Dudley Metropolitan Borough
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972, through a merger of the existing Dudley County Borough with the municipal boroughs of Sto ...
in the West Midlands of England. It is located on the
A449 road
The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire.
The southern section of the road, between Ross on Wye and Newport forms part of the tru ...
, approximately 1.5 miles northwest of
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census.
The current economic focus ...
(of which it is considered a suburb), 5 miles west of Dudley Town Centre and 9 miles north of
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...
. It forms part of the West Midlands-
South Staffordshire
South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of the West Midlands county, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south. It contains notable settlement ...
border.
Geography
Wall Heath is situated on the edge 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 Midland ...
, bordering Staffordshire to the west.
It was formerly a part of the
Dudley County Borough
The County Borough of Dudley was a local government district in the English Midlands from 1865 to 1974. Originally a municipal borough, it became a county borough in 1889, centred on the main town centre of Dudley, along with the suburbs of Ne ...
, now the metropolitan borough.
Wall heath also falls under the Kingswinford North and Wall Heath Ward with an population of 12,561 as of the 2011 Census.
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Histor ...
,
Telford
Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in t ...
North :
Wombourne
Wombourne is a large village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Wolverhampton and just outside the county and conurbation of the W ...
,
Himley
Himley is a small village and civil parish in the English ceremonial county of Staffordshire, situated 4 miles west of Dudley and 5 miles southwest of Wolverhampton. At the time of the 2011 Census, Himley had a population of 802.It is most n ...
,
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 "Wulfrunians ...
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is th ...
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 ...
,
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, c ...
Southwest :
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...
Kinver
Kinver is a large village in the District of South Staffordshire in Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the ...
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census.
The current economic focus ...
,
Wordsley
Wordsley is a suburban area of Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and falls into the Stourbridge (DY8) postcode and address area, being just north of the River Stour. Wordsley is part of t ...
,
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...
Southeast :
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England, 2.5 miles south of Dudley and 2 miles north of Stourbridge. Part of the Black Country and in a heavily industrialised area, it has a pop ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
Village services
The village contains numerous outlets providing varied services; including a Co-op supermarket, Boots Local Pharmacy, a podiatrist and a private dental surgery. There are three
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
s, two Indian restaurants, two Chinese take-aways, a Chinese restaurant, a pizza delivery/take-away, two Fish & Chip Shops, a cafe Wall Heath Coffee Company and a catering company. Nearby Stallings Lane is home to a branch of
Lidl
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, whi ...
and
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
, the latter originally opening as Safeway in 1979, as well as a small parade of local shops. There was, until recently, a small public library, which was closed by
Dudley Metropolitan Borough
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972, through a merger of the existing Dudley County Borough with the municipal boroughs of Sto ...
Council for economic reasons. The local authority states that the money from the closure of Wall Heath Library and four other Dudley libraries will be used for a £2.3 million scheme to update services in the borough. The nearest Library is the
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census.
The current economic focus ...
Library. The other libraries in the borough which fell victim of the council policy were Quarry Bank, Amblecote, Dudley Wood and Woodside.
There are two allotments in the village and three public parks located in the village. One is accessible from Albion Street and two are accessible from High Street.
Located in Wall Heath is
Holbeche House
Holbeche House (also, in some texts, Holbeach or Holbeache) is a mansion located approximately north of Kingswinford, now in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley but historically in Staffordshire.Aikin, L. p.244 Some members of the Gunpowder P ...
, which is where the flight of the gunpowder plotters ended. The building is now a private care home for the elderly. There is also a Dudley MBC shelter, The Gables, located in the village.
The Wall Heath Community centre regularly hosts
National Blood Service
NHS Blood and Transplant is an executive non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom's Department of Health and Social Care.
It was established on 1 October 2005 to take over the responsibilities of two separate NHS agencies: UK Transplan ...
blood donation sessions. There are many events held here such as charity events and local classes for all ages including a nursery and yoga classes. There are also frequent displays showcasing old photographs of Wall Heath and the local area. The Wall Heath Horticultural Society also hold their meetingsat the centre on the first Tuesday in the month. You can find more details on their web site. http://wallheathhorticulturalguild.blogspot.co.uk/ Wall Heath Community Centre's playing fields are home to Phoenix Youth. Tennis courts are also situated on the site.
In the last century, Wall Heath was the home of the Sant family (Maidensbridge Road). Herbert Sant won an MC during the First World War. His brother William became a famed artist whose work is displayed at the
Tate Gallery
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
in London and other notable locations. Ancestor Steven Sant born in nearby Dudley is a renowned writer on football and local politics.
Wall Heath is served by bus routes 15/15a, 16, 17/17a which serve Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, Dudley or the Merry Hill Centre. Less frequent is service 57 between Stourbridge and Wall Heath. All routes are provided by
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is a bus operator in the West Midlands that operates services in Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Solihull, as well as limited routes outside of the general area of Birmingham, s ...
, although the 17 only operates between Dudley, Gornal Wood and Kingswinford on evenings and Sundays. From the 3rd January 2023, services 17/17a and 57 will be operated by Diamond Bus following retendering of these routes.
Sport
The village has produced three professional cricketers; John (Jack) Alfred Flavell, Paul Pridgeon and Stuart Lampitt. All played for
Worcestershire CCC
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Worcestershire. Its Vitality Blast T20 team has been rebranded ...
, with
Jack Flavell
Jack Flavell (15 May 1929 – 25 February 2004) was an English cricketer who played in four Tests for England from 1961 to 1964. His county cricket career was spent with Worcestershire, with whom Flavell won two County Championship titles. His ...
playing for the England national team.
The village is home to Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Football Club (DKRFC), who after 2 promotions from the Midland League are currently playing in the National league 2 North. On the outskirts of the village is 'Eagle Park', home to Kewford Eagles Football Club.
Churches
There are three churches in the village. These are the Church of the Ascension, the smaller St Andrew's United Reformed Church and Wall Heath Evangelical Free Church.WHEFC.org /ref> The Church of the Ascension sits at the centre of the village opposite the school of the same name, Church of the Ascension Primary School ( CofE).
Education
The village is supported by two primary schools; Maidensbridge Primary School and Church of the Ascension CofE Primary School. Maidensbridge Primary School has hosted the Helen Taylor School of Dance for 20 years, who perform annually at the
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 "Wulfrunians ...
Grand Theatre. On completion of primary education, typically the pupils from both schools continue their education at Kingswinford Academy, in nearby
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census.
The current economic focus ...
or alternatively, Summerhill School, also in Kingswinford.
Maidensbridge Primary School was saved from closure in 2005 due to campaigning by local residents.
Politics
The village is part of the Kingswinford North and Wall Heath ward of the
Dudley Metropolitan Borough
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972, through a merger of the existing Dudley County Borough with the municipal boroughs of Sto ...
. It is represented by three seats on the Borough council. Currently these are occupied by two Conservative and one Labour councillor.
The village falls within the Dudley South constituency of the UK parliament. The current MP is Mike Wood (
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...