Aldersley

Aldersley is a small suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is north-west of Wolverhampton city centre, within the Tettenhall Regis ward. Aldersley is a relatively modern part of Wolverhampton, with most of the housing stock – both private and council – dating from after World War II.

The Smestow Valley Leisure Ride starts from there and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal passes through the area. It is famous for the Aldersley Stadium – home of the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club and Wolverhampton Wheelers Cycling Club, who use its 450-metre tarmac banked velodrome.

History

The name 'Aldersley' is said by toponymists to come from 'Alor' - Old English for Alder as in Alder Tree, and 'lēah' - a woodland clearing, the name likely meaning a clearing in the Alder wood or woodland clearing where there are Alders. On the grounds of Aldersley Leisure Village, many Alder trees grow today, though it is not known if they are descendents of those that gave their name to the place.

File:Aldersley bridge.jpg

Aldersley bridge & building remains

Historically, Aldersley was a rural area consisting of the odd farm or house. The coming of the canals changed things somewhat, with Aldersley housing a major canal junction - that of the Birmingham Mainline Canal and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. A small hamlet was built at this junction for the people who operated it - with lock keepers cottages, a tollkeepers house and so on. Today, only the cellars and some brickwork remain of these historic buildings after they were demolished during the 1960s.

Nearby stood Aldersley farm, close to the current driveway into Aldersley stadium on the Aldersley Road, with Blakeley Green House just a quarter of a mile north along the Aldersley Road. The next change to the landscape of the area came with the railways, the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line passing along the northern edge of Aldersley, with the Wombourne Branch Line running off this south, through Aldersley and onto Tettenhall, and eventually Wombourne and Stourbridge.

During the mid 20th Century, post World War II, extensive housing was built in Aldersley and neighbouring Claregate. Aldersley Stadium was also developed in the 1950s on land that previously belonged to Aldersley Farm. In the late 1990s, the stadium was rebuilt, and renamed 'Aldersley Leisure Village'.

Today

Today Aldersley is most known for its modern Leisure Village. Aldersley Leisure Village has astroturf football and hockey pitches, the National Indoor Shooting venue, a banked 458 m velodrome for cyclists as well as an athletics track, sports hall and gym. Wolverhampton Wanderers academy also have a 'dome' with an indoor pitch on the Leisure Village grounds.

In January 2011, police seized £60,000 worth of the drug amphetamine, when intercepting an alleged drug deal outside The Pilot pub in Aldersley.

Demography

Age

The 2001 Population Census recorded a total of 4,156 residents in Aldersley. 33.1% of the population was within the 25-44 age band, compared for 28.2% for Wolverhampton as a whole. The 45-59 age band was the second largest at 16.6% and the 5-15 age band was the third largest at 14.3%.

Ethnicity and religion

Aldersley is a predominantly white neighbourhood with 85.9% of Aldersley being British White, 1.1% Irish and 1.8% Other. This is above the city average of 75.4%, 1.0% and 1.4%, respectively. The Asian population was below that of the city average. 5.7% were identified as being Indian, below the city average of 12.3%; 0.8% are Pakistani, below the city average of 1.2%; and 0.3% were Other compared to the city average of 0.7%. There were no Bangladeshi residents, compared to the city average of 0.1%. The black population was also below that of the city average. Afro-Caribbeans made up a total of 2.4% of the population, compared with the city average of 3.9%. African residents made up 0.2%, compared with the city average of 0.3%. Chinese residents made up a total of 0.2% of the population, below the city average of 0.4%.

Christianity was the predominant religion in Aldersley, with 76.9% of the population stating that they were Christians. The second most dominant religion was Sikhism, with 3.0% of Aldersley being Sikhs, although this is below the city average of 7.6%. 9.3% stated that they had no religion and 7.8% did not state a religion.

Households

There are a total of 1,750 households in Aldersley. 81.8% of households are owner-occupied, above the city average of 60.5%. 7.5% of properties are council houses, 1.6% were owned housing association-owned and 7% were owned by a private landlord.

10.7% of houses are without central heating and 0.2% are without sole use of a bath or toilet. 3.3% of houses are classed as being overcrowded, below the city average of 6.8%. 23.7% of households have no car, 46.1% have one car and 30.3% have two or more cars.

Employment

Aldersley has an unemployment rate of 3.8%, below the city average of 5.3%. Although, the percentage of Aldersley who were unemployed but economically active was 5.2%.

Education

Primary

Claregate Primary School is the principal provider of primary schooling for the Aldersley area.

Secondary

Aldersley High School is a declining school, both in terms of pupil numbers and exam results which is currently under the ofsted inspection of good after it being branded inadequate 12 months ago . It is under threat from a new academy which comes online in 2011.

Leisure

Aldersley Stadium is a major leisure facility, located within the suburb of Aldersley, and provides training and competition facilities for athletics, cycling and target shooting.

Claregate playing fields have tennis courts, a large grass pitch area used for football and cricket, a pavilion with changing facilities and a children's play area.

Public houses in the area include The Claregate on Codsall Road, The Pilot on Green Lane and The Swan Hotel on Lower Street.

There is also a local Brownie unit (1st Aldersley Brownies) which is held at the Christ the King Church hall located on Pendeford Avenue.