The history of Lower Penn
General Information
|
Population |
| Total Population |
985 (2004 Estimate) |
| No. Over 60 |
22.5% |
| No. Under 18 |
19.7% |
| No. BME |
Below 2.4% |
| Indices of Deprivation |
|
| Area KM2 |
1,646 |
| Population Density KM2 |
0.598 |
| Financial
Information |
| Annual Budget |
|
| Annual Precept |
£11,300.00 |
| Grants Received |
|
| Spending per Resident |
|
| Average Council Tax Brand |
£25.40 |
The history of clubs, associations and establishments within
Lower Penn is available from the menu on the right hand side of
this page, for the general history of Lower Penn please see
below.
Lower Penn
The parish of Lower Penn is a pleasant country district
extending from the Bridgnorth Road to the edge of Penn Common,
round the southwestern boundary of Wolverhampton. Although it
retains its separate identity as a civil parish, it is, for
ecclesiastical purposes, included in the large and ancient parish
of St. Bartholomew, Upper Penn, whose 13th century
church looks out over the common to the spire of Wombourne.
According to Prebendary Hartill’s History of Penn this
division of interest between Upper and Lower Penn goes back through
the centuries to Norman times, and he records that for about 300
years after the Norman Conquest the name of Nether Penn was
temporarily forgotten, the district being known as Penn Buffar
after the owners of the estate, who in the 14th century
became lords of Nether Penn, Orton, and Wombourne. It is
interesting that the old feudal association between these places
has its modern counterpart under the regis of the Rural District
Council.
Along the ridge known as Springhill some of the finest views
in the Midlands may be obtained, from the Malverns in the south,
past the Clee Hills to the Wrekin in the west, whilst northwards
the horizon is bounded by the heights of Cannock Chase. Along this
ridge, also, may be seen some lovely examples of modern country
house architecture, in happy contrast to the perfect Elizabethan
setting further down the hill, where the black and white thatched
cottage known as Walnut Tree Kennels, with its gay flower borders,
nestles at the corner of Market Lane.
Many of the houses in Lower Penn have long associations with
the past, but perhaps the most interesting is Trescott Grange,
whose connections go back to the days of King Ethelred and Lady
Wulfruna. Again quoting from Prebendary Hartill, we find that in
the Middle Ages it was the country home of the monks of Combe, in
Warwickshire, the outlines of whose fishponds can still be seen.
The old dovecote is an interesting feature of this house, and there
is a tradition that King Charles II was hidden here on his way to
Boscobel.
A few minutes' walk across the fields brings one to Furnace
Grange, another large and progressive farmstead. It is almost
certain that this was originally the Grange Furnace of Trescott,
and we know that there were several furnaces or forges situated
along the Smestow Brook used for iron smelting; the brook provided
the waterpower for driving the bellows and the vast forests the
fuel for the furnaces.
Penn was then a clearing in the forest and the staple industry
was sheep rearing, as evidenced by the number of small streets or
alleys in the Wolverhampton area still bearing the name of
‘Fold.’
A more modern touch is found at Dimmingsdale, where one of the
large pumping stations of the Wolverhampton Waterworks is situated.
Seen at night, with its brilliant lights reflected in the pool
close by, it appears as a strange invader of this essentially
country district, and it is much to be hoped that Lower Penn will
retain its rural character in the years to come.
Information taken from South Staffordshire Reviewed with
the permission of Paul Collins and Craig Walker
Link
Contact Details for the Parish Chairmen
& Clerk
.jpg "Castlecroft Farmhouse")
.jpg "The Green Belt")