transport and has two railway stations,Bloxwich andBloxwich North. Trains from these stations are operated byWest Midlands Railway.
Regular buses link Bloxwich withWalsall, whilst others link the area to the surrounding towns and cities ofWolverhampton,Bilston,Willenhall,Brownhills,Wednesfield,Cannock andBirmingham. Other local services serve nearby estates ofCoalpool,Harden, Mossley, Lower Farm,Goscote,Leamore,Beechdale, Dudley Fields,Landywood,Great Wyrley andPelsall.
The main operator of bus services in the area isNational Express West Midlands, butChaserider (formerlyArriva Midlands), Walsall Community Transport andDiamond Bus also operate on routes in the area.
TheA34,Southampton/Oxford/Manchester road, goes straight through the town and forms its High Street. Most shops are based on this linear development. TheA4124Wolverhampton to Brownhills road crosses to the north of the town. Bloxwich is 4 miles (6.4 km) from theM6 motorway between junctions 10 and 11.
Media related toBloxwich at Wikimedia Commons