Merridale is an area of

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 situated to the south-west of the city centre, on the border of the city council's Graiseley and

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Origins and history

The place name, Merridale, can be traced back to its earliest known medieval form, 'Muriden' – likely from

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

'myrge' (meaning sweet, pleasant, agreeable) 'denu' (valley). Parts of the former Merridale Farm (recently restored and converted into apartments) are the oldest buildings in Wolverhampton apart from the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and Saxon Pillar. Merridale Court, a 156-home

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...

of low rise flats, was opened there in 1955. Within the area are a number of locally

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

– including a coach house dating from the 1850s, built in the Tudor Revival style. This property, along with the nearby former Eye Infirmary, is part of ''The Oaks (Merridale Road) Conservation Area''. Bantock Park and

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

are within the area, the house is believed to date from the 1730s, and was originally a farm called ''New Merridale Farm'', then named ''Merridale House''. The

Wolverhampton Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School is a co-educational private school in Wolverhampton, England. History Initially a grammar school for boys, WGS was founded in 1512 by Sir Stephen Jenyns, a master of the ancient guild of Merchant Taylors, who was ...

is in the area.

Today

Merridale has changed little since the 1950s when Merridale Court was constructed. Apartments / flats were built circa 2000s near the junction of Merridale Road and Merridale Lane. There are also some private houses (completed 2017) next to merridale court on an old MEB site.

Public houses

There are several pubs in the area. 'The Royal Oak' is on Compton Road and nearby on the corner of Merridale Road and Merridale Gardens is 'The Chindit' – both traditional pubs specialising in ales and lagers. Until the late 2000s, The Quarterhouse pub stood on Compton Road – this has now been demolished. It has been replaced by a vets practice and Sainsbury's Local.

References

External links

The Oaks (Merridale Road) Conservation Area
*{{oscoor gbx, SO895985
2001 Census – Merridale / Chapel Ash
Areas of Wolverhampton