Wightwick (
) is a part of
Tettenhall Wightwick ward in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...
,
West Midlands,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It is named after an ancient local family the "de Wightwicks". It is on the western fringe of Wolverhampton and borders the rural
South Staffordshire area that includes neighbourhoods such as
Perton.
Of note is
Wightwick Manor, a
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
manor house in the
arts and crafts style. The interior features extensive use of
William Morris
William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...
designs and is noted as one of his pioneering works. The house is the former home of the
Mander family who achieved wealth through the ownership of Mander Brothers, paint and varnish manufacturers since 1773, and fame through public service and political office.
Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander was the first of the Mander family to sit in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
. The house is now in the hands of the
National Trust. The Mander family also owned the nearby 'Mount', seat of the
Mander Baronets, which is now a hotel and conference centre with views as far as the
Malvern hills, over away.
Wightwick Hall is also in the area, being less than a mile via the lanes that connect the two properties. Sir
Alfred Hickman owned
Wightwick Hall. Nearby Elmsdale Hall was owned by the former Wolverhampton Mayor and industrialist
Sir John Morris. Morris was spontaneously knighted by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
in 1866 at her first public appearance since the death of her husband Albert, for the unveiling of a statue of her dead husband. The hall has been converted to residential apartments.
The
Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal and the
Smestow Brook run through the valley beneath Wightwick Manor, roughly parallel to the '
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
Road'.
Wightwick is an extremely pleasant part of the more traditionally affluent western side of Wolverhampton.
References
External links
"Sir Geoffrey Mander: the last of the Midland Radicals"by Nicholas Mander
Photos of Wightwick and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
Areas of Wolverhampton
Tettenhall
{{WestMidlands-geo-stub