![Cradley Heath Council House 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Cradley_Heath_Council_House_01.jpg)
Cradley Heath is a town in the
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis ( ) is a town and former municipal borough in Sandwell in the county of the West Midlands, England. It encompasses the three Sandwell council wards of Blackheath, Cradley Heath and Old Hill, and Rowley. At the 2011 census, the comb ...
area of the Metropolitan Borough of
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. According to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, t ...
,
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
, England approximately north-west of
Halesowen
Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of West Midlands, England.
Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, the town is around from Birmingham city centre, and from ...
, south of
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
and west of central
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. Cradley Heath is often confused with the neighbouring Halesowen district of
Cradley, although the two places are separated by the River Stour and have long been in separate local authorities, and until 1966 were in separate counties.
Cradley Heath is one of several towns in central England still recognisable from their early 20th-century appearance. Many of the shops and houses in the High Street are still standing after 100 years, though some were demolished in the mid-2000s to make way for a
bypass, to ease congestion in the town centre.
History
![Cradley Boiler Co boiler inspection hole cover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Cradley_Boiler_Co_boiler_inspection_hole_cover.jpg)
Cradley Heath was originally an area of
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
land between Cradley,
Netherton, and
Old Hill
Old Hill is a small village in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands, England, situated around north of Halesowen and south of Dudley. Initially a separate village it is now part of the much larger West Midlands conurba ...
, in the Staffordshire parish of
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis ( ) is a town and former municipal borough in Sandwell in the county of the West Midlands, England. It encompasses the three Sandwell council wards of Blackheath, Cradley Heath and Old Hill, and Rowley. At the 2011 census, the comb ...
. The residents of Cradley had grazing rights, subject to an annual payment to the
Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
. As on other commons in the
Black Country
The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...
, cottages were built encroaching on the heath. These were occupied by
nailmakers, amongst other industries.
One landmark in the growth of Cradley Heath as a distinct community was the creation of
Cradley Heath Baptist Church, in December 1833. This was the first Christian Church meeting in Cradley Heath, and has the distinction of having the first Afro-Caribbean minister in Britain, Rev.
George Cosens
Rev. George Cosens (1805–1881) is the "first reported West Indian minister to hold a pastorate in Britain." He originated from Jamaica, and lived most of his life in Britain having moved to London to study and joining the Primitive Methodists ...
, in 1837.
Industry
From the introduction of machine-based nail-making around 1830, Cradley Heath developed two prolific industries – chainmaking and nailmaking – which would remain strong for decades afterwards.
Among the metallurgical companies that were active in the area was the
British Iron Company
The British Iron Company was formed in 1824 to smelt and manufacture iron and to mine ironstone, coal, etc. It was re-formed as the New British Iron Company in 1843 and liquidated itself in 1892.
British Iron Company (1824-1844)
The company was ...
and its successor, the New British Iron Company, who operated a vast iron and steel works at Corngreaves from 1825 to 1894. The works expanded to include rivet and boiler shops and chain works; continuing under other owners until 1912. It was only during the 1980s
recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
that the iron-working industries based in Cradley Heath began to decline.
Over the summer of 1910, around 1000 local women were involved in the 9-week-long Chainmakers Strike when they successfully campaigned for the implementation of the national minimum wage for the industry – effectively doubling their wages. The dispute ended on the 22 October 1910 when the last of the employers agreed to pay the minimum wage.
The papers of the Cradley Heath Chainmakers' Trade Union are housed at the
University of Birmingham
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
Special Collections.
The
Workers' Institute, which stood in Lower High Street for almost 100 years, was rebuilt at the
Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country Living Museum (formerly the Black Country Museum) is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings in Dudley, West Midlands, England.[Black Country Bugle
The ''Black Country Bugle'' is a paid-for weekly publication, which highlights the industrial heritage, history, legends, local humour and readers' stories pertaining to the Black Country region, which forms the western half of the West Midlands ...](_blank)
'' newspaper was originally based in Cradley Heath but is now situated at the newly built Dudley Archives; the newspaper was set up by Derek Beasley, former chairman of Halesowen Harriers, which focuses on local history and culture of the Black Country and often features articles and poems written in the
Black Country dialect
The Black Country dialect is spoken by many people in the Black Country, a region covering most of the four Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. It also influences the accents of towns and villages in the rural c ...
.
![Cradley Heath Library 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Cradley_Heath_Library_01.jpg)
Cradley Heath has two large municipal parks,
Haden Hill Park, which contains Haden Hall and Haden Old Hall (the latter with Tudor origins) which was the ancestral home of the Haden family and the
Mary McArthur Memorial Gardens (known locally as Lomie Town park).
An enterprise zone was developed in the deindustrialised eastern part of the town, near the border with
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis ( ) is a town and former municipal borough in Sandwell in the county of the West Midlands, England. It encompasses the three Sandwell council wards of Blackheath, Cradley Heath and Old Hill, and Rowley. At the 2011 census, the comb ...
.
The Old Bank Building on Upper High Street which was built in 1908 for the United Counties Bank of Cradley Heath has kept its original place even with the new road layout with the modernisation of Cradley Heath. In 1973 the Old Bank Building became part of Sandwell Insurance and Sandwell Accountancy Services (SAS).
Cradley Heath High Street has not changed much since the subsidence in 1914 and the dip in the high street following the subsidence is very prominent and can be seen still today.
Geography
A part of the
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the towns of Sutton Coldfield, Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge and Halesowen in the English West Midlands ...
, Cradley Heath is located in the south of the
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. According to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, t ...
Metropolitan Borough, approximately 8 miles west of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. It is situated in a low-lying area of the
Black Country
The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...
, south of the
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
ridge that runs through the area, with the
River Stour forming the southern boundary with
Cradley,
and the Mousesweet Brook (a tributary of the Stour) forming the northern border, between Quarry Bank and Netherton. Both also act as the boundary between the metropolitan boroughs of Sandwell and
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
.
Neighbourhoods
*
Old Hill
Old Hill is a small village in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands, England, situated around north of Halesowen and south of Dudley. Initially a separate village it is now part of the much larger West Midlands conurba ...
*Timbertree - a residential area about south-east of the town centre, bordered by Corngreaves Nature Reserve and Haden Hill Park to the south and east respectively. Timbertree Academy is the local primary school. A small shopping parade is on Valley Road. An hourly daytime bus service runs Monday to Saturday to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre via Cradley Heath and to Halesowen. An Ordnance Survey map published in 1904 shows Timbertree Colliery linked by a tramway to the large Corngreave Works formerly owned by the
New British Iron Company.
*Newtown
*
Haden Hill
Haden Hill is a residential area in the West Midlands of England, straddling the border of Halesowen and Cradley Heath townships and the modern boroughs of Dudley and Sandwell.
Its most famous landmarks are Haden Hill Park and the historic Ha ...
*Lomey Town
Governance
Cradley Heath is part of the Cradley Heath and Old Hill ward which is represented by three councillors on Sandwell Borough Council.
Cradley Heath was formerly a part of the
Rowley Regis Municipal Borough, with the council house situated in Old Hill. Following the
abolition of the borough in 1966,
until 1974, Cradley Heath was part of the
County Borough of Warley
Warley was a short-lived county borough and civil parish in the geographical county of Worcestershire, England, forming part of the West Midlands conurbation. It was formed in 1966 by the combination of the existing county borough of Smethwick w ...
, and therefore part of
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
.
The council house remained in use as offices by Sandwell Council until 2012, when it was demolished to make way for the construction of a new fire station.
Education
Sandwell Council is the
local education authority
Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
for Cradley Heath, and is responsible for maintaining all the schools in the area.
The local secondary school,
Ormiston Forge Academy
Ormiston Forge Academy (formerly Heathfield Foundation Technology College and Heathfield High School) is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in the Old Hill area of Cradley Heath, West Midlands, England.
Heathfield ...
, is situated in Wright's Lane, Old Hill, and has served the area since the 1960s. Other nearby secondary schools are located outside the town in the Dudley Borough, in neighbouring Netherton and Halesowen.There are several primary schools in the districts of Cradley Heath. Corngreaves Academy on Plant Street claims to be the oldest school in Sandwell Borough, with roots back to 1848-49 and The British Iron Company.
Religion
![Cradley Heath Baptist Church 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Cradley_Heath_Baptist_Church_01.jpg)
The nearest
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
churches are St John's on St Anne's/Dudley Wood Road and Holy Trinity, Old Hill. St Luke's stood at Four-Ways, Cradley Heath from 1847 until its demolition in 2016. The churchyard remains. Adjacent is
Four-Ways Baptist Church. The Cradley Heath Central Mosque on Plant Street opened in 2016. The Grainger's Lane Methodist Church closed in 2004, and was later demolished. A number of other Methodist buildings in the area, mostly around Old Hill, amalgamated to build a new building at Lawrence Lane. There is also a
Wesleyan Reform Union
The Wesleyan Reform Union is an independent Methodist Connexion founded in 1859 and based in the United Kingdom. The Union comprises around one hundred individual self-governing churches in England and Scotland. Beliefs are set out in a nine po ...
Chapel, St James', relocated from Cradley Heath to Old Hill because of the bypass. The Kingdom Hall of
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
can be found opposite the Holy Trinity Church in Old Hill.
There are several
Strict and Particular Baptist Churches, including Spring Meadow and Station Road, both in Old Hill.
Transport
Cradley Heath railway station and the adjacent bus station form the Cradley Heath Interchange. The station is on the
Birmingham to Worcester line, with regular services between the two. Bus services run to Birmingham, Dudley, Halesowen, the
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Merry Hill (formerly Westfield Merry Hill and The Merry Hill Shopping Centre) is a large shopping complex in Brierley Hill near Dudley, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several subsequent expansion and renovation projects ...
,
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
and
West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...
.
Sport
The town was formerly home to the
Cradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heathens was a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed at the top level of British speedway until its closure in 1995. It was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National L ...
, a
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...
team, which originally operated as Cradley Heath Cubs. They participated in British speedway from 1947 until 1995, featuring World Champion riders such as
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen (born 8 October 1959 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is a former motorcycle speedway rider in the late 1970s and 1980s. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time. He was the ...
and
Bruce Penhall
Bruce Lee Penhall (born May 10, 1957) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathen ...
.
The speedway track was situated in Dudley Wood, outside the town boundaries in nearby
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
, but was closed and demolished for redevelopment in the mid-1990s. Now operating as Dudley Heathens, the team currently race in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
, with plans to develop a new stadium alongside
Gornal Athletic F.C. somewhere in the Dudley area.
Professional darts player
Jason Lowe was born and raised in Cradley Heath
Parks and leisure facilities
The main parkland is
Haden Hill Park, the former home of the Haden family and now in the care of Sandwell MBC. Alongside Haden Hill House are Haden Hill Leisure Centre, housing a swimming pool and other facilities, and Old Hill Cricket Club.
Bearmore Playing Field off Bearmore Road is laid out on the site of Bearmore Colliery.
Codsall Coppice Local Nature Reserve between Codsall Road and Trejon Road comprises of mature, mainly oak woodland.
The Cradley Heath Liberal Club has substantial facilities on Upper High Street, just east of Four-Ways. The Regis Restaurant, Old Hill, was for many years a community hall but the future has been in doubt after Sandwell MBC found it uneconomic.
Voices In Harmony, a local choir, originated in Cradley Heath as "Sandwell Community Choir" to perform
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
's
The Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a salvation, saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''Messiah in Judaism, mashiach'', Messianism#Judaism, messianism, and of a Messianic Age#Judaism, Messianic Age ...
in October 1997 as part of the
BT "Voices For Hospices" event.
[VIH web site]
About us
.
It is host to an annual festival over the last few years called Cradley Women Chainmakers' Festival.
Notes
References
External links
Cradley Heath and Old Hill Ward on ONS siteSandwell MBC web siteCradley Heath Amateur Operatic Society
{{authority control
Towns in the West Midlands (county)
Areas of Sandwell
Rowley Regis