Perton

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Perton
latitude= 52.5922
longitude= -2.20492
population = 10,824 (2004 Estimate)
shire_district= South Staffordshire
region= West Midlands
shire_county = Staffordshire
constituency_westminster=
post_town= Wolverhampton
postcode_district = WV6
postcode_area= WV
dial_code= 01902
os_grid_reference= SO862993

Perton is a Civil Parish in South Staffordshire district, Staffordshire, England, situated to the west of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, and to the south of Codsall.

Overview

The original Perton was a long row of exclusive houses situated along the road from Wolverhampton to Pattingham, along a hilltop known as Perton Ridge. Supposedly 'Perton' derives its name from 'Pear Town' - in reference to the pear trees that grow in the area - and this is reflected on local school crests. In the 1970s and 1980s, a new housing development was built on the site of a former RAF station adjacent to the border with Wolverhampton. This now has a population of around 12,000, all living in the 4,129 homes built in the village on land which belonged to the Mander family. The name Perton now refers to this newer settlement. The remnants of army air raid shelters can still be found in the surrounding woodland.

It is tempting to regard Perton as a suburb of Wolverhampton, even though it lies outside the city's local authority boundaries. However, although they are adjacent, the only direct road connection between the two is for the use of buses and emergency vehicles only; private vehicles must travel north or south from Perton and use the A41 or A454, a considerable detour which makes Wolverhampton appear much further away than it really is! Perton is part of the Wolverhampton Urban Area, and the West Midlands conurbation, as defined by the Office for National Statistics.

The main road in Perton is The Parkway; this name is given to a three mile long circular road as well as the two spurs which link it to the outside world. At the centre of the estate lies a shopping centre containing a Sainsbury's supermarket and a number of other shops, as well as an interdenominational church and Perton Christian Fellowship meeting in the Civic Centre. Perton has three schools: Perton First School, Perton Sandown First School and Perton Middle School. Despite the short history of the modern village, the sense of community can be evident by the death of the long term headmaster of Perton First School in the 1990s which drew hundreds of mourners from the village to fill the community centre for his funeral. The annual Perton Carnival drew great crowds to watch the parade of floats around the Parkway.

Homes on the estate greatly benefited from the recent property boom, with the average three or four bedroom house now asking well over £200,000. The internationally popular Tough Guy Competition is also held here.

Schools

Perton has a total of 3 schools on the estate. They are:

* Perton First School (Manston Drive)
* Sandown First School (Sandown Drive)
* Perton Middle School (Gainsborough Drive)

When students leave the first schools, the majority of them go on to study at Perton Middle School.However, some parents choose to send their children to schools in surrounding areas, such as Compton and Tettenhall.

When the students finish at the middle school, the majority leave to study at Codsall Community High School, in the nearby village of Codsall.

Churches

Perton has two very active Christian churches who work closely together to promote faith and to support the community

*The Church at Perton [http://www.churchatperton.net/] , which meets at the church in Anders Square in the centre of Perton, and
*Perton Christian Fellowship [http://www.pertoncf.co.uk/page4.html] , which meets at Perton Civic Centre

The churches have facilities for all age groups, and encourage members to support community activity. This support includes tidying up the locality, walking groups, lunches for the elderley, play groups, and membership of the South Staffordshire environmental action group.

hops and Pubs

The village has two Public Houses. They are the Pear and Partridge, on the outskirts of the village, and the newly refurbished Wrottesley Arms in the centre.

The centre of Perton consists of a dense residential area, along with a range of small shops and the medium-sized Sainsbury's store. The centre also has two restaurants in the form of a chip shop and an Indian takeaway.

External links

* [http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=386478&y=299859&z=3&sv=386478,299859&st=4&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=386478&ay=299859 Map on Streetmap.co.uk]
* [http://www.codsall-high.staffs.sch.uk Codsall Community High School]
* [http://www.perton-first.staffs.sch.uk Perton First School]
* [http://www.perton-middle.staffs.sch.uk/index.asp Perton Middle School]
* [http://www.pertonparishcouncil.gov.uk Perton Parish Council]
* [http://www.sandown.staffs.sch.uk Perton Sandown First School]
* [http://www.toughguy.co.uk Tough Guy Competition website]