Codsall
The District Council Offices
Codsall is located in Staffordshire
Codsall
Codsall
Location within Staffordshire
Population7,582 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ870032
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWolverhampton
Postcode districtWV8
Dialling code01902
PoliceStaffordshire
FireStaffordshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament

Codsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles northwest of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire-West Midlands County border, along with Perton, the village is almost contiguous with Wolverhampton with very small amounts of greenbelt still separating the two settlements.

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

Bilbrook and Codsall Community Fire Station, on Duck Lane, Codsall, in October 2015

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.

Although not part of the city of Wolverhampton. Codsall along with neighbouring villages Perton, Wombourne, Himley, Swindon, Featherstone and Essington form part of a built up area[3] of South Staffordshire around the West Midlands County (Wolverhampton and Dudley) and Shropshire (Cosford and Albrighton).

Education

Codsall Community High School opened in 1940 as the only secondary school in the area, starting as a secondary modern school before becoming Codsall Comprehensive School in 1969. By this stage it provided education for pupils aged 11–18, but a reorganisation of education in the area saw a name change and most notably a change in the age range, with the school now serving pupils aged 13–18. and it has three feeder middle schools; Codsall Middle School, Bilbrook Middle School and Perton Middle School, all of which serve the 9-13 age range. This reorganisation came when Perton was first being developed for housing, and the school has continued to serve the Perton community after plans to build a secondary school in Perton never materialised.

There are also three first schools for pupils aged 5–9; Lane Green First School, St. Nicholas' C of E and Birches First School. 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.[4]

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, 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.[5]

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. Proceeds were donated to the Harry Will Walk charity & 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.

Twin town

Codsall & Bilbrook are twinned with:[6]

Notable residents

George Farwell in Vanity Fair, 1900

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. Banga Bus Services operate a 30 minute 5/5A service Mon-Fri while only service 5A, which omits Bilbrook, runs on Saturday on a hourly frequency. In addition a hourly daily evening and Sunday service is provided on service 5 by Chaserider.

See also

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. 'Notes on Staffordshire Place Names' by W. H. Duignan (1902)
  3. "BIRMINGHAM / WOLVERHAMPTON".
  4. "Codsall Community High School". Ofsted. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  5. http://www.codsallparishcouncil.co.uk/Minutes/110525p.htm Codsall Parish Council Minutes 25 May 2011
  6. Codsall and Bilbrook French twinning association retrieved 21 January 2019
  7. "Farwell, Sir George" . Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). 1922.
  8. "Peter Broadbent | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Club | Golden Oldies | Golden Oldies". Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  9. "Mum's proud of her debut girl". expressandstar.com. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  10. "Blog Archive » Palmer's Perfect Timing". Wolves Heroes. 3 March 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
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