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'Brownhills' is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands, the United Kingdom. It lies on the ancient Watling Street, but was a tiny hamlet until the eighteenth century. It quickly grew around the coal mining industry, and became linked to the canal and railway networks. The town is home to what is reputed to be the oldest fingerpost in the United Kingdom.[1]
History
Browhills is situated on the ancient Watling Street and there is evidence of settlements in the area dating to Roman times, including a guard post later dubbed Knaves Castle,1 but the name Brownhills is not recorded prior to the 17th century. The most popular suggestion for the origin of the name is that it refers to the early mining spoil heaps which dotted the area.2
Robert Plot's 1680 map of Staffordshire shows "Brownhill"
The settlement is first recorded (as "Brownhill") on Robert Plot's 1680 map of Staffordshire, at which time it was a hamlet within the manor of Ogley Hay, which in turn was part of the parish of Norton Canes.[2] Ogley Hay itself had existed since at least the 11th century and is mentioned in the Domesday Book,1 although the 1801 census lists it as having a population of only 8 people.[3] Beyond Ogley Hay lay Catshill, another hamlet which pre-dated Brownhills and which lay within the parish of Shenstone.
During the 17th century shallow mine workings began to develop in the area and in 1759 a turnpike was erected in the Catshill area.1 In 1794 Brownhills (now in the plural) was included in a list of local settlements mentioned in an Act of Parliament concerning canals in Staffordshire,[4] and three years later the Chasewater Canal was opened.1
Despite these developments, there was little expansion of the hamlet of Brownhills until the arrival of the railway in the 1840s. The railway led to a huge expansion of the local mining operation and with it a population explosion in the area,[5] with the population increasing from 305 in 1801 to over 13,000 in 1891.1 In 1858 a branch line was constructed through the heart of what was then the hamlet of Brownhills, which led to a migration of the population eastwards towards Ogley Hay, forming a new "town centre" complete with library and theatre.[6] This led to the gradual amalgamation of Brownhills, Ogley Hay and Catshill into one town.
Brownhills miners pictured on a picture postcard from 1904.
Mining was to remain the principal industry of Brownhills until the last pit closed in the 1950s.[7] During the 18th and 19th centuries the area known as Coppice Side was the hub of the mining industry, and the census of 1841 showed that over 80% of the population of the area which makes up modern Brownhills lived and worked there,[8] with up to ten pits active in the area at any one time.[9] As in other mining areas a number of men lost their lives in the Brownhills pits. Seven miners, including a boy aged 11, died in an accident in 1861, and in October 1930 an explosion at the Grove Colliery killed fourteen miners, ten of them from Brownhills.[10][10]
In 1877 the town of Brownhills was officially recognised for the first time after a new Act authorised the amalgamation of rural districts into larger local government areas. An order was issued on 29 September stating:[12]
The Local Board was to remain in existence until 1894 when it was superseded by Brownhills Urban District Council. In 1966 this council merged with that of Aldridge to form the Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District Council, in accordance with a recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England. This in turn was amalgamated, under the Local Government Act 1972, with Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in 1974, under whose jurisdiction the area remains to this day.[13] As a result of this amalgamation Brownhills became part of the West Midlands county, having previously been part of Staffordshire.
Following the demise of the coalfield Brownhills experienced a severe economic slump, with many high street shops closing and standing empty for up to five years.[10] Although there was a wave of new development in the 1960s and 1970s, there has been little subsequent development and the feeling of the local council is that the town centre is in need of improvement.[15] Part of this plan involves the potential construction of a bypass to relieve the heavily-congested High Street.[16]
Geography and climate
Brownhills is located at on the edge of Cannock Chase. Towns nearby include Cannock and Aldridge and the large man-made lake Chasewater is close by.
The town is located on a number of fault lines, the main one being the Eastern Boundary Fault, which runs from Birmingham to Rugeley.[17] The area supports a number of habitat types, with most of the open land consisting of heathland or marshy grassland, with scattered scrub and pools. The local woodland comprises mainly oak and birch.[18]
The new Brownhills bridge
In 2007 a new £445,000 bridge was erected across the canal, linking the town centre to the nearby village of Clayhanger.[19]The bridge provides disabled and cycle access, the reason for the high price.
In the West Midlands, the warmest time of the year is July and August, when maximum temperatures average around 21 °C (70 °F); the coolest months are January and February, when minimum temperatures average around 1 °C (39 °F).[20] The area's average maximum and minimum temperatures are almost exactly in line with the national average.[21] The average annual rainfall is about 676 mm, the wettest months being September to January. This is lower than the national average annual rainfall of 838 mm (33 inches).
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 11 miles (18 km) from Brownhills).
Demographics
As of the 2001 UK census, Brownhills ward had a population of 12,637.[22], whilst the Brownhills Urban Sub-Area had a population of 19,866[23] and is part of the West Midlands conurbation.
Of the town's 5,151 households, 40.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% were cohabiting couples and 10.2% were lone parents. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone at pensionable age. 31.8% of households included children aged under 16 or a person aged 16 to 18 who was in full-time education. The average household size was 2.45.
Politics
Richard Shepherd is the MP for Aldridge-Brownhills
Since 1979, the Member of Parliament for Aldridge-Brownhills has been Richard Shepherd, representing the Conservative Party. At the 2005 general election the Conservatives won a majority of 5,507 and 47.4% of the vote in Aldridge-Brownhills. Labour won 33.5% of the vote, Liberal Democrats 12.3%, the British National Party 4.1% and United Kingdom Independence Party 2.8%. Turnout was 64%.[24]
Economy
Brownhills has various shops, including a branch of Tesco, which is large enough to have its own petrol station. Prior to being taken over by Tesco, the store was a branch of Hillards.[25] An earlier Tesco store in the town had been forced to close as it could not compete with Hillards.[10] Walsall Council has a regeneration programme for the high-street.[27]
The high street retains various independent shops, including a cobbler and a butcher.
Culture
Attractions and landmarks
The Brownhills Miner statue
One of Brownhills' most prominent landmarks is a 30ft sculpture of a coal miner, erected on a roundabout at one end of the high street, where the A4124 Pelsall Road and High Street A452 cross, in May 2006. The sculpture, by John McKenna, commemorates the town's mining tradition.[28][29]
Chasewater lies on the edge of Brownhills, with the area surrounding it, which is designated as a country park, officially falling within the Brownhills postal area.[30] The reservoir hosts a variety of activities including water-skiing, sailing, angling and bird watching. Running around the water is the Chasewater Railway, which operates throughout the year on Sundays and also hosts a range of special events.
On the opposite side of the A5, Brownhills Common is a designated nature reserve, where a wide variety of birds can be observed.[31]
Cultural events and venues
Brownhills market, with the Silver Street Methodist church visible beyond.
One of the major concerns of the local council is that the town is "particularly lacking in leisure provision".15 At one time the town boasted two cinemas, but the last of these closed in the 1960s and a plan to build a new one never came to fruition. Britain in Old Photographs: Around Pelsall & Brownhills, , David F., Vodden, Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1898-5
Brownhills holds an annual canal festival in June with stalls, entertainment and boat trips.[32]
There is an active Community Association in the town which organises a range of events, including a weekend-long military display event in 2006.[33]
There is a weekly market which is popular but suffers from a reputation for the sale of counterfeit goods. In 2005 Trading Standards officers seized over £40,000 worth of fake goods in a raid on the market.[34]
Places of worship
Brownhills has a Church of England church (St James),[35] a Roman Catholic church (St Bernadette),[36] three Methodist churches (including one in Clayhanger), a Spiritualist Church [37] and a Pentecostal church.36
Sport
Brownhills does not currently have a Saturday men's football (soccer) team, the nearest being Pelsall Villa F.C. of the West Midlands Regional League and Heath Hayes F.C. and Walsall Wood F.C. of the Midland Football Combination. In the 1990s Brownhills Town F.C. competed in the Combination but folded during the 2003–04 season.[38] During the 1950s Ogley Hay F.C. were a strong local team, reaching the final of the Walsall Senior Cup on three occasions.[39] Currently the main football club in the town is Brownhills Community Colts, a youth club which has existed since the 1970s and fields a number of teams in various age groups.[40]
The local community association organises a range of sporting activities for members of the public, including activities as diverse as yoga, badminton and kickboxing.[41]
The Brownhills Canoe and Outdoor Centre opened in 2006 and offers canoeing and kayaking lessons on the canal.[42]
Education
Brownhills is served by four primary schools and two secondary. Brownhills comprehensive became a technology college in 2002.[43] Shire oak school is actually in Walsall wood but has a catchment area extending deep into Brownhills.[44]
Transport links
Brownhills is served by the A5 and lies close to a junction of the M6 Toll motorway. The Birmingham Canal Navigations' Wyrley and Essington Canal passes through Brownhills and meets the Daw End Branch Canal at Catshill Junction.
Brownhills' railway station, on the South Staffordshire Line (later part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway), opened in 1849 but was closed as part of the Beeching Axe in 1965. The line remained open for freight until 1983, but the track was lifted in 1985.[45]
Famous people
★ Dicky Dorsett (born 3 December 1919), Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa football (soccer) player, was born in the town and nicknamed "The Brownhills Bomber".
★ Erin O'Connor (born 9 February 1978), supermodel, grew up in Brownhills.[46]
References
1. Walsall Council
2. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
3. GENUKI
4. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
5. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
6. Walsall Council
7. Walsall Council
8. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
9. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
10. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
11. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
12. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
13. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
14. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
15. Walsall Council
16. Walsall Council
17. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
18. Walsall Council
19. Walsall Council
20. Penkridge 1971–2000 averages
21. England 1971–2000 averages
22. Neighbourhood Statistics
23. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=8271&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=224 Office for National Statistics - Key Statistics for Urban Areas
24. Aldridge-Brownhills
25. ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank>session
★ id
★ key
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★ session
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★ The Gay & Peter Hartley's Hillards Charitable Trust
26. Brownhills: A Walk Into History, , Gerald, Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996, ISBN 0-9466-5242-2
27. Walsall Council
28. BBC News
29. Walsall Council
30. Visit Lichfield
31. Walsall Council
32. Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust
33. Foreign Fields
34. Walsall Council
35. Church of England
36. Church Links
37. Spiritualist Churches
38.
39. West Midlands Regional League website
40. BBC News
41. Walsall Council
42. British Waterways
43. http://www.brownhills.walsall.sch.uk/
44. http://www.shire-oak.walsall.sch.uk/
45. railaroundbirmingham.co.uk
46. The Times
External links
★ A selection of photographs and information
★ General information about the area
★ The local college
★ Brownhills School
★ Brownhills Ladies Football Club
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