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24 September 2014

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Uncovered

An artist with his Town Hall artwork

Bilston's regeneration

By Ciar谩n Ryan
Bilston's landmark Town Hall is to re-open. A ceremony was held to mark the switching-on of the building's clock on Saturday 18th November 2006. The regeneration continues.

Photo gallery: Bilston Town Hall clock switch-on >

The blare of an air horn on a cold clear Saturday afternoon. It announces the switching-on, for the first time in nearly ten years, of Bilston's landmark Town Hall clock.

Bilston Town Hall

Bilston's history stretches back for at least 1000 years. During the the 19th and 20th centuries it was a key Black Country town. It was a prosperous place that could afford to build good quality civic buildings.

But as the steel industry declined so did Bilston's fortunes. Unemployment was high and the town centre began to look neglected.

The Town Hall has been at the centre of Bilston life since its construction in 1872. It has been used as an local administrative centre, a cinema and for dances. It closed in 1996.

Rev Chris Thorpe (left) speaking

To the Council's Bilston Regeneration team and to many local people, the re-opening of the Town Hall is important. The clock switch-on marks not only the final phase of the Town Hall refurbishment process, but is a symbol of the regeneration activity that has taken place in the town so far.听

Heart of Bilston group - Rev Chris Thorpe

After viewing posters produced by local schoolchildren for a Town Hall artwork competition, people gathered on the pavement for the 3pm switch-on.

The competition winners; Sophie Thorpe, Katie Grinsell and Heather Cockfield blew the air horn signalling the switching-on of the clock.

Around the Town Hall

Rev Chris Thorpe of the nearby St Leonard's church, Chair of the Bilston Town Centre Regeneration Forum and the Heart of Bilston group, said:

"We've been working for the past seven years as the Heart Of Bilston group to try and get the Town Hall refurbished.

"The starting of the clock is an important day for us because we've been saying for a long time that it is time for Bilston.

"Now that we've got the money to refurbish the Town Hall we've seen the project well underway - it's due to open properly in September next year (2007) and it is really forming the heart of a whole regeneration package for the town.

3pm - Bilston Town Hall

"We've seen many of our historic buildings refurbished, new businesses coming into Bilston and an improved sense of prosperity and of confidence in the town. The Town Hall stands for all of that.

"Within the historic core of the town, we've a townscape heritage initiative award that's been running over the last couple of years. We've managed to raise and spend over 拢400,000 on restoring the church. The whole of Mount Pleasant has been restored on the one side, all of its historic buildings brought back into a good state or repair.

"As we look around the Town Hall - all of the buildings around here - you can begin to see individual historic buildings being refurbished and just see the difference that they are making.

Bilston Urban Village

"The future for the Town Hall thankfully is looking very good indeed. It's looking as though Wolverhampton Homes, who run the housing stock around here, will be moving into the Town Hall and also Gazebo Theatre, a Wolverhampton based theatre group, will be based there too. There will be some other community space as well.

"What we hope to see for here [the area immediately around the Town Hall] is a new town square for Bilston. I can envisage in a couple of years - when this is really thriving, that this square will be very busy indeed and people will be coming in and out of the town hall, using the local shops and coming in and out of the church, too."

Into the future: Bilston Urban Village

Wolverhampton Council drew up the Bilston Town Centre Regeneration Strategy in 2001 to tackle the decline within the centre. The refurbishment of the Town Hall is part of that plan.

Pat McFadden MP (right) speaks

The Town Hall has been undergoing major restoration work since 2004, funded by the Council, the European Regional Development Fund, and Heritage Lottery.听

The works to the Grade II listed building have included roof repairs, repairs to all the exterior stonework, windows and doors and to its clock face and mechanism.

Within the Bilston Town Centre Regeneration Strategy there are many schemes. The Bilston Development Project, for example, launched in July 2005 and is a 拢1.6 million regeneration scheme to enhance, promote and improve the image of Bilston.

Bottom row: Katie, Heather and Sophie

In March 2006 outline planning permission was granted for the 拢176 million Bilston Urban Village. It's a plan to transform around 100 acres of land south of the town centre into a thriving urban community. A community of 1000 new homes and facilities including a public leisure centre and health clinic, local shops, offices and light industrial buildings and a new sports field and neighbourhood park.

Back to the Town Hall. After the air horn was blown and the applause died down, Pat McFadden MP gave a brief speech. He said:

"It's been a centre of Bilston's politics and a centre of Bilston romance and there's many a couple who've met on the dance floor in here, I am told.

"Today is a great moment for Bilston, because this is a moment that's a symbol of the regeneration of the town. This building has been closed for a number of years. As Chris said we hope it will be open and full of life again next year.

The working clock

"But today, with the restarting of the clock, we take a big step into the future."

Among the people gathered on the pavement was Lisa Ansell, she runs a youth club in Bilston. She applauded as the clock was switched-on. She said:

"The new Town Hall is going to be a fantastic improvement to the town.

"A lot of funds have gone into regenerating Wolverhampton city, and we've been one of the forgotten towns. It's good to see so much input going into Bilston and its regeneration."

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Lots more Bilston information at:

http://www.bilstonregeneration.co.uk

last updated: 19/12/06

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Have Your Say

Anna
Glad to see the town hall has been bought back to life i don't like the huge piece of glass stuck to the side of it thought it looks stupid and how long before it gets broken? bilston now needs some decent shops at the moment it's all bookies, charity shops and card shops you have to go to walsall or wolverhampton for a decent outfit.

Tom Brady
Chris, Carol,and Grandvillewould like to spend an hour and a cup of tea with Lord Bilston at the Town Hall for old time sake.Get in touch.

Brian (ex-local government employee)
What is the town hall goning to be used for. Perhaps a few civic receptions, collect a few rents (if and when wolverhampton Homes rent part of it).Where the car park? Its good to see an old building in good condition but the money could have been better spent improving the quality of life for Bilstonians

pete jones Bilston lawnmowers 36 high st
it would be good to see the town hall reopened. i used to go there in the early 1970s to tax my motorbikes and to get my provisional licence ...those were the days ..

Kenneth White, Bilston born & bred.
Why wasn't some thought given to the character of the Bilston Town Hall when designing the new entrance, it looks more like a design suited for an out of town Football Stadium. Who ever gave the final OK can't possibly have had any idea of how the finished structure would fit in with the character of the present building, and could not possibly have any connection with Bilston. ?.

Sophie Thorpe
I entered the competion and me and Katie and Heather won for different age groups. It was really cool to see the clock started and to go up behind the clock! I hope Bilston keeps on improving things!!! Well Done to dad, Chris Thorpe, who orgonized this and you are great!

David
Although I now live in sunny Singapore, I cannot wait for my twice yearly visits back home - Bilston. I was a Loxdale and Grammar school lad and remember well the dances at the Town Hall and round the corner to the Chicken bar on the way home. Glad that Bilston is at last having some life breathed back into it after being smothered by Wolverhampton.

Mike Siverns
A Bilston lad and proud of it, I was educated at the Grammar School, also worked at Quasi Arc. Now retired in Nottinhamshire but occasionally revisit family and am surprised by the changes generally for the better. What a shame we've lost our canals though!

Alan Jones
I was born in Bagnal Road Bilston, went to Stonefields school as it changed from all boys to mixed. Mother was wed in saint leonards church, so i have many happy memorys of my childhood in bilston and bradley so it's great to see bilston being put back on the black country map, and here's hoping the regeneration carries on throughout the town.

Tiff
i think that is a great opportunity to see bilston be brought back up 2 standard but i think that their is still alo of safety issues within an around bilston that needs to be i dentified before work is carried out within bilston

chez
i was born in bilston and it will always be part of my life so its great to see them finally recognise bilston needs help and re-generate one of the most historically productive towns in the midlands, long live bilston!!!!!!

Anthony Goodey.
I now live in Northumberland but still miss the black country that I once lived in.It's good to hear that Bilston is on the mend again.

Anthony Goodey.
I was educated at Bilston Grammar school and worked for Quasi Arc welding co.I was amazed to see that Pamela Fellows{an ex girl friend of mine} has made comments about her birth place.

F.John Tompkins
Is it true that the Eiffel Tower was built in Bilston and shipped by Pickfords by road & Sea to Paris ????

Stefan Emery
I am a young Bilstonian and am 17 years of age. I have lived on the back of this project for all my life now and i am happy to say im very delighted to see something big going on in our little town of Bilston. I am very proud of this and thank the city council.

Pamela Sissons
I am pleased that Bilston as finally been inclued. I am proud to say I'm a Bilstonian. And Christened at My church ST, Leanards. My father worked on the town Hall and was a Bilston builders cleark for many years for Denis Shakeshaft. He was on 大象传媒 TV about 1957 talking about the old buildings of the town. For many years he worked in Bilston somtimes with his brother Lenard before he was ill. In his later years he visited St Leanards many times to talk. When he passed away the church was full, he loved Bilston and was a charecter for many year,s I'm in wolverhampton but will never forget my routes. Good old Strong Ehteridge girls and boys Bilston. Very friendly and caring people good hard workers if some one gives them the chance.

brian john shortland
Bilston was great until the boundary chahge in 1971.Then it was swollowed up by Wolverhamton and DIED.

sammy
i dont thnk it will work with the people round haer

Megan
it's great to see the regeneration of the town, but with the decline of industry Bilston would benefit from an olyimpic size swimming pool, what an opportunity that could have been, but the so called master planners win again.

Tina
When Bilston was enveloped by Wolverhampton, in many ways it lost it's identity as an independant town within the Black Country. This is something that could be seen quite clearly in the run-down, once proud historic buildings within the town, and even more so in the fact that the town hall, which in many places would be the heart and soul of the community, was in such a bad condition. The renovation of the building and the regeneration of the area is something that I couldn't be happier about - perhaps now Bilston will begin to rediscover it's lost identity and once more become the vibrant Black Country town it should be.

Shirley Turner
Its nice to see that Bilston is being noticed at last. When I lived in Bilston the dancing school I attended used the Town Hall to put shows on.

Pamela Cole-Hudson, Gazebo
We are very excited to be moving into Bilston Town Hall, and to act as the resident Arts Company, hopefully by the end of this year. We are very keen to hear from the community to find out what you would like to see available in the Town Hall: theatre shows, dance classes, keep fit, summer schools, activities for families, etc, etc... and also to hear from groups and businesses who would like to deliver activities and host events within the ballroom. Please get in touch on gazebotie@tiscali.co.uk or visit our website:www. gazebotie.org Look forward to hearing from you.

Pamela J. Fellows
I was born in Bilston, now living in Australia, my father Walter Fellows was onetime Mayor of Bilston, it is great to see the Town Hall coming back to life, I had seen an ad. a few years ago for it's sale and wondered what had happened. Many dances, Mayoress's "At Home's" etc. have I attended at Bilston Town Hall when I was young.

Lynn Fern
I have very happy memories of starting work when I left school in the Motor Tax Department which was based in the Town Hall. It's great to see such a wonderful building being restored to it's former glory.

Matt
I agree with Lisa Ansell's comment- Wolverhampton Council has spent so much on Wolverhampton itself and more or less ignored Bilston and the council has liked to think of Wolverhampton as just "one place" and often ignored the separate identities of Bilston, Wednesfiled and other areas. Hopefully, Bilston's regeneration will lead to the town becoming popular again- it really needs decent high street shops like it used to. There are also too many derelict buildings, including factories in various parts of the town that really need something doing with them, they look eyesores to people visiting or passing thorugh Bilston.

JOHN BROMLEY
I WAS BORN IN BILSTON ST LUKES PLACE OF DUDLEY ST ITS GREAT TO SEE THE REBUILDING OF BILSTON

Pete Squires
Great news for Bilston. Let's see more of this for the local area - Willenhall, Darlaston. What we really need is the return of real industry - manufacturing. Well done, Bilston