Wood End, Kingsbury, Warwickshire

Wood End is an old mining village in North Warwickshire, England. It lies to the south east of Tamworth and close to the border with Staffordshire. It grew around the former Kingsbury Colliery but now it serves as a commuter village to Tamworth. It has a church, a primary school, a co-operative store, a working men's club and a village hall. The population of Wood End is 2,205, but from the 2011 Census has been included in Kingsbury, Warwickshire.

Wood End

Tamworth Road in Wood End looking towards Tamworth
Wood End
Location within Warwickshire
Area0.28 km2 (0.11 sq mi)
Population2,205 (2001)
• Density7,875/km2 (20,400/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSP2498
• London98 mi (158 km) SE
Civil parish
  • Kingsbury
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townAtherstone
Postcode districtCV9
Dialling code01827
PoliceWarwickshire
FireWarwickshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
Tamworth Road Looking Towards Hurley

History

The land on which the village was built consisted of fields belonging to two small farms, Delves Farm and Poplars Farm, both of which exist today. There were two woods, Edge Hill Wood and Smith's Wood, but only the former survives today. There was also a small settlement of several houses called Edge Hill, and a United Free Methodist Chapel, which closed in the late 1970s.

The first houses were built in 1890 to house workers for Kingsbury Colliery, which opened in 1897. A working men's club opened in 1905, and still remains open in the original building (2011). Wood End became a village in 1906 with the opening of the parish church, St Michael & All Angels Church. A village hall was later built in the 1960s. Also added to the housing stock was Glenville Avenue and Delves Crescent, which were council housing. In the late 1970s Birchfield close was constructed for private housing, and the village was expanded in 1985 when a new estate, Pinewood Avenue, was built to the west. A small school, Wood End Primary School, was opened in 1911. The original school building no longer exists. In 1995 the school was expanded. On 13 August 1998 the older part of the school burnt down, but it has since been rebuilt.[1]

During the village's expansion over the years, parts of the village, such as Glenville Avenue (laid out during the 1950s), steadily ate into the surrounding woodland. Much of the village dates from the 1980s, with the old housing being demolished and replaced.

The older housing stock remains on one side of Wood Street, on the Working Mens Club side of Tamworth road (at the top of Wood Street), on Johnson Street, and on part of Smith Street. The most recent addition to the residential area is Meadow View, completed in 2005, which was built on scrub land previously occupied by prefabs.

One of the oldest houses from before it became Wood End, Edge Hill House, was demolished in 2019 for new homes, stood next to where the Methodist chapel was. The site can be seen on the 1884 Ordnance Survey County Series map for Warwickshire along with just a few others.

Geography

Geology and topography

The village is 110 metres (360 ft) above sea level and is situated on a small hill. The Warwickshire Coalfield underlies the village. Adjacent to Wood End is Kingsbury Wood, which is semi-ancient woodland in parts, part of the former Forest of Arden. Kingsbury Wood has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence. Mining tracks used to run through Kingsbury Wood, of which there is still evidence.

A small stream arises (Penmire Brook) in Wood End, next to Glenville Avenue, and flows through the centre of the oldest part of the wood into Kingsbury village and eventually outflows into the River Tame. At the lower end of Tamworth Road there is a small freight line, previously serving the mines at Dordon and Baxterley, but which now serves the Birch Coppice Business Park in Dordon.

Boundaries

The boundaries of Wood End are diamond-shaped, with the northern point at Edge Hill and the southern point at Glenville Avenue. To the northwest is Edge Hill Wood, to the north east are the fields of Delves Farm, and to the south is Poplars Farm. Wood End is 28 hectares (69.2 acres) in area. The original boundaries ran along Johnson Road and the ends of Smith Street and Wood Street, and enclosed 5.3 hectares (13.1 acres).

Location

Climate

The nearest weather station is in the near the town of Coleshill 7 miles (11.3 km) away,[2] With a rainfall of 764 mm Warwickshire is one of the drier counties of England. also with an average temperature of 11 °C Wood End has a higher average temperature than most of England.[3]

Climate data for Birmingham
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13
(55)		 16
(61)		 21
(70)		 24
(75)		 29
(84)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 33
(91)		 27
(81)		 25
(77)		 19
(66)		 14
(57)		 33
(91)
Average high °C (°F) 5
(41)		 6
(43)		 9
(48)		 12
(54)		 16
(61)		 19
(66)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 17
(63)		 13
(55)		 9
(48)		 6
(43)		 20
(68)
Average low °C (°F) 2
(36)		 2
(36)		 3
(37)		 5
(41)		 7
(45)		 10
(50)		 12
(54)		 12
(54)		 10
(50)		 7
(45)		 5
(41)		 3
(37)		 2
(36)
Record low °C (°F) −12
(10)		 −9
(16)		 −7
(19)		 −2
(28)		 −1
(30)		 3
(37)		 6
(43)		 6
(43)		 3
(37)		 −2
(28)		 −4
(25)		 −6
(21)		 −12
(10)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 74
(2.9)		 54
(2.1)		 50
(2.0)		 53
(2.1)		 64
(2.5)		 50
(2.0)		 69
(2.7)		 69
(2.7)		 61
(2.4)		 69
(2.7)		 84
(3.3)		 67
(2.6)		 764
(30.1)
Source: BBC Weather[4]

Name

The official name of the village is Wood End, from its founding in 1890, although it is sometimes written as Woodend. The name is derived from the village's position at the end of the nearby kingsbury Wood, a pine plantation. Parts of the village are still known as Edge Hill.

To avoid confusion with other Wood Ends the name of the nearby town, Atherstone is added. The name Wood End, North Warwickshire is sometimes used, but rarely, to avoid confusion with Wood End near Fillongley.

Demographics
Wood End Village Hall

The population, in 2001, for the 002D (Lower Layer Super Output Area), in which Wood End is the only settlement, was 2,205.[5]

According to the 2001 Census the population of the Hurley and Wood End ward was 3,642.[6] Over 99.5% of people (3,550) describe themselves as White British with only 89 people from other ethnic groups. The modal distance travelled to work is 5–10 kilometres (3.1–6.2 mi), essentially to Tamworth, with the most common form of employment being manufacturing. The village has 1,820 female inhabitants and 1,822 male inhabitants.

Governance

The village is part of the Kingsbury civil parish.[7]

When the village was built in 1890 it was part of the Tamworth Rural Sanitary District. In 1894, under the Local Government Act 1894, it became part of the newly formed Tamworth Rural District. In 1965 the Tamworth Rural District was abolished and Wood End became part of the Atherstone Rural District. In 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 the Atherstone Rural District became part of the newly formed district of North Warwickshire. Wood End is part of the Hurley and Wood End Ward, which is represented (2011) by Ann Lewis and Hayden Philips, both Labour.[8] As the ward is an old mining community it is considered a Labour safe seat. Wood End is covered by the Kingsbury Ward in Warwickshire County Council and is represented by the Labour Brian Moss.[9]

It is part of the North Warwickshire constituency and the current MP is Conservative Dan Byles.[10] It is also part of the West Midlands European Parliament constituency which is represented by 6 MEPs.

Economy
Kingsbury Link Business Park

There is a small Co-operative store and post office that is part of the Tamworth Co-operative Society,[11] a small garage on Tamworth Road, and a hair dressers in Wood Street.

Just outside the village there is a factory owned by the Swedish flooring manufacturer Pergo.[12] and Planters garden centre. Between Wood End and Piccadilly is Kingsbury Link Business Park.

Until 1968 the majority of employed people living in the village worked in nearby collieries. Today the majority of those in employment work in Tamworth, with some working in Birmingham and Coventry,[13] with manufacturing being the most common type of employment, followed by wholesale and retail.

For the ward of Hurley and Wood End out of 2,629 people 1,791 describe themselves as Economically active and 838 describe themselves as Economically inactive and 274 are retired[14] with the most common number of hours worked per week 38 to 48 hours.[15]

Crime

In 2009 the crime rate was 3.6 crimes per 1,000 people for the ward of Hurley and Wood End. During the same period the crime rate for the borough of North Warwickshire was 5 crimes per 1,000 people. In 2010 the figure for Hurley and Wood End had decreased to 3 crimes per 1,000 people. The most common type of crime is anti-social behaviour.[16]

In May 2011 there were 9 reports of criminal activity.[17] In June 2011 there were 12 reports.[18] In July 2011 there were 25 reported crimes in the village with 10 reports of anti-social behaviour and 9 reports of burglary.[19]

Wood End is part of the North Warwickshire West Neighbourhood Policing Team, based in Coleshill, with the station in Atherstone, which has 7 officers and 3 PCSOs.

Health

The village lies in the North Warwickshire NHS trust area. The village does not have its own doctor's surgery or pharmacy The nearest GP's surgeries can be found in Hurley.[20] The George Eliot Hospital at Nuneaton is the area's local hospital.[21][22] It has an Accident and Emergency Department. Out of hours GP services are also based at George Eliot. There is also Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.

For the ward of Hurley and Wood End in 2001, of 3,642 inhabitants 2,409 described their health as good, 914 described their health as fairly good and 319 described their health as poor.[23] In the ward there were 215 Disability living allowance claimants in 2009.[24]

Public services

Waste collection services are provided by North Warwickshire Borough Council. Water and sewage services are provided by Severn Trent Water, and the Sewage Treatment Works is in Dordon.[25] The Distribution Network Operator for electricity is Central Networks better known as E.ON UK.

Unlike most villages in the area it uses a Coventry (CV) postcode rather than a Birmingham (B) postcode. There is a small sub-post office located inside the Co-op. The Postal Town is Atherstone. The nearest library is located in Dordon.[26] Wood End uses the Tamworth 01827 area code.[27]

The nearest police and fire stations are in Atherstone.[28] Wood End is part of Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Religion
St Michael & All Angels Church on Smith Street

According to the 2001 census the population of the village is 80% Christian, 19% Non-Religious and 1% Other.[29] Although St Michael & All Angels Church is the parish church, many of the residents attend other nearby Anglican churches such as the Church of the Resurrection in Hurley or St. Mary The Church of Our Lady in Merevale. Wood End lies within the Roman Catholic parish of St. John the Baptist, with the main collegiate church being St. John's Presbytery in Tamworth.

St Michael & All Angels Church
Main article: St Michael & All Angels Church, Wood End

St Michael & All Angels is a small wooden church on Smith Street, built in 1906. Today it is the only place of worship in the village, part of the Kingsbury and Baxterley group of churches along with Kingsbury, Baxterley, Merevale and Hurley, all of which share the same vicar.[30][31]

Edge Hill Methodist Chapel

Previously there was a small United Methodist chapel in Edge Hill, in existence before the village was built. It was closed some time in the late 1970s, and later demolished. The site is now occupied by a private house.

Baxterley Church
Main article: Baxterley Church

Baxterley Church is nearer to Wood End than it is to the village of Baxterley. It is also part of the Kingsbury and Baxterley Group of churches.

Education
Wood End Primary School

According to the 2001 census for the ward of Hurley and Wood End, 1,068 adults had no educational qualifications and 1,560 adults had level 1 or higher qualifications.[32]

The village does not have its own secondary school, so most students attend Kingsbury School. Further education in the area is provided by North Warwickshire and Hinckley College at Nuneaton, and Tamworth and Lichfield College.

Wood End Primary School

There is a primary school on Wood Street,[33] which is also used for students from surrounding villages such as Piccadilly.

Culture and recreation
The Playing Field on Smith Street

The village does not have its own public house, but there is a working men's club on Tamworth Road which was opened in 1905. It was used by miners, farm labourers and clay workers, and helped to support the Wood End Silver Band. There is also a village hall dating from the 1960s. The village does not have any takeaways or restaurants, with the nearest one being in the village of Hockley.

There is a large playing field, football pitch and small play area at the end of Smith Street. As of c.2009, a lottery funded 'North Warwickshire Forest of Arden' walking trail was established with the route including a north-eastern part of Wood End (through its fields). The nearest leisure facilities are in Kingsbury, and the Snowdome in Tamworth. There is a football club in the Tamworth & District Sunday Football League called Wood End Sports.[34]

Transport

Wood End lies close to junction 10 of the M42, and is 2 miles from the A5 (Watling Street) at Dordon.

The village has 4 bus stops along Tamworth Road, which are served by buses running on routes 777, 767, 115, 118 and 119.[35] The nearest railway station is Wilnecote.[36]

The nearest airports are Birmingham (17 miles) and East Midlands (25 miles).[37]

Media

The local newspapers covering the area are the Tamworth Herald, which has a separate edition for North Warwickshire, and the Atherstone Recorder.

The local BBC radio station covering the area is BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. Local commercial stations in the area include Free Coventry & Warwickshire and Capital Mid-Counties.

The village is covered by the ITV Central and BBC West Midlands TV regions which are broadcast from the nearby Sutton Coldfield transmitting station.

gollark: Sorry, connectivity failure.
gollark: Huh. Weird.
gollark: ???
gollark: I have, however, begun to doubt Minoteaur's design AGAIN, which is quite annoying.
gollark: Interesting.

References
  1. Information On School Fire
  2. Weather for CV9
  3. England 1971–2000 averages
  4. "Average Conditions Birmingham, United Kingdom". BBC Weather. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  5. Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics
  6. 2001 census statistics
  7. Wood End Kingsbury Parish Council
  8. Councillors by Ward: Hurley and Wood End NWBC
  9. Brian Moss Kingsbury ward Warwickshire County Council
  10. Dan Byles
  11. Wood End Convenience Store
  12. Pergo Contact Us
  13. Distance Travelled to Work
  14. Economic Activity
  15. Hours Worked
  16. Crime Statistics For Hurley And Wood End Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  17. May crime for Wood End
  18. June 2011 Wood End Crime
  19. Crime for Wood End
  20. NHS Surgeries Near Wood End
  21. NHS - Find your Nearest Doctor, Optician, Pharmacy, dentist, hospital: Outline NWBC Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  22. George Elliot Hospital
  23. General Health
  24. Disability Living Allowance Claimants
  25. Dordon Sewage Treatment Works
  26. Warwickshire Libraries Archived 25 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  27. 01827 Tamworth
  28. Warwickshire Police Stations Archived 11 August 2003 at the Wayback Machine
  29. Neighbourhood Statistics
  30. Kingsbury and Baxterley group of churches
  31. St Michael & All Angels, Wood End
  32. Area: Hurley and Wood End (Ward) Qualifications
  33. Wood End Primary School
  34. Wood End Sports
  35. Wood End (nr Kingsbury), Smith Street, Adj (On Tamworth Road)
  36. Wood End (Nr Kingsbury), Warwickshire Nearest station
  37. Nearest airport to CV9 2RS (Pinewood Avenue, Wood End)
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