Essington

Essington
Staffordshire
Essington Community Centre
Location
Grid reference:	SJ962034
Location:	52°37’42"N, 2°3’26"W
Data
Population:	4,957  (2011)
Post town:	Wolverhampton
Postcode:	WV11
Dialling code:	01922
Local Government
Council:	South Staffordshire

Essington is a village in Staffordshire on the northern outskirts of the west-Midland conurbation to the north-east of Wolverhampton. The civil parish corresponds broadly to the township of the ancient parish of Bushbury.

The village lies near where the M6 motorway joins the M54 motorway at Junction 10A. Despite its vicinity to the motorways, it is a fairly quiet village, surrounded by fields used for grazing, and for crops.

Village

In the village there is a public park called Brownshore Lakes (known locally as the pools), which comprises two adjacent lakes. They are the remains of three coal mining tailing and settling ponds, surrounded by woodland, it is a local meeting place, and home to waterfowl, and other animals thrive which around the lakes and the woods.

Old Industrial Essington Village

The lakes/ponds are now fed from surface drainage of the very large open areas around the M6 and M54. In the days of the underground mines large pumping machines and very large systems of underground pipes which linked the areas mines together were installed to drain these areas. When the mines closed, the area was surface mined using the opencast method and then refilled. On this new ground housing estates were built in the 1980s after the completion of the M54 motorway. In the former industrial use the lakes covered a larger area with the largest a tailings pond this has now been filled and is a large green field in the lakes park. During the underground mining period the coal mines of the area were linked together via the pumps and pipes to remove a very large amount of "dirty" water which needed to be pumped to the surface at this high point. Once the water had been through the tailings and settling ponds it was clean enough to go via the overflow stream down to top up the water levels of the canals. Not much is left of that once large industrial system of canal goods loading areas and boat basins which have now been replaced by an Industrial park and public housing estates of Wednesfield, Ashmore Park etc. The Pools are still linked to the remaining underground pipes from the mines, however when the M6 and M54 Motorways were built the large open land areas at the Motorway junction were drained by engineers of the Agriculture Ministry of the time and the water piped through the former opencast and directed into the old tailings fields opposite the ponds.

Shops

In the village: There is a sub-post office, hairdresser, several small village shops, sub-post office with newsagents and general store, mini-market with off licence, green-grocer, two ladies and one gents hairdressers, a beauty salon, a new mobility shop and a public house, called the Minerva Inn, and a church, St Johns, built in 1932. A primary school also named St Johns, this resides on the spot where the old church originally stood. In the old schoolhouse grounds and building the Parish Council Offices and other Adult Education with adjoining Pharmacy. The Doctors' Surgery "Essington Medical Centre" is newly built in the grounds and is fully operational.

Outside the village: Essington Fruit Farm, the local farm where fresh fruit and vegetables, are sold, in the pick your own or farm shop. Much of the produce is locally grown in the fields around the farm. The farm shop also sells their own free range pork, bacon, etc. from the butcher/deli, and cakes and pies made in their kitchen. There is a tearoom/restaurant serving the visitors. The area around the main car park has a number of attractions including a summer maize maze, changing its theme from time to time. There are sometimes farm animals for the visitor to see. A small mound near the farm shop, offers a great view of the West Midlands conurbation, and overlooking nearby Cannock Chase.

School

The main school in Essington is St John's Academy. Located on Hobnock Road they were first built in 1846 and became known as St John's Church of England from 1968.

Brownshore Pre-School Play Group is located opposite St John's Primary School on Hobnock Road.

Sports

There are rugby and football facilities in several locations around the parish located in Bognop Road, Essington and High Hill, Essington.

Scouting & Girlguiding

The Scout and guide facilities have just been rebuilt (2009/2010) in Brownshore Lane.

Religious

In the village: St John's Church Wolverhampton Road, this has many activities during the day and sometimes in the evening. Outside the village: The Methodist Chapel Bursnips Road (A462)

Famous people

• Meera Syal – comedienne and author; her debut novel Anita and Me was set in the fictional village of Tollington, based on Essington in the early 1970s.
• Ealhswith, queen consort and wife of Alfred the Great, the self-styled first King of England.

References

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Essington)