Merridale is an area of

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 ...

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. It is situated to the south-west of the city centre, on the border of the city council's

Graiseley Graiseley is both an inner-city area of Wolverhampton, situated immediately to the south-west of the city centre, and the name of a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. Place-name The most likely origin of the Graiseley name is from the Old Engli ...

and

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Origins and history

The place name, Merridale, can be traced back to its earliest known medieval form, 'Muriden' – likely from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

'myrge' (meaning sweet, pleasant, agreeable) 'denu' (valley). Parts of the former Merridale Farm (recently restored and converted into apartments) are the oldest buildings in Wolverhampton apart from the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

and Saxon Pillar. Merridale Court, a 156-home

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

of low rise flats, was opened there in 1955. Within the area are a number of locally

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

– including a coach house dating from the 1850s, built in the Tudor Revival style. This property, along with the nearby former Eye Infirmary, is part of ''The Oaks (Merridale Road) Conservation Area''. Bantock Park and Bantock House Museum and Park, House are within the area, the house is believed to date from the 1730s, and was originally a farm called ''New Merridale Farm'', then named ''Merridale House''. The Wolverhampton Grammar School is in the area.

Today

Merridale has changed little since the 1950s when Merridale Court was constructed. There are new (c2000s) apartments / flats near the junction of Merridale Road and Merridale Lane. There are also some new private houses (completed 2017) next to merridale court on an old MEB site.

Public houses

There are a small amount of pubs in the area. 'The Royal Oak' is on Compton Road and nearby on the corner of Merridale Road and Merridale Gardens is
The Chindit
– both traditional pubs specialising in ales and lagers. Until the late 2000s,

stood on Compton Road – this has now been demolished. It has been replaced by a vets practice and Sainsbury's Local.

References

External links

*{{oscoor gbx, SO895985
2001 Census – Merridale / Chapel Ash
Areas of Wolverhampton