Codsall

Codsall

The District Council Offices
Codsall
Codsall shown within Staffordshire
Population 7,582 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference SJ870032
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Wolverhampton
Postcode district WV8
Dialling code 01902
Police Staffordshire
Fire Staffordshire
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands

Codsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated north west of the city of Wolverhampton.

History

In 1086, the Domesday Book recorded six people in Codsall. They were probably the heads of households so the population would have been a little larger. Toponymists have the name Codsall coming from the old English 'Cod's Halh' – meaning a nook of land belonging to a man named Cod (Cod being an early English personal name, possibly in shortened form).[2] The Church of St. Nicholas is the oldest building. It has a Norman doorway thought to date from the 11th century. Since medieval times, the area around the church, on the top of the hill, was the hub of the village with a windmill, village pond, forge, bakery and public house. The administration of the village would have been conducted from the church through the decisions of the vestry. Agriculture was the mainstay of the village and even now the strip-field system of cultivation can be seen to the west and north-east of St Nicholas' church.

Church Street, now called Church Road, lies between the road junction and the church. There was a significant change after Codsall railway station, on the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway, opened in 1849. The station became the commercial hub of the village with a goods yard, coal yard and cattle pens. Development took place along Station Road and beyond with some substantial properties being built to accommodate wealthy businessmen from Wolverhampton and the Black Country.

Gradually the focus of activity changed from the area around the church and the station to the crossroads or 'Square'. Emphasis on the Square was increased after 1900 when Baker's Nurseries expanded on the site of Old Hall Farm in Church Street. The growth of public transport, with a terminus for buses to Wolverhampton in the Square, the coming of electricity and the digging of the deep sewer all in the 1920s, helped to change the function of the village from an agricultural centre into a dormitory for Wolverhampton. This has been reflected in the development of several housing estates, new schools and improved roads.

Present day

Codsall has expanded since World War II, forming the largest part of three adjoining villages (the others being Bilbrook and Oaken). It is the site of the headquarters of South Staffordshire District Council. It is twinned with the French commune of Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin.

The village also has a cricket club called Codsall Cricket Club (Codsall CC), the club was established in 1897 and plays at the Village Hall. There is also a 3-par, 18 hole golf course (The Ledene). In the village, Codsall Community High School runs a post-16 Football Academy for their students.

The main shopping area around The Square has a variety of shops including a local wine shop. Another shopping area is around Birches Bridge, where the shops include a branch of The Co-operative Food.

Education

Codsall Community High School is the only secondary school in the area and it has three feeder middle schools; Codsall, Bilbrook and Perton. There are also three first schools; Lane Green, St. Nicholas' C of E and Birches. St Christopher's Roman Catholic Primary School is the only primary school in the area.

Codsall Community High School was judged to be good by Ofsted in November 2013.[3]

Public houses

Codsall has several pubs, bars and members' clubs. The oldest is The Crown Joules in Codsall Square, renamed from the Crown in 2015 following the purchase of the site by Joules Brewery. The Crown was briefly named 'Butlers Bar & Bistro' in 2008, but reverted to 'The Crown' in 2009. Also in Codsall Square is The Bull, another traditional old pub serving ale with an extensive lunchtime food menu. There is also the award-winning Codsall Station on the corner of Chapel Lane & Oaken Lanes, literally a working railway station with a Holdens Brewery pub on the platform.

Codsall has two social clubs, the Codsall Legionnaires club (known locally as 'the Legion'), and The Firs (formerly Codsall Conservative Club). Codsall Legionnaires club has a modern 'members bar' area. Its former function room has been acquired by the Pet Stop, a local pet shop, as approved by Codsall Parish Council in May 2011, on condition that the car park remains for public use.[4]

Events

The first Codsall Beer Festival took place on 3 October 2015 at Codsall village hall, with over 35 real ales and ciders, many fruit wines and live music from local artists. All proceeds were donated to Codsall Community Group, a volunteer group that looks after the green spaces in Codsall, Codsall Wood and Oaken. The second Codsall Beer Festival took place on 1 October 2016 at Codsall Village Hall.

Notable residents

George Farwell in Vanity Fair, 1900
  • Sir George Farwell (1845 in Codsall – 1915), English judge,[5] noted for presiding over the Taff Vale Railway Co v Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants case
  • Don Homfray (1935 in Codsall – 2012), BAFTA-winning production designer for the BBC
  • Jim Lea (born 1949), English musician; played bass guitar, keyboards, piano, violin, and guitar, and sang backing vocals in Slade from their inception until 1992; went to Codsall Secondary Modern School
  • Jacqui Oatley MBE, English broadcaster and sports presenter; brought up in Codsall[6]
  • Bernard O'Mahoney (born 1960), English author, security detail, and former soldier; lived in Codsall
  • Geoff Palmer (born 1954), footballer, played over 400 games for Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.; then police officer; retired and lives in Codsall[7]
  • Louisa Preston (born 1978), British journalist; works on BBC London news as a newsreader
  • William Regal, ring name of Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 1968 in Codsall), English retired professional wrestler; color commentator and trainer
  • Christopher Sadler (born 1970), British animator, director and writer; went to school in Codsall
  • Sir Charles Wheeler KCVO CBE PRA (1892 in Codsall – 1974), British sculptor and President of the Royal Academy, 1956–1966

Transport

Codsall has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line, and has train services to Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. The village also has regular bus links with Wolverhampton, the 5 / 5A service operated by National Express West Midlands providing a full weekly service.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. ↑ 'Notes On Staffordshire Place Names' by W. H. Duignan (1902)
  3. ↑ "Codsall Community High School". Ofsted. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.codsallparishcouncil.co.uk/Minutes/110525p.htm Codsall Parish Council Minutes 25 May 2011
  5. ↑ 1922 Encyclopædia Britannica, Farwell, Sir George retrieved 10th June 2018
  6. ↑ "Mum's proud of her debut girl". www.expressandstar.com. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Blog Archive » Palmer's Perfect Timing". Wolves Heroes. 2009-03-03. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  8. ↑ Carl Berry (18 September 2012). "LISTING OF BUS AND COACH SERVICES FROM CODSALL". Retrieved 22 September 2012.
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