Kingswinford
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Kingswinford is a suburban area (formerly a village) in the West Midlands county but previously in Staffordshire.
Mentioned in the Domesday Book its name relates to a ford for the King's swine (Kingswin(e)ford). The current significance is probably in tourism, education and housing. Positioned at the western edge of the West Midlands it borders on a rural area extending past the River Severn, which explains recent changes. But its position at the edge of the Black Country and its long standing in the area means it has had significant influence in the past. This is illustrated by the influence in creating local workhouses-[1] which shows a population of 15,000 plus in the 1831 census.
The parishes of Kingswinford and Amblecote formed the Kingswinford rural district in 1894. However, Amblecote became an urban district in 1898, leaving Kinsgwinford one of only a few single-parish rural districts. It was added to the Brierley Hill urban district in 1935, which became part of the County Borough of Dudley in 1966 and then the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in 1974. [2]
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[edit] Parish Church
The parish church of St. Mary dates back to the 11th century, although much of the main body of the building is from the 17th century. It contains a notable norman carving of St. George slaying the dragon. The church is also home to a well-regarded two manual Nicholson and Lord Pipe Organ. It remained the church of the huge parish of Kingswinford until it was closed because of mining activities in 1831, when Kingswinford residents were forced to use nearby Holy Trinity church in Wordsley. It reopened in 1846, although never regained fully its parish.
[edit] Development in Modern Times
From 1894 to 1938, Kingswinford was the centre of Kingswinford Rural District Council. It was then part of Brierley Hill Urban District Council, and since 1966 has been controlled by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. It now forms part of the DY6 postal district.
Recent house building, commencing in the 1950's and 1960's, has largely destroyed the original rural character of Kingswinford, the result being the complete absorption of the former village into the large urban area that is the Dudley borough. This turn of events is lamented by some but has also brought considerable economic wealth into the area through the arrival of up-market housing estates.
[edit] Town Centre
Kingswinford town centre has many local shops in the town centre, along with five public houses and bars. Once a town centre with a cinema, modern 1960s precinct and local quality butchers, bakers and grocers, it saw decline in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many locals attribute this to the opening of Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Unlike Dudley town centre, Kingswinford has brought many locals back to the town centre by concentrating on quality shops and attractions. Kingswinford town centre doesn't just attract locals, however. Due to its location and major road networks that pass through, many people who use the A491 stop in Kingswinford. This is somewhat seen as more of a disadvantage by residents than local business, as traffic on the A491 bottlenecks at Kingswinford Cross. Just before the A491 goes through Kingswinford it changes from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway, with numerous traffic lights in Kingswinford. A bypass has been suggested, however, this is still in early development.
[edit] Townsend
There is an area at the end of Kingswinford which has been known as Townsend dating back to 19th century maps of the area. It was centered on Townsend House, the family seat of the Badley family from the 17th until the early 20th century. The Georgian house was demolished in the 1950s to build a shopping centre. John Badley of Townsend (1678-1768) was an ancestor of John Badley, F.R.C.S. and John Haden Badley the centenarian educator and founder of Bedales School.
[edit] Primary Schools
Kingswinford serves 4-11 year olds education with six primary school, one of which is a special school. Bromley Hills is situated on the same land as the Crestwood School, with the vast majority of children moving to Crestwood when they enter year seven. Dingle Primary School children also attend Crestwood in the majority of cases. Another school in Kingswinford is Crestwood Park, a school that was one of the worst schools in the area but have inproved dramatically. The Kingswinford School is made up of children from Blanford Mere Primary School and Glynn Primary School, amongst others. Summerhill School sees children come from mainly the Glynn Primary School or other local areas, such as neighbouring Wall Heath, Wordsley and even areas of Stourbridge.
[edit] Secondary Schools
The area has three major secondary schools, The Kingswinford School The Kingswinford School, Summerhill School and Crestwood School The Crestwood School. The Kingswinford School is located in the heart of the town, a five minute walk from the main road that runs through, The A491 (Market Street). The Summerhill School is located some half mile away and has recently undergone major building works. Perhaps reflecting the area's status, it was rebuilt in 2003 with a brand new 21st century design replacing the original 1950s buildings. This project was one of the first large scale PFI projects (the deal was worth around £27million) and is considered to be a showcase for the local authority's education provision. A remaining building from the old school that was built in 1993 has been the subject of local debate since its closure in 2003, with Dudley Metropolitan Borough council intent upon using it to house the borough archives. This has caused conflict following the proposal of an alternative scheme (The C.I.C Kingswinford) put forward by a local young entrepreneur (John Hackett) to use the building as an arts centre that was rejected by the Council. The council plans to move the archives service to this building in 2007. The Crestwood School is located on another busy road through Kingswinford that joins the A491 (Market Street) to the Brierley Hill area, often used, to residents dismay, as a quick way to Merry Hill Shopping Centre. The Crestwood School has recently also undergone major building works, which has seen the reloaction of the Brier school upon on land between Crestwood (As known to locals) and Bromley Hills primary school. This has also been seen as an annoyance to local residents as it has brought extra traffic to an already busy road, especially at school run times.
[edit] Local Christian Organisations
In addition to the parish church of St. Mary, Kingswinford is home to several churches of other denominations including Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church, Calvary Church, Crestwood Church, Kingswinford Methodist Church and Kingswinford Christian Fellowship.
[edit] Kingswinford Today
Despite its roots as a small village, Kingswinford is now better described as a dormitory town to Birmingham, containing as it does a large number of commuting communities, small industrial businesses and several schools. The area is considered by local residents to be a good place to live and work. There are however, increasing congestion and over-population problems coherent with those that exist throughout the Dudley borough.
There are two major industrial trading estates in Kingswinford, the Dawley Brook estate and the Pensnett Trading Estate. These provide good local employment opportunities.
The area is set to expand even further in 2005 with new housing developments planned for the remaining brownfield and green spaces within the Kingswinford area set to add an additional 2000 homes.
[edit] Trivia
- In 1987, Kingswinford adopted the Ocean Quahog (Arctica Islandica) as the official town shell.
- Sri Lankan born double murderer Senthamil Thillainathan lived in Kingswinford for a short time before his arrest in 2002.
