Horseley Heath

Horseley Heath is a residential area of Tipton, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated around the main A461 road which links the major townships of Dudley and Walsall, and stands on the banks of the River Tame.

Tipton was one of the most significant towns during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and by 1900 was home to numerous significant factories. There was also a railway link which gave passenger services to major towns including Stourbridge, Dudley, Walsall and West Bromwich.

There is a fine Post Office building with terracotta by Gibbs and Canning, located on the corner of Horseley Heath and Horseley Road and built around 1900. [ [http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/arodgers/buildings_m_-_z.htm Gibbs and Canning architectural terracotta] ]

Horseley Heath was one of the most hard-hit areas during the fall of the West Midlands manufacturing industry during the 1980s, with many of its factories closing and no new industries replacing them. Many of the former industrial sites have recently been redeveloped for housing, as Tipton's population has surged by around 30% since 1990.

Passenger train services have been absent from Horseley Heath since the mid-1960s, when the Beeching Axe resulted in the closure of the local railway station. The line through Horseley Heath remained open to goods trains until 1993, and is set to re-open in the 2010s as the second phase of the Midland Metro.

St Martin's Parish Church was opened on Lower Church Lane in 1797, but closed in the 1980s after nearly 200 years in use. In 2007, the church was converted into a house.

Next door to St Martin's, Tipton Police Station was opened in the 1860s, constructed in distinctive Staffordshire Blue Brick. It was completely rebuilt in 2006.

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