Wombourne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wombourne (sometimes spelt Wombourn) is a very large village and civil parish (sometimes claimed to be the largest village in England) located in the district of South Staffordshire, 6km (4 miles) south-west of Wolverhampton. Local affairs are run by a parish council. At the 2001 census it had a population of 13,691. It is just outside the West Midlands metropolitan county, and only narrowly outside the West Midlands conurbation.
Wombourne has become a popular place to live and many new houses have been built in recent years. The most notable new development being the Bratch estate. The village is also home to an industrial estate, a number of small shops, including an award winning butchers (Boxley's) and two small supermarkets. There are several restaurants, including an excellent Italian restaurant and two good Indian restaurants in the centre of the village, and a total of seven pubs. Parents can send their children to any of four primary schools (Blakeley Heath Primary School, St Benedict Biscop Church of England Primary School, St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School and Westfield Primary School) and there is one large comprehensive school, Ounsdale High School.
Wombourne's Member of Parliament is Sir Patrick Cormack representing the Conservative Party.
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal runs north-south through the western side of the village and Bratch Locks are located just to the north. Another popular local spot is the South Staffordshire Railway Walk which follows the path of a now disused railway which was in use in the 1950's and 60's mainly as a goods railway, but also as a passenger line for a few years. Wombourne village green, which resembles an archetypal picturesque 'English Village' as it is in the centre of the village adjacent to the church, regularly plays host to local cricket matches.
Wombourne is home to several Christian churches of varying denominations but, despite its proximity to the diverse West Midlands conurbation, there are no places of worship for other religions.
Of some concern to many in Wombourne today is the expansion of the nearby Wolverhampton Business Airport at Halfpenny Green. Some locals people are worried that expansion could lead to noise pollution, increased traffic and a number of other problems. Some also fear that this expansion will hasten to the development of the "Western Orbital" road that was planned a few years ago to divert some of the heavy through-traffic away from other congested roads in the West Midlands, especially the M6 Motorway.
