Wall Heath

Wall Heath is a small village on the western fringe of the Black Country and the West Midlands conurbation in the United Kingdom. It is located on the A449 road, approximately seven miles south of Wolverhampton and 9 miles North of Kidderminster.

It is part of the Kingswinford township and Dudley borough, having been in Kingswinford Rural District until 1938 and Brierley Hill Urban District until 1966.

There are approximately 5,000 inhabitants in the village.

Places of interest

The village centre provides a number of shops and services, including a Co-op supermarket, National Cooperative Pharmacy, a podiatrist and a private dental surgery. There are four public houses, two Indian restaurants, two Chinese take-aways, a Chinese restaurant, a pizza delivery/take-away and a catering company. There was, until recently, a small public library, which was closed by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council for economic reasons. The local authority states that the money from the closure of Wall Heath Library and four other Dudley libraries will be used for a £2.3 million scheme to update services in the borough. There are currently plans to improve Kingswinford Library. The other libraries in the borough which fell victim of the council policy were Quarry Bank, Amblecote, Dudley Wood and Woodside.

Also in Wall Heath is Holbeche House, which is where the flight of the gunpowder plotters ended. The building is now a private care home for the elderly. There is also a Dudley MBC shelter, The Gables, located in the village.

In the last century, Wall Heath was the home of the Sant family (Maidensbridge Road). Herbert Sant won a MC during the First World War. His brother William became a famed artist whose work is displayed at the Tate Gallery in London and other notable locations. Ancestor Steven Sant born in nearby Dudley is a renowned writer on football and local politics.

The village is situated near the countryside and contains two allotments. There are three parks in Wall Heath, one accessible from Albion Street and two accessible from High Street.

The Wall Heath Community centre regularly hosts National Blood Service blood donation sessions.

port

The village has produced three professional cricketers; John (Jack) Alfred Flavell, Paul Pridgeon and Stuart Lampitt. All played for Worcestershire CCC, with Jack Flavell playing for the England national team.

The village is home to Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Football Club (DKRFC), who after relegation from the Midland 1 League are currently playing in the Midland 2 West league.

Churches

There are three churches in the village. These are the Church of the Ascension, the smaller St Andrew's United Reformed Church and an Evangelical Church. The Church of the Ascension sits at the centre of the village next to the school of the same name, Church of the Ascension Primary School (CofE).

Education

The village is supported by two primary schools; Maidensbridge Primary School and Church of the Ascension CofE Primary School. Maidensbrige Primary School has hosted the Helen Taylor School of Dance for 15 years, who perform annually at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. On completion of primary education, typically the pupils from both schools continue their education at The Kingswinford School, in nearby Kingswinford.

Maidensbridge Primary School was saved from closure in 2005 due to campaigning by local residents.

Politics

The village is part of the Kingswinford North and Wall Heath ward of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough. It is represented by three seats on the Borough council. Currently these are occupied by two Liberal Democrat and one Conservative councillor.

The village falls within the Dudley South constituency of the UK parliament. The current MP is Ian Pearson (Labour).