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Kingswinford is a suburban area (formerly a village) in the West Midlands county but previously in Staffordshire. The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of around 2,600,000 people. ...
Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ...
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. A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ...
The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of around 2,600,000 people. ...
“Severn†redirects here. ...
The Black Country is a loosely-defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton, around the South Staffordshire coalfield. ...
The parishes of Kingswinford and Amblecote formed the Kingswinford rural district in 1894. However, Amblecote became an urban district in 1898, leaving Kingswinford 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] Amblecote and the neighbouring village of Wordsley were two villages in Staffordshire near the River Stour which formed the border with the county of Worcestershire. ...
In local government on the British Isles, a rural district was a predominantly rural area used for local government. ...
In the British Isles an urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. ...
Map sources for Brierley Hill at grid reference SO9286 Brierley Hill is a town in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands, England. ...
The County Borough of Dudley was a county borough covering the town of Dudley and later incorporating surrounding settlements. ...
The Metropolitan borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. ...
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. Wordsley with Buckpool is a village now forming the south suburbs of Kingswinford in the West Midlands (county), England. ...
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.
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. The Merry Hill Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England. ...
Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ...
The A491 is an A road in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme. ...
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. John Badley, F.R.C.S. (July 23, 1783 - April 16, 1870) student of John Abernethy at St. ...
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients. ...
John Haden Badley, at the age of 56, from the painting by Fred Yates John Haden Badley (February 21, 1865 – March 6, 1967), author, educator, and founder of Bedales School, which claims to have become the first coeducational public boarding school in England in 1893. ...
A centenarian is a person who has attained the age of 100 years or more. ...
Bedales School is a public school with a progressive ethos located in the village of Steep, near Petersfield, Hampshire, England. ...
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 Glynne Primary School, amongst others. Summerhill School sees children come from mainly the Glynne Primary School or other local areas, such as neighbouring Wall Heath, Wordsley and even areas of Stourbridge. A special school is a school catering to students who have special educational needs (SEN), for example, because of learning difficulties or physical disabilities. ...
Wall Heath is a small village on the western fringe of the Black Country and the West Midlands conurbation (England, UK). ...
Wordsley with Buckpool is a village now forming the south suburbs of Kingswinford in the West Midlands (county), England. ...
, Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. ...
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. The Kingswinford School is a secondary school located in Kingswinford, West Midlands, England. ...
The Summerhill School is a secondary school located in Kingswinford, West Midlands, England. ...
The Crestwood School is a secondary school located in Kingswinford, West Midlands, England. ...
The A491 is an A road in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme. ...
Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. ...
For the sequel to the computer game Entrepreneur, which has no article of its own, see The Corporate Machine. ...
The A491 is an A road in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme. ...
Map sources for Brierley Hill at grid reference SO9286 Brierley Hill is a town in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands, England. ...
The Merry Hill Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England. ...
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.
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.
Trivia - In 1987, Kingswinford adopted the Ocean Quahog (Arctica Islandica) as the official town shell.
- Kingswinford's most notorious resident is the mysterious author known as Captain Lazonby-Threpwell. His reputation was built on a series of bizarre letters to local newspapers and the fantastical book "Gulleys, Alleyways and Shortcuts of Kingswinford". Believed to have been written under a psuedonym, his writing has been favourably compared to that of J. D. Salinger.
- Sri Lankan born double murderer Senthamil Thillainathan lived in Kingswinford for a short time before his arrest in 2002.
- In 2004, Kingswinford was put on red alert when it was announced that a crocodile had been sighted in a local park.
- Kingswinford is also home to the musical group Das Band who are currently signed by JPINCH Records.
Jerome David Salinger (born January 1, 1919) is an American author best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature; he has not published any new work since 1965 and has not granted a formal interview since 1980. ...
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Senthamil Thillainathan (born 1981 in Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lanka born, British based convicted murderer. ...
Also see: 2002 (number). ...
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