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Why Bloxwich isn’t Walsall
Walsall Metropolitan Borough is an interesting place, with an ancient history. But what it isn’t is a single town, village, hamlet or settlement. In no way can it be regarded as a homogenised, pasteurised, googleised, fuzzy blob on the map that describes all of the people, their homes and their heritage within what is really just an administrative boundary.
The open spaces, even rural in many cases, which have been filled in across the area by urban spread during the 1920s and later, have made it look on the map as if Walsall is just one, big mixed-up community, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Indeed, if you ask most people outside central Walsall, in Aldridge, Brownhills, Pelsall, Darlaston, Willenhall, Great Barr, Walsall Wood, Streetly and – most definitely – Bloxwich, the question “Where are you from” or “Where do you live” – they will very likely NOT tell you they are from Walsall. Even within the town itself, ask that question and you will likely hear “I’m from…” and insert Chuckery, Palfrey, Pleck, Bescot, Ryecroft, etc – not Walsall…