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Welcome
to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton, known variously as Wlfrunhamtona,
Wlurenehamton, Heantune and Wulvenehamton (Wulfruna's
High Town) was founded 985A.D. by virtue of a
grant from Aethelred the Unready to Lady Wulfruna,
and can be found listed in the Domesday Book of
1086 as Hantone with a population of approximately
two hundred, quite considerable for that time.
St
Peter's
Records show a parish church as early as 994,
endowed by Lady Wulfruna from an already existing
one. By the twelfth century this became known
as the church of Wulfrunhampton. In the sixteenth
century it was rededicated as St Peter's, the
name by which it is now known. During the years
1852- 65 St Peter's was thoroughly restored by
the aptly named Ewan Christian leaving just the
base of the tower, believed to date from early
thirteenth century, as the oldest surviving part.
Beside the church is a statue honouring Wolverhampton's
founder Wulfruna about whom, sadly, little is
known other than in 943 the invading Danes held
her prisoner.
War
Memorials
St Peter's is home to several of Wolverhampton's
war memorials; recently the grounds of the church
were overhauled and the memorials cleaned including
one to Able Seaman Douglas Morris Harris killed
by Austrian naval gunfire in the Adriatic on May
15 1917 while continuing to enter a message in
the log that the ship was under attack. The official
war memorial stands in the shadow of St Peter's,
while inside the church itself are rolls of honour
from both World Wars and Wolverhampton's oldest
memorial: the tomb of a soldier from the English
Civil war, John Lane.
The
Great Fire
The first Great Fire in Wolverhampton occurred
in 1590 destroying 104 homes and 30 barns; it
began in Barn Street and lasted for five days.
The second was more than a century later in 1696,
September 10 at 4p.m. to be precise, and once
again the seat of origin was Barn Street. Within
five hours 60 houses were gutted leaving the cost
of damage at over £8,500 -a vast amount. These
calamities led to inhabitants banding together
in order to buy their own fire engine, which they
accordingly did in 1703 (including 24 buckets
for the water). And in 1814 thatched roofing was
finally banned. Today only two Tudor buildings
remain: 44 Exchange Street and Wolverhampton's
most famous building, 19 Victoria Street 'Lindy
Lou's' possibly erected in the 1590's and once
the Hand Inn.
Industry
Wolverhampton's proximity to rich agricultural
land prompted the creation of its initial wealth
from wool, a part of its heritage which is celebrated
through some of the street names: Farmers Fold
and Tup Street; and also in its coat of arms which
incorporates a wool pack and a lock in recognition
of Wolverhampton's world famous locksmith industry
creating keys, nails and bolts since 1603. The
best-known local firm, Charles and Jeremiah Chubb,
arrived in 1818 and was patented lock maker to
Queen Victoria. As the Industrial Revolution continued
apace so the population increased from 7,454 in
1750, to 12,500 in 1801, to 94,187 a century later.
Today the total stands in excess of a quarter
of a million. With the Industrial Revolution came
the canal system and in 1772 the Staffordshire
and Worcester canal opened; it was surveyed by
James Brindley the same man who oversaw completion
of the first canal in the country: Manchester
in 1761. It meant goods could be transported from
Birmingham to London in just four to five days,
where previously it had taken weeks. The first
train arrived on 1 June 1837, by then the canals
had enjoyed their day. Now canals are experiencing
a revival as a popular tourist and leisure facility.
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