Moxley

This article is about the residential district in Darlaston, Walsall, West Midlands, England. For other uses, see Moxley (disambiguation).

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 Wednesbury.

Notable local events

Moxley has been the subject of local headlines numerous times.

In May 1999, a semi-detached council house on Hughes Road was severely damaged when a disused mineshaft below the property collapsed causing the majority of the structure to collapse with it. As a result of the damage and weakened structure, the attached property also had to be demolished.

In January 2002, Walsall Council announces plans to demolish the 127-home estate around Harrowby Road (known as the Bradley Lodge estate when it was built by Bilston Council in the 1930s)[1] due to mining subsidence, which already forced more than half of the estate's residents to move.[2] By February 2004, just 20 families remained on the estate and the first properties were demolished.[3] After July 2007 there was one resident still on the estate, who finally moved out in September 2013 more than a decade after the redevelopment of the estate was first planned, and more than six years after his last neighbour moved out.

Arson attacks in particular were a frequent occurrence on Harrowby Road, and on one occasion the fire brigade were called out three times in one day to put out fires in empty properties. The regeneration of Harrowby Road has also seen the demolition of 1960s/1970s flats and houses on neighbouring Belmont Gardens, with these properties being demolished during 2005.

A similar regeneration took place on nearby Curtin Drive in 2007, when two three-storey blocks of 1950s council flats were demolished, having stood derelict for several years and been subjected to extensive vandalism.

Religion

It is served by two churches: All Saints', which is in the Anglican diocese of Lichfield, and Moxley Methodist Church.

Transport

It is centred on the famous London to Holyhead Road and, since the 1990s, has been bypassed by the Black Country New Road. The northern stub of the spine road links the main A41 road with the Black Country Route; both of these roads opened simultaneously in July 1995. The section of Church Street and Hollyhead Road leading up to the junction with Bilston Road just over the border in Wednesbury was widened in 1997 to cope with spine road traffic, linking up with the remaining section of the route which gives an unbroken dual carriageway link with junction 1 of the M5 motorway at West Bromwich.

It has public transport connections with Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Dudley and Walsall.

Moxley is served by the Midland Metro with a stop located in Bradley Lane, which was opened in 1999 along the route of a railway line which had been closed to passengers in 1972 but part of it remained open to goods trains until 1992.

Several public bus services serve Moxley these are list below:

Education

The nearest secondary school is Darlaston Community Science College, approximately one mile away near Darlaston town centre.

The local primary school is Moorcroft Wood Primary School, which opened in September 2005 as result of the amalgamation of Moxley Infant School in Moxley Road, and Dorothy Purcell Junior School in Bull Lane. The school was split between the two sites for over a year until the Moxley Road site was closed and the infant department moved to the Bull Lane site in November 2006. Moxley Infant School, which was built in 1927, stood derelict for three years until its demolition. It is expected to be redeveloped with housing.[4] express and star 26 January 2012 - the school site has been proposed as the site for a new 'parole hostel' where convicted criminals will be incarcerated whilst on parole. Local opposition is very strong and a petition is underway and other protests being carried on. See the bail hostel in Moxley web site.

Open Space

The most significant public open space in Moxley is Moorcroft Wood a Local Nature Reserve.[5]

Community Facilities

The Moxley People's Centre on Moxley High Street is a focus for the local community.[6]

Adjacent to Moorcroft Wood is the Moorcroft Environment Centre operated by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country.[7]

References

  1. ↑
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  5. ↑ http://cms.walsall.gov.uk/index/leisure_sports_community/countryside/moorcroft_wood_local_nature_reserve.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.moxleypeoplescentre.co.uk/
  7. ↑ http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/Moorcroft

Coordinates: 52°33′36″N 2°03′14″W / 52.560°N 2.054°W / 52.560; -2.054

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