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Bloxwich
All Saints Church, a landmark at one end of the High Street.
Bloxwich  Bloxwich shown within the West Midlands
Population	~40,000 (2001 Population Census)
OS grid reference	SJ9902
Metropolitan borough	Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BLOXWICH
Postcode district	WS3
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Walsall North
List of places: UK • England • West Midlands

Bloxwich

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 family of Bloc (Bloxwich, earlier Blochescwic, meaning "Bloc's village"). ^[1]

Some 19th century works suggest that at one time Bloxwich was a settlement in the ancient manor of Wednesbury. There is no conclusive evidence for this and Bloxwich has since at least medieval times been associated with the manor and town of Walsall (which for reasons unknown does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086). Bloxwich itself is however mentioned in this book under the name 'Blockeswich'.^[2]

Traditionally there has been a strong rivalry between Bloxwich and Walsall with origins as early as the English Civil War, when Walsall was Parliamentarian in sympathy and Bloxwich, centre of the Foreign of Walsall, was Royalist. This situation was exacerbated by disputes over local taxation for the Poor Rate in the 17th and 18th centuries - see Homeshaw, 1955^[1]).

While still a village as recently as the early 19th century, most of the local people were employed in the newly founded mining and forging industries, as well as light metalworking, though agriculture was still important locally as late as the 1950s. Being part of the Black Country, the town grew rapidly in the 18th century around coal mining, iron smelting and various manufacturing industries. Manufacturing in the area consisted of bridle bits, stirrups, keys, cabinet locks, plane irons, buckle tongues, chains and saddles. Its most famous product of manufacture were awl blades, which it is reputed to have surpassed all other places in the United Kingdom in manufacturing.^[2] It is also known for its canals.

Famous people from Bloxwich include Pat Collins, who was a Funfair owner during the 19th century. The site of his house and Wakes grounds are now the location of an Asda supermarket that was built during the 1970s. Also in more modern times, Noddy Holder of 1970s glam rock band Slade and Rob Halford, lead singer of seminal Heavy Metal band Judas Priest, who still owns a house in Walsall despite being resident in the USA.

Being part of what is now the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, Bloxwich was heavily developed between the wars for council housing. Most of the council houses of the 1920s and 1930s were constructed around Blakenall Heath, as well as the new housing estates of Harden and Goscote. In the 20 years which followed the Second World War, the Lower Farm, Beechdale and Mossley estates were also erected as council housing developments, while the southern side of Harden was developed along with the Rivers Estate at Blakenall Heath. Many privately owned houses, mostly in the Little Bloxwich area, were also constructed. In the 1990s and 2000s, many new housing developments have sprung up both in Bloxwich and at Blakenall Heath.

Bloxwich has in recent years completed numerous redevelopment projects - Bloxwich police station, which also has responsibility for Willenhall and Darlaston, the new market square and job centres are examples. On the 31st October 2009, Bloxwich Library closed in order for a nine-month refurbishment project to take place. It will therefore reopen sometime in summer 2010. Beyond Bloxwich Golf Club, Yieldfields Hall, to the north of the town on the A34 marks the northern most edge of Bloxwich, Walsall and the West Midlands, currently the border with Staffordshire.

Bloxwich town centre is still mostly made up of Victorian and Edwardian buildings and leafy parks and gardens, which maintain its origins as a Staffordshire village. Good built examples are Bloxwich Hospital, Bloxwich Hall, All Saints Church and several private houses in Station Street, Stafford Road, Wolverhampton Street and Sandbank. Bloxwich was once known to have more public houses than any other town in the Borough (from the Georgian period to the 1960s), though these have begun to disappear in recent years due to the economic situation. A focal point is the well-known Bloxwich Fountain in the Promenade Gardens. The church contains the original cemetery which dates back to the early 1700s. When this stopped being available a new cemetery was created in land between the High Street and Field Road, just to the north. The last burial took place in 2000 and a new cemetery was open to the north of Bloxwich on the Turnberry estate, a private estate which was laid out during the 1980s.

Houghville

Blakenall Heath

Beechdale

Harden

Little Bloxwich

Wallington Heath

Mossley

Turnberry Estate

Dudley Fields

Goscote

Leamore

Lower Farm Estate

Sunshine Infant School

Blakenall Heath Junior School

Harden Primary School

Leamore Primary School

Hatherton Lane Primary School

Busill Jones Primary School

Mossley Primary School

Little Bloxwich Church of England Primary School

Elmore Green Primary School

St. Peter's Catholic Primary School

Lower Farm Primary School

Walsall Academy

Sneyd Comprehensive School

Frank F. Harrison Community School

Forest Comprehensive School

T. P. Riley Comprehensive School

Bloxwich is well served by public transport and is home to two train stations, Bloxwich and Bloxwich North.

Very regular buses link Bloxwich with Walsall, whilst others link the area to the surrounding towns of Wolverhampton, Bilston, Willenhall, Brownhills, Wednesfield, Cannock and Hednesford. Other local services serve nearby estates of Coalpool, Harden, Mossley, Lower Farm, Goscote, Leamore, Beechdale, Dudley Fields, Landywood, Essington and Pelsall. Three peak only services link Bloxwich with Birmingham.

The main operator of bus services in the area is National Express West Midlands, but Arriva Midlands, Thandi Bus Services & Green Bus Services also operate on routes in the area.

Roadwise, the A34, Southampton/Oxford/Manchester road, goes straight through the town and forms its High Street. Most shops are based on this linear development. The A4124 Wolverhampton to Brownhills road crosses to the north of the town. Bloxwich is four miles from the M6 motorway between junctions 10 and 11.

Phil Drabble

Lee Naylor (footballer)

Pat Collins