Pye Green is an English village on
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase, often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and muc ...
in the south of
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
standing nearly 800 feet above sea-level, literally overlooking
Hednesford
Hednesford ( () is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase district of Staffordshire, England. The Cannock Chase area of natural beauty is to the north of the town. Hednesford is also to the north of Cannock and to the south of ...
,
Cannock
Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolverhampton ...
,
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
and much of the
Black Country
The Black Country is an area of England's West Midlands. It is mainly urban, covering most of the Dudley and Sandwell metropolitan boroughs, with the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton. The road between Wolverhampto ...
.
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
city centre can be clearly seen when the weather is good.
Pye Green is served by roads running from Hednesford to
Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
and from
Chadsmoor
Chadsmoor () is a historic village in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England, and is situated between the towns of Cannock and Hednesford.
History
In the 7th century Chad of Mercia, St Chad, the patron Saint of Lichfield Cathe ...
to
Slitting Mill
Slitting Mill is a small village on the outskirts of Rugeley, Staffordshire. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 265.
The village is within Rugeley civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish use ...
and
Etchinghill. The closest trunk roads are the
A34 from Cannock to Stafford and the
A460 from Cannock to
Rugeley
Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is north of Lichfield, southeast of Stafford, northeast of ...
. Bus services are provided by
Chaserider
Chaserider is the brand name for bus services operated around Cannock and Staffordshire by D&G Bus, a local bus operator owned by Centrebus who are based in Adderley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
History
The Chaserider brand name, wh ...
PyeGreen--Hednesford--Cannock--Pye Green and vice-versa, circular services 25/26 with a 15-or 30-minute frequency, Mon-Sat. The closest railway station is at Hednesford, which is on the
Chase Line
The Chase Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs from its southern terminus, , to , and then in Staffordshire, where it joins the Trent Valley line. The name of the line refers to Cannock Chase which ...
running from
Rugeley Trent Valley to
Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street, also known as New Street station, is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti ...
.
In the past 100 years, the population of village has grown from possibly less than 150 people to perhaps as many as 6,000. This is mainly though council and coal board housing, and latterly through private housing, mainly down the Pye Green Valley. Today, therefore, the housing is mainly owner-occupied, with some private rentals and some council housing, being the remnants of the council housing which was not
privately purchased by former tenants. The area also boasts nursery and primary schools, a community centre, several shops (butcher's, takeaways, general dealers and convenience stores), a funeral director's, a pub and social club, a pavilion and sports ground, and an equestrian centre. The nearest secondary schools are
Staffordshire University Academy and
Kingsmead School, Hednesford.
The pub is named after a former local farmer, hi
Pye Green Farmpredating the first housing estate comprising Clarkes Avenue and Cotton Grove, erected before
WWII
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Just after WWII,
prefabs were erected west of this estate. They were replaced with more permanent dwellings in the 1970s and 1980s. In the meantime, council housing was developed east of this estate in conjunction with the coal board, bringing in an influx of mining families from Ayrshire,
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
and
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
, and
South Wales
South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
in the 1960s to work in various pits in the
Cannock Chase Coalfield
Cannock Chase Coalfield is a coalfield in Staffordshire, England, lying directly under Cannock Chase. It forms a rough triangle between Brereton, Staffordshire, Brereton, Essington and Pelsall.
The Cannock Chase Coalfield lies just to the north ...
. The land in the Pye Green Valley was developed in the 1980s onwards. This development has removed any green space gaps between Pye Green and Hednesford or Pye Green and Chadsmoor, and so it may not always be clear who lives in Pye Green and who doesn't.
Land to the west and north of the built area comprises what remains of
The Chase, o
Cannock Forest Close by are th
Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteryand
German Military Cemetery, and the ruined remains of
Brindley Village and of
RAF Hednesford
Royal Air Force Hednesford or more simply RAF Hednesford is a former Royal Air Force station situated south-east of Stafford, Staffordshire, England.
History
The RAF station of Hednesford was built just south of Cannock Chase, above the villa ...
.
The road out of Pye Green to the north-west towards Stafford climbs to the highest point for miles around. Because of this height, it hosts the local
BT communications tower landmark (which can be seen from the nearby
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...
and the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
). The tower relays line-of-sight
microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequency, frequencies between 300&n ...
communication links between equivalent towers at
Sutton Common
Sutton Common is the name of former common land and a district and neighbourhood located in Sutton, London. The area is mostly located within the London Borough of Sutton, with some of the streets to the north and west of Sutton Common Park ...
in Cheshire and in the
centre of Birmingham, eventually down to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
BT Tower
The BT Communications Tower, also known simply as the BT Tower, is a Listed building, grade II listed Radio masts and towers, communications tower in Fitzrovia, London, England, owned by BT Group. It has also been known as the GPO Tower, the P ...
. Near to the BT Tower is an older structure, th
Pye Green Pumping Station and Water Tower which has operated since 1934.
Other pieces of history, now barely visible, included gallops for thoroughbreds dating from whe
Hednesfordwas a significant training centre, before and during the advent of coal mining. They include
a mission church (St. Marks) and a chapel (top of Bradbury Lane)which were part of the extension of christian buildings into the area in the 1890s. They included three working men's clubs which went with mining - only one still operates. The chapel (which was later part of one of the clubs and turf accountant's and then of a pub) overlooked a quarry which was subsequently used for landfill and is now a green space. The nearest working quarry now is to the west, abov
Pottal Pool the latter having once been
lido Oldest artefact of all is th
Wishing Stoneon or near the (possible) route o
Blake Street (or Blake Road) Before the coming of canals and railways, this provided one of a few alternative routes for stage-coach travel between London and Chester or Birmingham and Manchester, vi
Hednesfordthrough to Stafford. As for the mining, and the canals, railways and other infrastructure which went with it, the closest pits were sunk down the Pye Green Valley, fringing the Green Heath, Blake Street (Belt Road) and the railway to Cannock. This was the site o
Pye Green is the administrative headquarters o
Hednesford Town Council which meets in th
Pye Green Community Centre(opened 1974. and renovated about 2012). Pye Green lies in the territories administered b
Cannock Chase District Councilan
Staffordshire County Council It is also in the
Cannock Chase (UK Parliament constituency)
Cannock Chase is a constituency in Staffordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Josh Newbury of the Labour Party.
Boundaries
1997–2010: The District of Cannock Chase, and the District of South Staffor ...
.
External links
BT Transmitter
Villages in Staffordshire
Hednesford
{{Staffordshire-geo-stub