Bloxwich Townscape Heritage Initiative
The success of the Walsall CAP and the Willenhall HERS led to further bids for similar schemes, resulting in the Bloxwich Townscape Heritage Initiative. This is a partnership scheme between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Walsall Council, New Deal for Communities and Advantage West Midlands. This scheme started in January 2002, after the H.L.F. invited Walsall M.B.C to bid for the scheme in January 2001. A total of £1.25m for the five years has been secured from the various funding partners for this scheme.
Bloxwich originated from an Anglo-Saxon settlement called 'Blocc's dwelling'. It was listed in the Domesday Book as 'Blockeswich' and as having a wood three furlongs long which was held by the King. It is located on a plateau at 500ft above sea level and is the highest part of the Borough. The village has grown from a semi-rural character to an industrial centre during the eighteenth century, with saddler ironmongers, being at the crossroads of Walsall, Stafford, Wolverhampton and Lichfield. The nineteenth century brought further wealth to the town, with a predominance of high quality public and private buildings.
As can be seen, Bloxwich provides a good example of a typical Midlands mining town and local centre which quickly grew in the second half of the nineteenth century on the traditional structure of the earlier settlement. The concern now is that the economic pressures on the town centre will continue to result in further deterioration, loss of the historic fabric and inappropriate redevelopment which will inevitable change the appearance of its heritage townscape.
In order that the scheme is run with full consultation and involvement from the community, the Bloxwich Partnership was set up, comprising of people form the local community, local councillors and council officers. This group acts as a steering group for the scheme, and will comment on any applications for grant assistance within the Scheme.
The principal regeneration aim is for the Scheme to bring tangible and economic benefits to this historic and prominent town-centre The objectives include increasing local awareness of local property owners and residents to the heritage qualities if the town centre, ensuring a high quality of repair, reinstatement and new work in order to improve the image and character of the area, and to adopt policies and procedures that encourage the economic regeneration and heritage enhancement of the Conservation Areas.
If you would like to discuss any possible application for a grant within Bloxwich under this scheme, please contact us
Contact us
Environmental Regeneration
2nd Floor
Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall
West Midlands
WS1 1DG
Telephone 01922 652449
Email envregen@walsall.gov.uk
This page was last updated on 06 June 2008