Blakenall Heath
Encyclopedia
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.
Farmland gave way to council housing, which surrounded the local church and a few pre-1914 buildings, and further developments took place in the thirty years following the end of the Second World War. Walsall borough's first council house was built in Blakenall Heath, on Blakenall Lane, during June 1920. Within seven years, 500 council houses had been built in the area, and by 1939 more than 1,000 had been built. Several hundred more had followed by the early 1970s. These were divided between established neighbourhoods in areas like Blakenall Lane and Harden Road, and new housing estates with themed street names; including the 1930s Poet's Estate (where road names included Shakespeare Crescent, Goldsmith Road and Tennyson Road) and the 1940s/1950s Rivers Estate (where road names included Thames Road, Wye Road and Mersey Road).
Blakenall Heath is the centre of the Blakenall ward of Walsall, which has the highest poverty and crime rates in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
. It has been targeted for regeneration as part of the government's New Deal project since 2001.
Improvements are well underway, with several hundred homes either demolished or due to be demolished, and replaced by a mix of private and rented houses and flats. The regeneration is only in its early stages, and completion is not expected for several years yet.
Most of the demolition has (or is scheduled to) take place around Walker Road, Well Lane, Barracks Lane and Taylor Avenue.
The area is often confused with the Blakenhall
area of nearby Wolverhampton
. In fact, even Walsall Council have been known to misspell 'Blakenall' on road and direction signs.
The parish church for Blakenall Heath is Christ Church, which is constructed from limestone and opened in 1872 when the surrounding area was still half a century away from its transformation from rural to urban.
Walsall
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...
, 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It straddles the border of Walsall and neighbouring town 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...
.
It was originally a rural area north of Walsall, but the face of the area changed dramatically between 1918 and 1939.
Farmland gave way to council housing, which surrounded the local church and a few pre-1914 buildings, and further developments took place in the thirty years following the end of the Second World War. Walsall borough's first council house was built in Blakenall Heath, on Blakenall Lane, during June 1920. Within seven years, 500 council houses had been built in the area, and by 1939 more than 1,000 had been built. Several hundred more had followed by the early 1970s. These were divided between established neighbourhoods in areas like Blakenall Lane and Harden Road, and new housing estates with themed street names; including the 1930s Poet's Estate (where road names included Shakespeare Crescent, Goldsmith Road and Tennyson Road) and the 1940s/1950s Rivers Estate (where road names included Thames Road, Wye Road and Mersey Road).
Blakenall Heath is the centre of the Blakenall ward of Walsall, which has the highest poverty and crime rates in 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,...
. It has been targeted for regeneration as part of the government's New Deal project since 2001.
Improvements are well underway, with several hundred homes either demolished or due to be demolished, and replaced by a mix of private and rented houses and flats. The regeneration is only in its early stages, and completion is not expected for several years yet.
Most of the demolition has (or is scheduled to) take place around Walker Road, Well Lane, Barracks Lane and Taylor Avenue.
The area is often confused with the Blakenhall
Blakenhall
Blakenhall is a ward in Wolverhampton, England.-Toponymy and history:Blakenhall's name, according to topynmists comes from the Old English 'blæc', meaning 'black' or dark coloured, & 'halh' meaning 'nook' or 'corner'...
area of nearby 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...
. In fact, even Walsall Council have been known to misspell 'Blakenall' on road and direction signs.
The parish church for Blakenall Heath is Christ Church, which is constructed from limestone and opened in 1872 when the surrounding area was still half a century away from its transformation from rural to urban.