Streetly

Sutton Park is surrounded on all sides by suburbia. Sutton Coldfield itself is to the east, while Streetly borders the park to the north-west. There are several entrances to the park at Streetly, most for pedestrians only. This one gives vehicle access, but if we head north away from the road we will find ourselves in one of the finest areas of the park.
An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".

Streetly is a residential community built alongside the Roman road known as Ryknild Street, traces of which can still be seen in Sutton Park. Until 1879, when a station opened on the Birmingham-Walsall railway, there had been only farmland here. Housing development followed the railway, but the station closed in 1965.
An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".

THE DAWNING of the Victorian age marked the beginning of a period of dramatic change for Walsall. The next 100 years would see the arrival of the railways, the development of the canals and a much improved road system. Better transport was a boon for industry and it was a major factor in the development of the leather industry that would leave its mark on the town forever. The 19th century brought rapid population growth and prosperity, but it also brought slum living and poverty. In 1801 there were 10,399 inhabitants in the borough and the foreign of Walsall; this had increased to 26,816 by 1851. Rapid population growth led to 19th-century problems with sanitation and increasing slum accommodation. In older parts of the town the streets were narrow with courts and alleys and many homes were also without running tap water. In many ways Walsall became somewhat a victim of its own success, surrounded by rich sources of minerals and limestone. Housing was cramped but people flocked to the town. The introduction of turnpike roads in the late 18th century had opened Walsall up to travelling tradesmen and more and more people became aware of this much-maligned little industrial town.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".

Upper Rushall Street and Peal Street running north and south from the bottom of the church steps indicate ancient routes to Lichfield and Wednesbury. The modern day High Street running from the steps leading to the west door of the church shows the medieval settlement from the 1200s. As the town grew, Digbeth stretched from the High Street down to a small open stream running through the valley bottom. Today The Bridge public square marks where the stream was crossed and the town continued to climb up the other side on to what is now Park Street. The stream is a tributary of the River Tame but now runs underneath the square through drainage tunnels.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".

The Manor Hospital, in Moat Road, did not get its name until 1928 when the infirmary was segregated from the workhouse. By 1931 the Manor had 300 beds and Walsall General had 100 beds. Another area of growth in the 19th century was religion and several new churches and missions were opened in Walsall. There were too many to mention them all, but the most notable in the town centre were St Paul’s, St Peter’s and the Walsall Presbyterian Church. St Paul’s chapel, north of Bridge Street, was consecrated in 1826 and was originally built for Queen Mary’s Grammar School and the public. The minister was traditionally the headmaster of the school and remained so until 1874 when the chapel was sold to the townspeople for £1,000. In 1875 it was assigned as a parish out of St Matthew’s. The first St Paul’s Church was designed by Francis Goodwin in the classical style. It was rebuilt using Codsall sandstone in the early 1890s. St Peter’s in Stafford Street was built in 1839 on a site donated by Lord Hatherton. It was consecrated in 1841 and designed in a lancet Gothic style. It stood in a churchyard formerly surrounded by streets on four sides and the east end of the church was added in 1910. The other main church that still dominates the town centre skyline is the Walsall Presbyterian Church, now known as the Hatherton United Reform Church. This building was erected in 1881 and has a central pulpit, fixed pews and a period organ.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".