Cradley Heath
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Cradley Heath is town in the Black Country, located in the south-west of the Sandwell metropolitan borough, England. The name is usually pronounced "Crayd-ley", not "Crad-ley"; in the Black Country accent it may even sound like "Craig-ley" Heath.
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, although some are now awaiting demolition to make way for a by-pass which locals hope will relieve the traffic congestion that had plagued the town centre since the 1960s.
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[edit] History
Cradley Heath was originally a village in the south Staffordshire countryside, near the border with Worcestershire. It was part of the borough of Rowley Regis until 1966, Warley County Borough from 1966 to 1974, and since 1974 has been part of Sandwell.
Cradley Heath was originally an area of heath in the Staffordshire parish of Rowley Regis, in which the residents of Cradley had grazing rights, subject to an annual payment to the lord of the manor. As on other commons in the Black Country, cottages were built encroaching on the heath. These were occupied by nailmakers and other smiths.
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. It was only during the 1980s recession 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 Special Collections.
The Workers Institute which stood in Lower High Street for almost 100 years will be rebuilt at the Black Country Living Museum. It is being demolished to make way for a bypass that was originally proposed in the 1960s.
[edit] Cradley Heath today
Cradley Heath town is a traditional shopping centre, offering an alternative to modern malls. It has two markets and numerous privately owned shops and businesses. It is home to the Black Country Bugle Newspaper. It has two main parks: Haden Hill and Mary McArthur memorial gardens (known locally as Lomie Town park).
The town is served by Cradley Heath railway station. Heathfield Foundation Technology College is located within the area too.
[edit] Neighbourhoods
- Old Hill
- Timbertree
- Newtown
- Haden Hill
- Lomie Town
[edit] External Links
| Settlements on the River Stour between the Clent Hills and River Severn | edit | |
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Romsley | Halesowen | Cradley Heath | Lye | Stourbridge | Stourton | Kinver | Caunsall | Cookley | Wolverley| Kidderminster | Wilden | Stourport |
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