Wednesbury
Encyclopedia
Wednesbury is a market town
in England
's Black Country
, part of the Sandwell
metropolitan borough in West Midlands
, near the source of the River Tame
. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced ˈwɛnzbᵊri .
hill fort. The first authenticated spelling of the name was Wodensbyri, written in an endorsement on the back of the copy of the will of Wulfric Spot, dated 1004. Wednesbury is one of the few places in England to be named after a pre-Christian deity.
Wednesbury is one of the oldest parts of the Black Country. The ending "-bury" comes from the old English word "burgh" meaning a hill or barrow
. So "Wednesbury" may mean "Woden
's Hill" or "Woden's barrow". It could also mean Woden's fortification, although the former description is often accepted.
During the Anglo-Saxon period there are believed to have been two battles fought in Wednesbury, one in A.D. 592 and one in 715. According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
there was "a great slaughter" in 592 and "Ceawlin was driven out". Ceawlin was a king of Wessex
and the second Bretwalda, or overlord of all Britain. The second battle, in 715, was fought between Mercia
(of which Wednesbury was part) and the kingdom of Wessex. Both sides allegedly claimed to have won the battle, although it is believed that the victory inclined to Wessex.
Wednesbury was later fortified by Ethelfleda
, daughter of Alfred the Great
and known as the Lady of Mercia. Ethelfleda erected five fortifications to defend against the Danes at Bridgnorth
, Tamworth
, Stafford
and Warwick
, with Wednesbury in the centre of the other four. Wednesbury's fort would probably have been an extension of an older fortification and made of a stone foundation with a wooden stockade above. Earthwork ramparts and water filled ditches would probably have added to its strength. There is now a plaque on the gardens between Ethelfleda Terrace and St. Bartholomew's church stating that the gardens there - created in the 1950s - used stone from the graaf, or fighting platform, of the old fort. Exploration of the gardens reveals several dressed stones, which appear to be those referred to on the plaque.
Historically
Wednesbury is within Staffordshire
; in 1086, the Domesday Book
describes Wednesbury (Wadnesberie) as being a thriving rural community encompassing Bloxwich
and Shelfield
(now part of Walsall
). During the Middle Ages
the town was a rural village, with each family farming a strip of land with nearby heath being used for grazing. The town was held by the king until the reign of Henry II
, when it passed to the Heronville family.
Medieval Wednesbury was very small, and its inhabitants would appear to have been farmers and farm workers. In 1315, coal pits were first found and recorded in Wednesbury, which led to an increase in the number of jobs offered there. Nail making was also in progress during these times. William Paget
was born in Wednesbury in 1505, the son of a nail maker. He is noted as having risen to the position of Secretary of State, a Knight of the Garter and an Ambassador. He was one of executors of the will of Henry VIII
.
By the 18th century the town's main occupations were coal mining and nail making. With the introduction of the first turnpike road
in 1727 and the development of canals and later the railways came a big increase in population.
In 1769, Wednesbury's canal banks were soon full of factories as in this year, the first Birmingham Canal was cut to link Wednesbury's coalfields to the Birmingham industries.
In 1743 the Wesleys and their new Methodist movement were severely tested in Wednesbury. Early in the year, John
and Charles Wesley
preached in the open air on the Tump. They were warmly received by the people and made welcome by the vicar. Soon afterwards another preacher came and was rude about the current state of the Anglican clergy. This angered the vicar and the magistrates published a notice ordering that any further preachers were to be brought to them. When John Wesley next came his supporters were still there but a crowd of others heckled him and threw stones. Later the crowd came to his lodgings and took him to the magistrates. However both magistrates declined to have anything to do with Wesley or the crowd. The crowd ill-treated Wesley and nearly killed him but he remained calm. Eventually they came to their senses and returned him to his hosts.
Soon afterward the vicar asked his congregation to pledge not to associate with Methodists and some who refused to pledge had their windows smashed. Others who ventured to host Methodist meetings had the contents of their houses destroyed as well. This terrible episode came to an end in December when the vicar died. After that Anglican/Methodist relations were generally cordial. Methodism grew strongly in Wednesbury and John Wesley visited often, almost until his death. Francis Asbury
, Richard Whatcoat
and the Earl of Dartmouth
are among those who attended Methodist meetings in the town. All of them were in different ways to have a profound effect on the United States.
A steam tram service was opened between Wednesbury and Dudley
, also serving Tipton
, on 21 January 1884. The line was electrified in 1907 but discontinued in March 1930 on its replacement with Midland Red buses along the route.
Wednesbury became a municipal borough in 1886.
.jpg)
In 1887, Brunswick Park was opened to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The previous year, Wednesbury had become a Municipal Borough.
and West Bromwich
. By 1930, a mere 206 families had been rehoused to the new council houses from slums. However, the building of new council houses rose dramatically at the start of the 1930s
, the 1,000th council house in Wednesbury being occupied before the end of 1931. By 1935, 10 years since work began on Wednesbury's first council houses, some 1,250 of the town's older houses had been demolished or earmarked for demolition. By 1944, more than 3,000 council properties existed in Wednesbury. By 1959, that figure had exceeded 5,000.
During the later half of the 20th century, Wednesbury's industry declined, but since 1990 new developments such as an automotive park, a retail park and the newly pedestrian-only Union Street have given a new look to the town. The traditional market is still a feature of the bustling centre; while the streets around Market Place are now a protected conservation area
.
Wednesbury became a municipal borough
in 1866, and continued in existence until 1966 when it was partitioned, with small parts of the town placed within the County Borough of Walsall
and the majority of the town within the County Borough of West Bromwich, which then itself merged with the County Borough of Warley
in 1974 to form Sandwell
. It now holds the postcode WS10, shared with the town of Darlaston
(within the borough of Walsall) but is part of the Sandwell borough. The postal address for Darlaston is now Darlaston, Wednesbury.
Wednesbury's bus station (renovated 2006) is located in the centre of the town near the swimming baths and links are available to Wolverhampton, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Walsall and the shopping complex of Merry Hill
. A new town square area and large Morrisons supermarket opened to serve the town in November 2007.
It is served by the Midland Metro
light rail (tram) system, with stops at Great Western Street
and Wednesbury Parkway
. The system's only maintenance depot is also located here. The current line runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, and a proposed extension to Brierley Hill is expected to open some time during the 2010s
.
Between 1850 and 1993, the line built by the South Staffordshire Railway
served Wednesbury. Passenger services were withdrawn after Wednesbury Station closed in 1964 under the Beeching Axe
, but a steel terminal soon opened on the site and did not close until December 1992, with the railway finally closing on 19 March 1993 after serving the town for nearly 150 years.
Until 1972, the town was served by the Great Western Railway
between Birmingham
and Wolverhampton
at Wednesbury Central railway station
. Passenger trains were withdrawn at this time, with the Bilston-Wolverhampton and Wednesbury-Birmingham sections of the line closing completely at this time. The section of railway between Wednesbury and Bilston, which served a scrapyard at Bilston, remained open until 30 August 1992 but was re-opened within seven years as part of the Midland Metro.
For many years, Wednesbury was dominated by the huge Patent Shaft
steel works. The factory sprang up in the 19th century and remained active until its closure in 1980. This caused mass unemployment in and around Wednesbury. The factory was demolished three years later, and by the mid-1990s it had been developed as an enterprise zone - one of several government initiatives to bring employment to areas suffering economic decline due to deindustrialisation. However, the iron gates of the factory are still in existence today, thirty years after its closure and have recently been mounted on the traffic island where the Holyhead Road passes the bus station, in tribute to the works.
Wednesbury is situated on Thomas Telford's
London
to Holyhead
road which was built in the early 19th century. The section of this road between Wednesbury and Moxley
was widened in 1997 to form a dual carriageway, completing the Black Country Spine Road that had been in development since 1995, when the route between Wednesbury and West Bromwich had opened, along with a one-mile route to the north of Moxley which provided a link with the Black Country Route
. The original plan had been for a completely new route to be built between Wednesbury and Moxley, but this was abandoned in favour of widening the existing route as part of cost-cutting measures.
.jpg)
In 2003, Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery
staged Stuck in Wednesbury, the first show in a public gallery of the Stuckism
international art movement.
Morrisons
opened a new supermarket in the town centre on 4 November 2007, creating some 350 new jobs. A number of council bungalows had been demolished, along with a section of the town centre shops, to make way for this development.
in 1840, serving the town for 140 years before its closure in 1980 during the first stages of the recession
. Demolition took place in 1983.
Metro Cammell set up business in Wednesbury after buying the Old Park Works near the border with Darlaston
from Patent Shaft in 1949, where it produced railway coach bodies, railway wagons and pressings for other factories in the group. The plant remained opened until 1989.
FH Lloyd steelworks was formed at a site on Park Lane near the borders with Walsall
and Darlaston during the 1880s, and would provide employment to the local area for some 100 years. However, recessions
plagued its final few years and FH Lloyd finally went out of business in 1982. Triplex Iron Foundary then took the site over, but their ownership was short lived and it was then sold to Swedish
home products company IKEA
in 1988, being demolished almost immediately.
Property developers JJ Gallagher had purchased the bulk of the FH Lloyd site site in 1988 and once mineshafts were filled in, decontamination was completed and the River Tame
was diverted, the land was suitable for mass retail development. A Cargo Club supermarket-style retail warehouse, part of the Nurdin and Peacock group, which opened in July 1994. It was one of just three Cargo Club stores in Britain, and the venture was not a success, and by the end of 1995 it had been shut down following heavy losses.A B&Q DIY superstore opened on the site in 1997.
The next two units were opened in 1995 and let to Currys
and PC World
and a Burger King
fast food restaurant was opened opposite. By this stage, the area was known as Gallagher Retail Park and incorporated the nearby Ikea and Carg Club stores.
A further phase of development was completed in 2000, with Furniture Village, Furnitureland and SCS
setting up business in the new units, while Currys moved to a new store in this phase (this Currys store was the largest electrical superstore in Europe
on its completion) and their original unit was re-let to furniture retailer MFI, who would remain there until the business went into liquidation eight years later. Pizza Hut
and KFC
opened fast food restaurants on the development in 2002.
Next, TK Maxx, Boots, Mamas & Papas
all opened in the refurbished former PC World
after they moved to the site opposite Currys. Both Curry's and PC World stores are now known as 'Megastores'.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in 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...
's 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...
, part of the 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 in 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...
, near the source of the River Tame
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...
. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced ˈwɛnzbᵊri .
Pre-Medieval and Medieval times
It is believed that Wednesbury was originally founded as an Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort. The first authenticated spelling of the name was Wodensbyri, written in an endorsement on the back of the copy of the will of Wulfric Spot, dated 1004. Wednesbury is one of the few places in England to be named after a pre-Christian deity.
Wednesbury is one of the oldest parts of the Black Country. The ending "-bury" comes from the old English word "burgh" meaning a hill or barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
. So "Wednesbury" may mean "Woden
Woden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
's Hill" or "Woden's barrow". It could also mean Woden's fortification, although the former description is often accepted.
During the Anglo-Saxon period there are believed to have been two battles fought in Wednesbury, one in A.D. 592 and one in 715. According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
there was "a great slaughter" in 592 and "Ceawlin was driven out". Ceawlin was a king of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
and the second Bretwalda, or overlord of all Britain. The second battle, in 715, was fought between Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
(of which Wednesbury was part) and the kingdom of Wessex. Both sides allegedly claimed to have won the battle, although it is believed that the victory inclined to Wessex.
Wednesbury was later fortified by Ethelfleda
Ethelfleda
Æthelflæd , was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and Ealhswith, wife of Æthelred, ealdorman of Mercia, and after his death, ruler of Mercia...
, daughter of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
and known as the Lady of Mercia. Ethelfleda erected five fortifications to defend against the Danes at Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
, Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
and Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, with Wednesbury in the centre of the other four. Wednesbury's fort would probably have been an extension of an older fortification and made of a stone foundation with a wooden stockade above. Earthwork ramparts and water filled ditches would probably have added to its strength. There is now a plaque on the gardens between Ethelfleda Terrace and St. Bartholomew's church stating that the gardens there - created in the 1950s - used stone from the graaf, or fighting platform, of the old fort. Exploration of the gardens reveals several dressed stones, which appear to be those referred to on the plaque.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
Wednesbury is within Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
; in 1086, the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
describes Wednesbury (Wadnesberie) as being a thriving rural community encompassing 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...
and Shelfield
Shelfield
Shelfield is a small village to the north of Walsall in the West Midlands conurbation.The name Shelfield derives from the Anglo Saxon Skelfeld for sloping ground or field -Education:...
(now part of Walsall
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...
). During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the town was a rural village, with each family farming a strip of land with nearby heath being used for grazing. The town was held by the king until the reign of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, when it passed to the Heronville family.
Medieval Wednesbury was very small, and its inhabitants would appear to have been farmers and farm workers. In 1315, coal pits were first found and recorded in Wednesbury, which led to an increase in the number of jobs offered there. Nail making was also in progress during these times. William Paget
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert , was an English statesman and accountant who held prominent positions in the service of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.-Early life:...
was born in Wednesbury in 1505, the son of a nail maker. He is noted as having risen to the position of Secretary of State, a Knight of the Garter and an Ambassador. He was one of executors of the will of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Post-Medieval times
In the 17th century Wednesbury pottery - "Wedgbury ware" - was being sold as far away as Worcester, while white clay from Monway Field was used to make tobacco pipes.By the 18th century the town's main occupations were coal mining and nail making. With the introduction of the first turnpike road
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
in 1727 and the development of canals and later the railways came a big increase in population.
In 1769, Wednesbury's canal banks were soon full of factories as in this year, the first Birmingham Canal was cut to link Wednesbury's coalfields to the Birmingham industries.
In 1743 the Wesleys and their new Methodist movement were severely tested in Wednesbury. Early in the year, John
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
and Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
preached in the open air on the Tump. They were warmly received by the people and made welcome by the vicar. Soon afterwards another preacher came and was rude about the current state of the Anglican clergy. This angered the vicar and the magistrates published a notice ordering that any further preachers were to be brought to them. When John Wesley next came his supporters were still there but a crowd of others heckled him and threw stones. Later the crowd came to his lodgings and took him to the magistrates. However both magistrates declined to have anything to do with Wesley or the crowd. The crowd ill-treated Wesley and nearly killed him but he remained calm. Eventually they came to their senses and returned him to his hosts.
Soon afterward the vicar asked his congregation to pledge not to associate with Methodists and some who refused to pledge had their windows smashed. Others who ventured to host Methodist meetings had the contents of their houses destroyed as well. This terrible episode came to an end in December when the vicar died. After that Anglican/Methodist relations were generally cordial. Methodism grew strongly in Wednesbury and John Wesley visited often, almost until his death. 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...
, Richard Whatcoat
Richard Whatcoat
Richard Whatcoat , was the third Bishop of the American Methodist Episcopal Church.-History:Whatcoat was born in Gloucestershire, England and, although reared in the Church of England, became a Methodist at age 22...
and the Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth PC, FRS , styled as Viscount Lewisham from 1732 to 1750, was a British statesman who is most remembered for his part in the government before and during the American Revolution....
are among those who attended Methodist meetings in the town. All of them were in different ways to have a profound effect on the United States.
A steam tram service was opened between Wednesbury and Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, also serving Tipton
Tipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
, on 21 January 1884. The line was electrified in 1907 but discontinued in March 1930 on its replacement with Midland Red buses along the route.
Wednesbury became a municipal borough in 1886.
Modern times
In 1926, the first council houses built by Wednesbury council were occupied, but progress was somewhat slow compared to nearby towns including TiptonTipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
and West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
. By 1930, a mere 206 families had been rehoused to the new council houses from slums. However, the building of new council houses rose dramatically at the start of the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
, the 1,000th council house in Wednesbury being occupied before the end of 1931. By 1935, 10 years since work began on Wednesbury's first council houses, some 1,250 of the town's older houses had been demolished or earmarked for demolition. By 1944, more than 3,000 council properties existed in Wednesbury. By 1959, that figure had exceeded 5,000.
During the later half of the 20th century, Wednesbury's industry declined, but since 1990 new developments such as an automotive park, a retail park and the newly pedestrian-only Union Street have given a new look to the town. The traditional market is still a feature of the bustling centre; while the streets around Market Place are now a protected conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
Wednesbury became a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
in 1866, and continued in existence until 1966 when it was partitioned, with small parts of the town placed within the County Borough of Walsall
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...
and the majority of the town within the County Borough of West Bromwich, which then itself merged with the County Borough of Warley
County Borough of Warley
Warley was a county borough and civil parish forming part of the West Midlands conurbation, England, and geographical county of Worcestershire. It was formed in 1966 by the combination of the existing county borough of Smethwick with the municipal boroughs of Oldbury and Rowley Regis Warley was a...
in 1974 to form 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,...
. It now holds the postcode WS10, shared with the town of Darlaston
Darlaston
Darlaston is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.-History:Archaeological evidence of the history of Darlaston has been destroyed by The de Darlaston family owned Darlaston and lived in the manor between the 12th century and 15th century. When the de...
(within the borough of Walsall) but is part of the Sandwell borough. The postal address for Darlaston is now Darlaston, Wednesbury.
Wednesbury's bus station (renovated 2006) is located in the centre of the town near the swimming baths and links are available to Wolverhampton, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Walsall and the shopping complex of Merry Hill
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...
. A new town square area and large Morrisons supermarket opened to serve the town in November 2007.
It is served by the Midland Metro
Midland Metro
The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...
light rail (tram) system, with stops at Great Western Street
Wednesbury Great Western Street tram stop
Wednesbury Great Western Street tram stop is a tram stop in Wednesbury in the Black Country, England. It was opened on 31 May 1999 and is situated on Midland Metro Line 1...
and Wednesbury Parkway
Wednesbury Parkway tram stop
Wednesbury Parkway tram stop is a tram stop in Wednesbury in the Black Country, England. It was opened on 31 May 1999 it is also the main depot for the Midland Metro and is situated on Midland Metro Line 1.-External links:*...
. The system's only maintenance depot is also located here. The current line runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, and a proposed extension to Brierley Hill is expected to open some time during the 2010s
2010s
The 2010s, pronounced "twenty-tens" or "two thousand tens", is the current decade which began on January 1, 2010 and will end on December 31, 2019...
.
Between 1850 and 1993, the line built by the South Staffordshire Railway
South Staffordshire Railway
The South Staffordshire Railway was the railway company responsible for building several lines in and around the area of Staffordshire, England.The Chief Engineer was John Robinson McClean...
served Wednesbury. Passenger services were withdrawn after Wednesbury Station closed in 1964 under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, but a steel terminal soon opened on the site and did not close until December 1992, with the railway finally closing on 19 March 1993 after serving the town for nearly 150 years.
Until 1972, the town was served by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
between Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and 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...
at Wednesbury Central railway station
Wednesbury Central railway station
Wednesbury Central railway station was a major intermediate station on the Great Western Railway's Birmingham Snow Hill-Wolverhampton Low Level Line. It was opened as Wednesbury in 1854 and was one of two stations serving Wednesbury in the West Midlands. It was renamed to Wednesbury Central in 1950...
. Passenger trains were withdrawn at this time, with the Bilston-Wolverhampton and Wednesbury-Birmingham sections of the line closing completely at this time. The section of railway between Wednesbury and Bilston, which served a scrapyard at Bilston, remained open until 30 August 1992 but was re-opened within seven years as part of the Midland Metro.
For many years, Wednesbury was dominated by the huge Patent Shaft
Patent Shaft
Patent Shaft, formerly The Patent Shaft and Axeltree Company Est 1840, was a large steelworks situated in Wednesbury, West Midlands, England. It employed hundreds of local people from its opening during the 19th century, and was a key player in the Industrial Revolution that spread across the Black...
steel works. The factory sprang up in the 19th century and remained active until its closure in 1980. This caused mass unemployment in and around Wednesbury. The factory was demolished three years later, and by the mid-1990s it had been developed as an enterprise zone - one of several government initiatives to bring employment to areas suffering economic decline due to deindustrialisation. However, the iron gates of the factory are still in existence today, thirty years after its closure and have recently been mounted on the traffic island where the Holyhead Road passes the bus station, in tribute to the works.
Wednesbury is situated on Thomas Telford's
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
road which was built in the early 19th century. The section of this road between Wednesbury and Moxley
Moxley
Moxley is a part of Darlaston in the West Midlands. It was first developed during the early part of the 19th century when a handful of terraced houses were built to accommodate locals working in factories and mines and the area was created in 1845 out of land from Darlaston, Bilston and...
was widened in 1997 to form a dual carriageway, completing the Black Country Spine Road that had been in development since 1995, when the route between Wednesbury and West Bromwich had opened, along with a one-mile route to the north of Moxley which provided a link with the Black Country Route
Black Country Route
The Black Country Route is a road in the West Midlands region of England.The plans for a motorway were drawn up in 1962 to ease congestion in the Black Country towns of Bilston and Willenhall, as well as giving the residents of Dudley, Coseley and Sedgley a more direct link with the M6 motorway...
. The original plan had been for a completely new route to be built between Wednesbury and Moxley, but this was abandoned in favour of widening the existing route as part of cost-cutting measures.
Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery
Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery is a purpose built Victorian Art Gallery in Wednesbury in the West Midlands. It is notable for its Ruskin Pottery collection and for hosting the first public display of the Stuckism art movement.-Building:...
staged Stuck in Wednesbury, the first show in a public gallery of the Stuckism
Stuckism
Stuckism is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art...
international art movement.
Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
opened a new supermarket in the town centre on 4 November 2007, creating some 350 new jobs. A number of council bungalows had been demolished, along with a section of the town centre shops, to make way for this development.
Neighbourhoods
- Church Hill
- Brunswick
- Friar Park
- Myvod Estate
- Wood Green
- New Town
- Golf Links
- Woods Estate
Schools
- Stuart Bathurst RC High School
- Wodensborough Community College
- Wood Green High SchoolWood Green High SchoolWood Green High School is a secondary school located in Wednesbury, West Midlands, England.-Admissions:The head teacher is Pankesh, who started the role in September 2006, taking over from the retiring Dame Enid Bibby, who had been head teacher for eight years and became a dame in 2004 in...
- Manor Foundation Business, Enterprise and Sports College
Notable natives/residents
- Jack BeasleyJack Beasley (footballer)John "Jack" Beasley was an English professional football centre-forward. He was born in Wednesbury.Beasley began his professional career with Birmingham, but left to join Torquay United in 1935 without making the first team...
, footballer, professional football centre-forward. - Jon Brookes, drummer with The Charlatans.
- Bill ChambersBill Chambers (footballer)William Thomas "Bill" Chambers was an English-born association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played for a number of Football League and non-league clubs in the 1920s and 1930s, and enjoyed notable spells with Halifax Town and Chester...
, footballer, served as inside forward with Halifax TownHalifax Town A.F.C.Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
and ChesterChester City F.C.Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
. - John CooperJohn Cooper (footballer)John Cooper was an English footballer who had a brief professional career with Southampton in the 1920s.-Football career:Cooper was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire and joined Darlaston playing in the Birmingham & District League. Described as "the best inside-right in the Birmingham League", he...
, footballer, played with SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in the 1920s. - Roy Cross, footballer, played for Port ValePort Vale F.C.Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in early 1970s and transferred to Nuneaton Borough in 1975. - James CurrierJames CurrierJames "Jim" Currier was an English-born footballer who played as a centre forward in the 1930s and 1940s.He joined Bolton Wanderers from Cheltenham Town and first played in The Football League for Bolton in 1935–36, scoring 14 times in his 26 appearances....
, footballer, striker for Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
. - Norman DeeleyNorman DeeleyNorman Victor Deeley was an English professional footballer, who spent the majority of his league career with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored two goals in the 1960 FA Cup Final, in a performance that won him the Man of the Match award.-Career:The winger won three league titles with the club, in...
, footballer, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1951-62. - The Garman Sisters, members of Bloomsbury GroupBloomsbury GroupThe Bloomsbury Group or Bloomsbury Set was a group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who held informal discussions in Bloomsbury throughout the 20th century. This English collective of friends and relatives lived, worked or studied near Bloomsbury in London during the first half...
, lived at Oakeswell Hall in the early 20th century. - Matt Hanson (aka MC Fusion), lead vocalist, Credit to the NationCredit to the NationCredit to the Nation are an English hip hop outfit, who had chart success in the 1990s.-Career:Formed by Matthew David Hanson aka MC Fusion , with his dancers, Tyrone and Kelvin , Credit to the Nation released their first single through Chumbawamba's label Agit Pop in September 1991 entitled "Pay...
. - Dennis HarperDennis Harper (footballer)Dennis Harper is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Birmingham City. He played as an inside forward....
, footballer, Birmingham City, 1956-57. - Moses Haughton the elderMoses Haughton the elderMoses Haughton, sometimes spelt Horton was an English designer, engraver and painter of portraits and still life.-Life and work:Haughton was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire and baptised on 27 March 1735...
, 18th-century engraver, designer and painter. - Moses Haughton the youngerMoses Haughton the youngerMoses Haughton was an English engraver and painter of portrait miniatures.Born in Wednesbury in the Black Country, the nephew of the painter Moses Haughton the elder, he moved to Liverpool in 1790...
, late 18th- and early 19th-century engraver and portraitist. - Alan HintonAlan HintonAlan Thomas Hinton is an English former footballer who most notably played for Derby County and Nottingham Forest in the 1960s...
, footballer, Derby CountyDerby County F.C.Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, 1960s–70s. - Marty HoganMarty HoganMartin Francis Hogan , nicknamed "The Indianapolis Ringer", was an Anglo-American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns . After leaving the National League, Hogan moved on to the minor league Indianapolis Hoosiers...
, baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and manager. - David HowarthDavid HowarthDavid Ross Howarth is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2005 to 2010.- Education and academic career :...
, politician and Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. - Kevin LaffanKevin LaffanKevin Barry Laffan was an English playwright and screenwriter, best known for creating ITV soap opera Emmerdale Farm. Laffan had undergone heart surgery but two weeks later, he died after suffering a bout of pneumonia....
, playwright and screenplay writer. - Alex LesterAlex LesterAlex Lester is a British broadcaster. He presents the weekday overnight/early-morning programme on BBC Radio 2...
, BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
broadcaster. - Wilson LloydWilson LloydWilson Lloyd was an English iron founder and a Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1885 and 1895....
, late 19th-century Conservative political leader who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. - Len MoorwoodLen MoorwoodThomas Leonard "Len" Moorwood was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-References:...
, footballer, goalkeeper for teams including West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
and Burnley in early 20th century. - William PagetWilliam Paget, 1st Baron PagetWilliam Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert , was an English statesman and accountant who held prominent positions in the service of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.-Early life:...
, 16th-century English statesman. - Charles PartridgeCharles PartridgeCharles Partridge was an English professional footballer who made 29 appearances in the Football League playing for Small Heath. He played as a goalkeeper....
, footballer, goalkeeper for Small HeathBirmingham City F.C.Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in 1890s. - Lee PayneLee Payne (bassist)Lee Payne is the founding bassist and main songwriter of the British heavy metal/power metal band Cloven Hoof. Payne is a self-taught musician and is the only member of Cloven Hoof to feature in every line-up of the band to date.He started playing guitar at age of 17, but eventually switched to bass...
, bassist. - Ernest PerryErnest Perry (footballer)Ernest William Perry was an English footballer.-Playing career:Perry played for Stoke before joining Port Vale in August 1919. He was a regular first team player and was in the sides that won the Staffordshire Cup and shared the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1920...
, played for StokeStoke City F.C.Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
and Port ValePort Vale F.C.Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. - Roy ProverbsRoy ProverbsRoy John Proverbs is an English former professional football player. His clubs included Coventry City, Bournemouth and Gillingham, where he made over 140 Football League appearances.-References:...
, former professional football player. - Sir Kevin SatchwellKevin SatchwellSir Kevin Joseph Satchwell is the Headmaster of Thomas Telford School in Shropshire.The son of Joseph and Pauline Satchwell, he spent 15 years teaching in Liverpool and four years as headteacher in Wolverhampton, but it is his stewardship of Thomas Telford over the past 10 years that has put him...
, educationalist. - Fred ShintonFred ShintonFrederick Shinton was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward.-Biography:Shinton was born in Wednesbury. He turned professional with West Bromwich Albion in April 1905 and remained with them until November 1907, when he joined Leicester Fosse for £150...
, footballer, West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, and Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
. - Dr Karl ShukerKarl ShukerKarl P. N. Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author living in the West Midlands, England. He works as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and noted author specializing in cryptozoology.- Career :...
, zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author. - Henry TreeceHenry TreeceHenry Treece was a British poet and writer, who worked also as a teacher, and editor. He is perhaps best remembered now as a historical novelist, particularly as a children's historical novelist, although he also wrote some adult historical novels.-Life and work:Treece was born in Wednesbury,...
, poet and novelist. - Tom TromanTom TromanVictor Thomas 'Tom' Wilfred Troman was an English cricketer. Troman was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire....
(1914-2000), cricketer - Billy WalkerBilly WalkerWilliam Henry "Billy" Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be the greatest footballer to ever play for Aston Villa Football Club-Biography:...
, legendary footballer who played for Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
for the entirety of his career. - Richard WattisRichard WattisRichard Cameron Wattis , was an English character actor.He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, after which he worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor. After his debut with Croydon Repertory Theatre he made many stage...
, character actor.
Former
Patent Shaft steelworks was erected on land off Leabrook Road near the border with TiptonTipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
in 1840, serving the town for 140 years before its closure in 1980 during the first stages of the recession
Early 1980s recession
The early 1980s recession describes the severe global economic recession affecting much of the developed world in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The United States and Japan exited recession relatively early, but high unemployment would continue to affect other OECD nations through at least 1985...
. Demolition took place in 1983.
Metro Cammell set up business in Wednesbury after buying the Old Park Works near the border with Darlaston
Darlaston
Darlaston is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.-History:Archaeological evidence of the history of Darlaston has been destroyed by The de Darlaston family owned Darlaston and lived in the manor between the 12th century and 15th century. When the de...
from Patent Shaft in 1949, where it produced railway coach bodies, railway wagons and pressings for other factories in the group. The plant remained opened until 1989.
FH Lloyd steelworks was formed at a site on Park Lane near the borders with Walsall
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...
and Darlaston during the 1880s, and would provide employment to the local area for some 100 years. However, recessions
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...
plagued its final few years and FH Lloyd finally went out of business in 1982. Triplex Iron Foundary then took the site over, but their ownership was short lived and it was then sold to Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
home products company IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
in 1988, being demolished almost immediately.
Current
IKEA purchased the former FH Lloyd steel plant from Triplex in 1988, and opened one of its first British stores on the site in January 1991, just 14 months after the development had been given the go-ahead.Property developers JJ Gallagher had purchased the bulk of the FH Lloyd site site in 1988 and once mineshafts were filled in, decontamination was completed and the River Tame
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...
was diverted, the land was suitable for mass retail development. A Cargo Club supermarket-style retail warehouse, part of the Nurdin and Peacock group, which opened in July 1994. It was one of just three Cargo Club stores in Britain, and the venture was not a success, and by the end of 1995 it had been shut down following heavy losses.A B&Q DIY superstore opened on the site in 1997.
The next two units were opened in 1995 and let to Currys
Currys
Currys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Retail plc. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores...
and PC World
PC World (retailer)
PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
and a Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
fast food restaurant was opened opposite. By this stage, the area was known as Gallagher Retail Park and incorporated the nearby Ikea and Carg Club stores.
A further phase of development was completed in 2000, with Furniture Village, Furnitureland and SCS
SCS
-Schools:* St. Columba's School, Delhi, a catholic boys school in India* St. Clement's School, a private girls school located in Toronto, Canada* St...
setting up business in the new units, while Currys moved to a new store in this phase (this Currys store was the largest electrical superstore in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on its completion) and their original unit was re-let to furniture retailer MFI, who would remain there until the business went into liquidation eight years later. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
and KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
opened fast food restaurants on the development in 2002.
Next, TK Maxx, Boots, Mamas & Papas
Mamas & Papas
Mamas & Papas is a UK-based retailer and manufacturer supplying prams, pushchairs, baby products, furniture and maternity wear. It was established in Huddersfield in 1981 by Italian entrepreneurs David and Luisa Scacchetti and has grown as a family business to become one of the UK’s top nursery...
all opened in the refurbished former PC World
PC World (retailer)
PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
after they moved to the site opposite Currys. Both Curry's and PC World stores are now known as 'Megastores'.