Cradley Heath
Encyclopedia
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
, located in Sandwell
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,...
metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
, 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...
. The name is usually pronounced "Craid-ley", not "Crad-ley", but in the Black Country accent
West Midlands English
West Midlands English is a group of dialects of the English language. The accent has experienced ridicule within the UK for its unusual sound. The accent is a result of extensive migration to the region during the Industrial revolution...
, it may even sound like "Craig-ley Aith". Cradley Heath is often confused with neighbouring Cradley
Cradley
Places in the United Kingdom called Cradley:*Cradley, West Midlands*Cradley Heath, also in the West Midlands*Cradley, Herefordshire...
in Halesowen
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
, although the two places have long been in separate local authorities.
Cradley Heath is one of several towns in central England still recognisable from their early 20th century appearance. Many of the shops and houses in the town's High Street are still standing after 100 years. Some of these were demolished in the mid-2000s to make way for a long-awaited by-pass, which finally opened in 2007 to relieve the town's severe congestion problem which had been getting worse for decades.
Location, history and geography
Cradley Heath was originally an area of heathHeath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
, between Cradley, Netherton and Old Hill
Old Hill
Old Hill is a locality in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell in West Midlands, England. It is a district of Cradley Heath.-General description:...
, in the Staffordshire parish of Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
, which subsequently received borough status in 1933. The residents of Cradley had grazing rights, subject to an annual payment to the lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
. The River Stour forms the boundary, not only between Cradley and Cradley Heath, but also between the modern MBCs of Sandwell and Dudley.
As on other commons in the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
, cottages were built encroaching on the heath. These were occupied by nailmakers
Nail (engineering)
In woodworking and construction, a nail is a pin-shaped, sharp object of hard metal or alloy used as a fastener. Formerly wrought iron, today's nails are typically made of steel, often dipped or coated to prevent corrosion in harsh conditions or improve adhesion...
and other smiths
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
. The anchor on the RMS Titanic was produced by anchor smiths at Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd., in Netherton.
Cradley Heath Baptist Church
Cradley Heath Baptist Church, also known as Four-ways Baptist Church, was the first Church of any denomination to be founded in Cradley Heath, West Midlands. The first meeting was in December 1833, in Granger's Lane. Later, land was bought near the Four-Ways end of the High Street, and a meeting...
in December 1833. This was the first Christian Church meeting in Cradley Heath, and others followed. This has the distinction of having had the first Afro-Caribbean Minister in the Black Country if not in England, Rev. George Cousens in 1837. He was very popular, and served as Minister in several other Black Country Churches before returning to Cradley Heath in 1867. He came from Jamaica to study in London, and was disowned by his family after his conversion to Christianity.
From the introduction of machine-based nail-making around 1830, Cradley Heath developed two prolific industries - chainmaking and nailmaking - which would remain strong for decades afterwards. Among the metallurgical companies that were active in the area was the British Iron Company
British Iron Company
The British Iron Company was formed in 1824 to smelt and manufacture iron and to mine ironstone, coal, etc. It was re-formed as the New British Iron Company in 1843 and wound up in 1892.-British Iron Company :...
and its successor, the New British Iron Company, who operated iron and steel works at Corngreaves from 1825 to 1894. The works subsequently continued under other owners until 1912. It was only during the 1980s recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
that the iron-working industries based in Cradley Heath began to decline.
The Papers of the Cradley Heath Chainmakers' Trade Union are housed at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
Special Collections.
Cradley Heath had its own Town Council. The former Council House still stands in a corner of Haden Hill Park, and is now used as local offices of Sandwell MBC.
The Workers Institute which stood in Lower High Street for almost 100 years was be rebuilt at the Black Country Living Museum
Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country Living Museum is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings, located in Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The museum occupies a urban heritage park in the shadow of Dudley Castle in the centre of the Black Country conurbation...
after being dismantled in 2006 to make way for a bypass that was originally proposed in the 1960s and finally opened in 2007.
Cradley Heath today
The town is probably most famous nationally for the Cradley Heath HeathensCradley Heath Heathens
Cradley Heath Heathens are a defunct motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England.-History:Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium...
, a Speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team, which originally operated as Cradley Heath Cubs. They participated in British speedway from 1947 until 1995, featuring World Champion riders such as Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen was a speedway rider in the late 1970s and 1980s. Gundersen was the Speedway World Championship on three occasions, a two time Long Track World Champion and a seven time World Team Cup winner with Denmark.-Career:Gundersen rode for the Cradley Heath Heathens from 1979 until 1989...
and Bruce Penhall
Bruce Penhall
Bruce Lee Penhall is a retired American motorcycle speedway racer who also starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathens speedway team in the United Kingdom...
.
The track was situated in Dudley Wood, which is a suburb of Netherton, Dudley, on Dudley Wood Road which is neither in Cradley or Cradley Heath and was reputed to be the hardest circuit to find in the UK. The site was lost to redevelopment by Barratt Homes in the mid 2000s but there are hopes a replacement venue will be found. Tony Mole, former owner of Workington Comets
Workington Comets
Workington Comets is a speedway club based in Workington, Cumbria. Their track is at Derwent Park Stadium, which they share with Workington Town Rugby League Football Club.They compete in the Premier League...
and who resurrected Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team, who were reformed in 2006 and then accepted into the Premier League in 2007. The club race at Perry Barr Stadium ....
in 2008, attempted to submit a Planning Application to Dudley MBC in a bid to return speedway to the Cradley area. A greenfield site off Oldnall Road in Cradley, Halesowen (over the border in Dudley) was adjudged to be suitable and plans were drawn up. Opposition was immense from local residents and councillors as the site reputedly contained a prehistoric settlement and also was very close to surrounding houses. The planning application was withdrawn as a result of this opposition and the failure of the speedway consortium to finalise their plans by the required deadline. Dudley MBC have agreed to work with them to find a suitable site and central Dudley, near the former steel terminal and sites in Sandwell have been mentioned but without tangible progress to date (November 2009).
Cradley Heath High Street is marked by two road junctions, Four-Ways at the east end, and Five-Ways at the west end. Four-Ways is the most altered by the new bypass, running parallel to the High Street, with the Tesco store at this end.
Cradley Heath remains a traditional shopping centre, offering an alternative to modern malls. It has two market halls and numerous privately owned shops and businesses. The old Market Hall has been in Cradley Heath for over 100 years and has recently gained a new children's clothes stall.
With the recent construction of a large Tesco Extra store (which opened in October 2007), many of the local businesses and stalls have been forced to close or take serious cutbacks to compete; it is expected that nearby Halesowen will suffer similar consequences when ASDA opens a supermarket next to the now halved Cornbow shopping centre, to compete with the Cradley Heath Tesco Extra.
The Black Country Bugle
Black Country Bugle
The Black Country Bugle is a nostalgic newspaper, set up by Derek Beasley, former chairman of Halesowen Harriers, which serves the Black Country region of England and has been in circulation since April 1972. The paper is published weekly by Staffordshire Newspapers...
newspaper is based in Cradley Heath, which was set up by Derek Beasley, former chairman of Halesowen Harriers, which focusses on local history and culture of the Black Country and often features articles and poems written in the Black Country dialect.
Cradley Heath has two large municipal parks, Haden Hill Park, which contains Haden Hall and Haden Old Hall (the latter with tudor origins) which was the ancestral home of the Haden family and the Mary McArthur Memorial Gardens (known locally as Lomie Town park).
An enterprise zone was developed in the deindustrialised eastern part of the town, near the border with Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
. Among the businesses based in this area is Footman James, which has been based on Waterfall Lane since its formation in 1983. It is now a part of the huge American AON
Aon
Aon or AON may refer to:* Aon , son of Poseidon in Greek mythology* Aon , a genus of moths* Aon , a Latin trigraph* Aon, a composition by Jazz Pianist Harold Mabern, ca...
group.
The Old Bank Building on Upper High Street which was built in 1908 for the United Counties Bank of Cradley Heath has kept its original place even with the new road layout with the modernisation of Cradley Heath. In 1973 the Old Bank Building became part of Sandwell Insurance and Sandwell Accountancy Services.
Cradley Heath High Street has not changed much since the subsidence in 1914 and the dip in the high street following the subsidence is very prominent and can be seen still today.
The Corbett Hospital was demolished in 2007 and sadly this included the small part of the eighteenth century mansion known as ‘The Hill’. The Parish Church of St Luke had the turrets removed around 1912 but still today looks as good as it did then.
Education
The LEA is Sandwell.There are several primary schools in the districts of Cradley Heath.
Heathfield Foundation Technology College is the local secondary school, in Wright's Lane, Old Hill, which has served the area since the 1960s. Other nearby secondary schools are just over the border in Netherton
Netherton, West Midlands
Netherton is a town in the West Midlands within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It lies around south of the town of Dudley and north of Cradley Heath...
and Halesowen
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
.
Transport
Cradley Heath has good bus and rail links, and a major landmark is the Cradley Heath Interchange at the west end of the town. This is based upon Cradley Heath railway stationCradley Heath railway station
Cradley Heath railway station serves the town of Cradley Heath in the West Midlands of England. It is located on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line...
, and a bus station was added so as to facilitate connections between the two. The railway is on the route from Birmingham, Snow Hill station to Stourbridge Junction. The current interchange facility was built in about 1990.
Cradley Heath is on some of the main bus routes from Birmingham and West Bromwich to Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Westfield Merry Hill is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several expansion and renovation projects taking place since. The original developers and owners were Richardson Developments but the Centre has had a number...
.
Parks and leisure facilities
The main parkland is Haden Hill, the former home of the Haden family and now in the care of Sandwell MBC. Alongside Haden Hill House are Haden Hill Leisure Centre, housing a swimming pool and other facilities, and Cradley Heath Cricket Club.The Cradley Heath Liberal Club has substantial facilities on Upper High Street, just east of Four-Ways. The Regis Restaurant, Old Hill, was for many years a community hall but the future has been in doubt after Sandwell MBC found it uneconomic.
Voices In Harmony, a local choir, originated in Cradley Heath as "Sandwell COmmunity Choir" to perform Handel's
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
The Messiah in October 1997 as part of the BT "Voices For Hospices" event.
Places of worship
Although some have closed, Cradley Heath like much of the Black Country has many current and former Church buildings. The main Anglican buildings are St Luke's, Four-Ways, Cradley Heath, and Holy Trinity, corner of Lawrence Lane and Halesowen Road, Old Hill. The Grainger's Lane Methodist Church closed in 2007, but the building is still a landmark. A number of other Methodist buildings in the area, mostly around Old Hill, amalgamated to build a new building at Lawrence Lane. There is also a Wesleyan Reform UnionWesleyan Reform Union
The Wesleyan Reform Union is an Independent Methodist Connexion based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1859 by the members of the Wesleyan Reform movement who did not join the United Methodist Free Churches-Statement of Faith:...
Chapel, St James', relocated from Cradley Heath to Old Hill because of the bypass. The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses can be found opposite the Holy Trinity Church in Old Hill.
Four-Ways Baptist Church is the only General Baptist in Cradley Heath. The congregation rejected a proposal to close the building, and continues to meet. There are several Strict and Particular Baptist Churches including Spring Meadow, and Station Road, both in Old Hill.
The Salvation Army were also relocated because of the Tesco store, the building being moved from Four-Ways to a new site 1/4 mile away.