| Cannock | |
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Cannock
Cannock shown within Staffordshire |
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| Population | 27,883 (mid-2010 estimate) |
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| OS grid reference | SJ980101 |
| District | Cannock Chase |
| Shire county | Staffordshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CANNOCK |
| Postcode district | WS11 |
| Dialling code | 01543 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Cannock Chase |
| List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire | |
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.
Cannock lies to the north of the West Midlands conurbation on the M6, A34 and A5 roads, and to the south of Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Cannock is served by a railway station on the Chase Line.
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Cannock had a 2010 mid-year estimated population of 27,883 (from the estimated headcounts[1] of its four district council electoral wards). The Cannock South ward includes the civil parish of Bridgtown, but the rest of Cannock is unparished.
Cannock is part of Cannock Chase District's largest built-up area. The area is covered by nine district council electoral wards and part of another ward whose estimated population in 2001 was 60,814.[2]
Cannock is also part of a wider built-up area which includes parts of South Staffordshire District. This is the Cannock urban subdivision of the Cannock/Great Wyrley Urban Area. Its population in the 2001 census was 65,022.[3]
Cannock was called Chenet in the Domesday Book of 1086. It was called Chnoc c.1130, Cnot in 1156, Canot in 1157, and Canoc in 1198. Cannock is probably Old English cnocc meaning 'hillock', modified by Norman pronunciation by the insertion of a vowel to Canoc. The name may refer to Shoal Hill, north-west of the town.[4]
Cannock was a small rural community until coal mining increased heavily during the mid to late 19th century. The area then continued to grow rapidly with many industries coming to the area because of its proximity to the Black Country and its coal reserves. Cannock's population continued to increase steadily in the 20th century and its slight fall since the 1981 census has been more than compensated for by house-building in the adjoining village of Heath Hayes. The last colliery to close in the town was Mid Cannock in 1967[5], and the last remaining colliery to close in the Cannock Chase area was Littleton (in Huntington) in 1993[6]. There is now no heavy industry in the area, and Cannock is home to many commuters working in the surrounding towns and cities.
Cannock Chase German war cemetery is located nearby containing 4,885 German military dead from the First and Second World Wars. It is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Cannock is on a south-west facing slope, falling from the highest point on Cannock Chase (244m) at Castle Ring, to about 148m in the town centre and 111m near Wedges Mills. The soil is light with a gravel and clay subsoil, and there are extensive coal measures.
Cannock has a moderate, temperate climate. See Penkridge weather station for details of average temperature and rainfall figures taken between 1971 and 2000 at the Met Office weather station in Penkridge (around 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Cannock).
Cities and towns are in upper case. Only a few of the nearest villages are shown.
| PENKRIDGE | Huntington, STAFFORD | HEDNESFORD, RUGELEY, Armitage | ||
| Brewood, SHIFNAL, TELFORD, Gailey | Cannock Wood, BURNTWOOD, Hammerwich, Heath Hayes, LICHFIELD | |||
| CANNOCK | ||||
| Featherstone, WOLVERHAMPTON | Great Wyrley, Cheslyn Hay, Landywood, BLOXWICH, WILLENHALL, WALSALL | Norton Canes, BROWNHILLS, ALDRIDGE |
In recent years it has become far more affluent and seen a population and housing increase, such as the new apartments built near the railway station and the ongoing housing development on the Cannock/Heath Hayes boundary. In keeping with the national trend, Cannock's housing is increasingly of a post-fordist era style, although various other periods of architecture are sited around the town, such as at Shoal Hill and Wolverhampton Road. The United Kingdom's second largest populated city, Birmingham, can be commuted to by train in around 35 minutes.
Cannock has a reasonably sized town centre which includes some well known high street names. It also has outdoor and indoor markets and a shopping centre, however some of Cannock's other shopping facilities are to be found in out of town locations such as Longford Island Retail Estate and the Orbital Retail Park.
Cannock has a choice of nightclubs and bars, including Missoula (On the former site of Stones), Silks, Bank Bar & Lounge, Piques, Academy, Bar 77, Ubar, and Bar Sport, as well as several traditional pubs dotted around the town centre including the White Hart, The Royal Oak and Wetherspoons. There are also many restaurants, gastro pubs, and fast food establishments offering a wide choice of food.
Cannock has a leisure centre which contains a swimming pool and other sporting facilities. It also has an ice rink, Silverblades, although this is a small rink compared to other larger rinks to be found at Telford and Solihull. It also has a three-screen cinema which was recently renovated as part of an on-going attempt at redeveloping this part of the town centre.
Cannock has a free weekly local newspaper, the Cannock & Rugeley Chronicle (an edition of the Cannock & Lichfield Chronicle).[7] Another free weekly, the Chase Post (an edition of the Cannock Chase & Burntwood Post)[8], ceased publication in November 2011[9].
The Express & Star is a paid-for local newspaper, published in Wolverhampton on weekdays.[10]
Hyperlocal website ConnectCannock delivers local news via the internet, and also provides a business directory
Televised local news is provided through Midlands Today and Central Tonight, which also serve the wider area of the West Midlands.
Cannock is served by the national radio stations, and West Midlands "regional" licences Kerrang! Radio and Heart West Midlands. It has no local radio station.
In November 2001, a group set up a 28 day trial broadcast of Chase FM, hoping to get a full-time commercial radio licence for the town. As well as the 28 day broadcast, the group provided roadshows in the town centre, including turning on the xmas lights, and broadcast live from Silks Nightclub. They returned for another trial in July 2002. Both of these trials were received well, however Ofcom decided there would be no more commercial radio licences.
Many of the group reformed in 2010 and are planning to obtain one of the newer community radio licences to cover the town. An internet-only version of the station is online at chasefm.net
Cannock is located close to the M6, M6 toll and M54 motorways. There is an extensive network of local buses radiating out from Cannock town centre. The town's main bus operator is Arriva Midlands, who operate the majority of services to and from Cannock bus station. Cannock railway station closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching Axe. It reopened in 1989 and is part of the Rugeley - Cannock - Walsall - Birmingham line operated by London Midland. There are two trains per hour from the station to Rugeley, Walsall, and Birmingham.
Cannock Hockey Club is one of the leading field hockey clubs in England, and supplies England internationals.
Cannock Chase High School is a non-denominational mixed comprehensive with around 1600 pupils aged 11–18.
Cardinal Griffin Catholic High School is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic secondary school with around 950 pupils aged 11–18.
Chase Academy is an independent co-educational boarding school with a day nursery as well as over 200 pupils up to age 19.
South Staffordshire College is a further education college which provides courses to students from age 14 up to adults. It was created by a merger of Cannock Chase Technical College and centres of further education in Tamworth, Lichfield and Rodbaston.
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