Comptonis asuburbofWolverhampton,West Midlands,England.It is located to the west of Wolverhampton city centre on theA454,within theTettenhall Wightwickward.
| Compton | |
|---|---|
  Compton Location within theWest Midlands | |
| Population | 1,326 (2001 Census) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wolverhampton |
| Postcode district | WV3 |
| Dialling code | 01902 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
History
editCompton sits nestled below the ridge that stretches south west fromAldersley,with some of its housing climbing the steep hill near 'The Holloway' on the climb towardsTettenhall Wood.Across theSmestowvalley the terrain rises again in the direction ofFinchfield.The valley here through which theSmestow Brookflows was formed as a glacial meltwater channel.[1]The area was quarried for itssandstone.[2]
Its place name reflects its position - first recorded in theDomesday bookof1086as 'Contone', fromOld Englishcumb- a narrow valley or deep hollow ('cumb' is likely a continuation in use or aloan wordfromBrythoniccwm(Welsh) orcum(Cornish), meaning 'valley'),[3]and Old Englishtūn- a farmstead or fenced place.[4]
Compton Lock on theStaffordshire and Worcestershire Canalwas the starting point in 1766 for the construction of the canal underJames Brindley.
In the late 19th-early 20th century, Compton was home of a distinguished local artistJoseph Vickers de Ville(1856–1925). It was during this time that the still-existing terraced housing was built along Henwood Road near the Bridgnorth Road junction.
Today
edit
Today, the quarrying has stopped, and housing estates have been constructed along the side of the valley. Much of the area was built in the latter half of the 20th century, though Compton does retain some of its older buildings such as several houses on The Holloway.
At present, Compton Park campus is one of two Business Schools of theUniversity of Wolverhampton;the other is inTelford. TheSir Jack Hayward Training GroundofWolverhampton Wanderersfootball clubis in Compton Park.[5]
Next to the Sir Jack Hayward training ground isSt Edmund's Catholic Academyand opposite isSt Peter's Collegiate Academy.
Compton has several shops,take-aways,restaurantsandpubs.The nearest railway station today isWolverhamptonbut Compton had its own station,Compton Halt,on theWombourne Branch Linefrom 1925 - 1932. The line remained open for freight until closure in 1965. The line now forms part of a railway walk. Compton has a frequent bus service 10/10A connecting Compton withPertonand Wolverhampton while less direct services 62/62A connect to Wolverhampton viaTettenhallandDunstall Hill.These services are operated byNational Express West MidlandswhileArriva Midlandsservice 9 operates hourly Mon-Sat betweenWolverhamptonandBridgnorth.
References
edit- ^"Wolverhampton".Archived fromthe originalon 5 September 2011.Retrieved18 January2011.Black Country Living Landscape
- ^"Sites To Visit/Birmingham and Black Country".GeoWestMidlands.Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2012.
- ^"Coomb Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com".
- ^David Horovitz - 'The place-names of Staffordshire' (2006)
- ^"The Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground".Wolverhampton Wanderers.19 July 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 7 March 2008.
Further reading
edit- https://web.archive.org/web/20120305172036/http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/92D8CE13-255C-4350-9D36-3085739B8DD0/0/Compton.pdfArea profile of Compton Neighbourhood (2001 Census)