Charlemont and Grove Vale
Encyclopedia
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
, in the English Midlands constituency of West Bromwich East.
The ward is made up of several neighbourhoods including, Charlemont Farm, Bustlehome Mill, Church Vale, and the leafier neighbourhoods of Charlemont, Bird End, Wigmore and Grove Vale. It also covers part of the Sandwell Valley
Sandwell Valley
Sandwell Valley is an area of green belt in the West Midlands of England, on the border of Birmingham and West Bromwich, with Walsall at its northern end....
. The ward currently has three Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
councillors and is Sandwell's only all Conservative ward.
History
The area became known as 'Charly Mount' by c.1723 and was home to Charlemont Hall, proceeded by Crump Hall. The hall stood on the east side of the present day Charlemont Crescent until 1948.The ward was also home to Wigmore School, erected in 1872, for the maintenance and education of Children chargeable to the Walsall and West Bromwich Poor Law Unions. The buildings, situated on a hill overlooking the Tame Valley
River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...
, were erected in the Elizabethan style, and included an Infirmary. Following the Local Government Act 1929
Local Government Act 1929
The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....
, all poor law responsibility was transferred to the Local Authority, and Wigmore was administered by the Education Committee. From 1935, Wigmore became an "Approved School" which continued until the 1960s when it was transferred for use as Sandwell Council Offices. The building failed to get listed building status and despite local pressure was demolished by Sandwell Council in 2002, to make way for a new housing development. The Gatehouse is still in existence.
With private and council residential developments growing in the 1920s, an infant school opened in the area in 1929 and was followed a year later by new junior and senior schools. The buildings were expanded in 1937, with the senior school becoming a secondary modern school in 1944. However, its popularity fell after the opening of nearby Churchfields High School in 1955 (this school eventually closed in July 2001) and the senior school closed in 1967.
Bishop Asbury Cottage
Bishop Asbury Cottage
Bishop Asbury Cottage is the boyhood home of Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop, in Great Barr, England.Now a grade II listed museum, the 18th century cottage is furnished in period style, with memorabilia and information relating to Asbury's life in West Bromwich and Great Barr...
is located on the A4041 Newton Road on the Grove Vale/Great Barr
Great Barr
Great Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall , West Midlands, England...
border. The 18th century cottage, now a Grade II listed museum was the boyhood home of Francis Asbury
Francis Asbury
Bishop Francis Asbury was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now The United Methodist Church in the United States...
, the first American Methodist Bishop.
The ward is covered by the Diocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
and the areas most historic church, All Saints is located on the A4031 (All Saints Way). There has been a church on this spot dating back to the Norman period. The current church was mostly rebuilt, except the tower, in 1872 where it lost its Patronage which was originally St Clement, and subsequent years when it was enlarged. Buried in the church yard are a number of well known people including James Eaton
James Eaton
James Eaton was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served aboard at the Battle of Trafalgar; as signal midshipman, he was the first person to pass on Nelson's famous signal to the fleet; "England expects that every man will do his duty".-Career:...
(1785–1857) who served in the Téméraire
HMS Temeraire (1798)
HMS Temeraire was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1798, she served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties...
at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
and as signal midshipman, repeated Nelson's message to the fleet. And also James Keir
James Keir
James Keir FRS was a Scottish chemist, geologist, industrialist, and inventor, and an important member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham.- Life and work :...
, a member of the Lunar Society
Lunar Society
The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
who lived at Finchpath Hall at Hill Top
Hill Top
Hill Top can refer to:* Hill Top, Stanley, County Durham, England* Hill Top, Teesdale, County Durham, England* Hill Top, Cumbria, England * Hill Top, New South Wales, Australia* Hill Top, a small area of West Bromwich, England...
from 1770 and was buried at All Saints' in 1820.
At about 1830, a pound, stocks, and whipping-post stood at the corner of Hollyhedge Road and Heath Lane opposite All Saints' Church. All three were then moved to a site in front of the Ring of Bells at the junction of All Saints Street and Church Vale. The stocks and whipping-post were apparently taken away when the West Bromwich police force was established in 1840. In 1970, the pound still stood, and the stocks were preserved in the grounds of the Oak House.
Much of the area around Charlemont and Grove Vale was developed for private and council housing from the 1920s until the 1970s. The author and countryside campaigner John Bainbridge
John Bainbridge (author)
John Bainbridge is an English author and campaigner for countryside preservation and access. He read Literature and Social History at the University of East Anglia....
spent his childhood at 15 Ray Hall Lane and was educated at Grove Vale School.
Charlemont Farm was one of the largest housing developments in the area at its time. It was built in the 1960s to include houses, bungalows, low-rise flats and high-rise flats, many of which have since been demolished with new developments being built in their place.