Fazeley is an industrial town and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
in the
Lichfield District
Lichfield () is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.
The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km ...
in
Staffordshire,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
[OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) :] Fazeley is located on the outskirts of
Tamworth and the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
of Fazeley also includes Mile Oak and Bonehill. Fazeley forms part of the Tamworth Built-up area.
It sits astride the junction of the
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is a canal of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in the West Midlands of England. Its purpose was to provide a link between the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and thereby connect Birmingham to London via the Oxfo ...
and
Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.
It starts in Coventry and ends to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with th ...
; at
Fazeley Junction
Fazeley Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the authorised Birmingham and Fazeley Canal terminates and meets the Coventry Canal at Fazeley, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England.
History
The Coventry Canal was authorised b ...
are a couple of multi storey mills. Fazeley is also adjacent to
Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor, one of Britain's lost houses, was a British stately home at Drayton Bassett, since its formation in the District of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. In modern administrative areas, it was first put into Tamworth Poor Law Union ...
, formerly the home of
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Excheque ...
and now a
theme park and zoo.
History

The name Fazeley in its various spellings is found in documents dating back to 1135. All suggestions concerning its derivation propose that it comes from early Saxon language most take its meaning to be pasture land or pleasant pasture but another authority suggests it is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon faresleia which meant bulls pasture. The various spellings support this latter suggestion and certainly the land alongside the River Tame, being very flat, may well have been used for this purpose.
Sitting in the centre of the town, Fazeley Town Hall was originally named the Victoria Memorial Hall, commemorating the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria, and
James Eadie paid for both the cost of its construction, £3,000, and the land on which it stands: it was completed in 1898.
James Eadie intended that the Hall should benefit the inhabitants of Fazeley and help to promote their welfare. His vision was that the Hall would be used for public meetings, lectures and concerts and contain reading rooms. He even speculated that technical classes might some day be held "for the better training of workmen in their several crafts and industries."
This vision became a reality, meetings of all descriptions took place and winter entertainments were regularly well attended. There was a library and a reading room, classes were held in gymnastics and cookery, and an Evening Continuation School in horticulture attracted over 40 youngsters. In later years, silent movies were presented here, too.
The First Annual Fazeley Festival and Mile Oak Mile Charity hop took place on 15 September 2007.
Transport
Fazeley sits astride the old
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
road of
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main ...
, which is now much quieter following the move of the
A5 road
A5 Road may refer to:
;Africa
* A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan
* A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Francistown
;Americas
* Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada
* County Route A5 (California) or Bo ...
to run on a new course between Fazeley and Tamworth.
Until 1904,
Wilnecote Station in nearby Two Gates was known as Wilnecote and Fazeley.
Governance
Fazeley Town Council

Fazeley Town Council consists of eleven elected
councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
s. Of the eleven councillors, eight are from the
Conservative Party and three from the
Labour Party.
In May 2012, at 21 years of age,
Councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
Rebecca James became the youngest person ever to hold the post of The
Worshipful The
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
of Fazeley
and was Fazeley Town Council's youngest councillor at 18 years of age when she was elected in January 2009.
The current Mayor of Fazeley is Cllr Brian Hoult.
Fazeley Town Hall is used for both public and private events including, bingo, dancing, parties and carpet sales and Fazeley Town Council holds its meetings in the building.
Local authority
Despite bordering the
District of Tamworth, Fazeley is part of the
Lichfield District
Lichfield () is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.
The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km ...
, of which Barry Gwilt and James Parton-Hughes are the elected representatives. Fazeley is also covered by
Staffordshire County Council
Staffordshire County Council is the top-tier local authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specific ...
, with Alan White representing the area.
Education
Fazeley has two
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
s, Millfield County Primary School and Longwood Primary School, in Mile Oak. Millfield was built in Victorian times and part of the original building still remains.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Tamworth, Staffordshire
Tamworth is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England. It contains 138 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, three are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, five ...
References
External links
Fazeley Town CouncilFazeley.info
{{authority control
Towns in Staffordshire
Civil parishes in Staffordshire