Codsall
Codsall is a large village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 4.5 miles northwest of the city of Wolverhampton and 13 miles west-southwest of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire-West Midlands County border, although along with Perton it is built-up around Wolverhampton. The village has regular daily bus connections to Wolverhampton on National Express West Midlands service 5. Service 10B provides 3 return journeys Mon-Fri to Wolverhampton via Perton. History. In 1086, the Domesday Book recorded six people in Codsall. They were probably the heads of  households so the population would have been a little larger. Toponymists have the name Codsall coming from the old English 'Cod's Halh' – meaning a nook of land belonging to a man named Cod (Cod being an early English personal name, possibly in shortened form). The Church of St. Nicholas is the oldest building. It has a Norman doorway thought to date from the 11th century. Since medieval times, the area around the church, on the top of the hill, was the hub of the village with a windmill, village pond, forge, bakery and public house. The administration of the  village would have been conducted from the church through the decisions of the vestry. Agriculture was the mainstay of the village and even now the strip-field system of cultivation can be seen to the west and north-east of St Nicholas' church. Church Street, now called Church Road, lies between the road junction and the church. There was a significant change after Codsall railway station, on the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway, opened in 1849. The station became the commercial hub of the village with a goods yard, coal yard and cattle pens. Development took place along Station Road and  beyond with some substantial properties being built to accommodate wealthy businessmen from Wolverhampton and the Black Country. Gradually the focus of activity changed from the area around the church and the station to the crossroads or 'Square'. Emphasis on the Square was increased after 1900 when Baker's Nurseries expanded on the site of Old Hall Farm in Church Street. The growth of public transport, with a terminus for buses to Wolverhampton in the Square, the coming of electricity and the digging of the deep sewer all in the 1920s, helped to change the function of the village from an  agricultural centre into a dormitory for Wolverhampton. This has been reflected in the development of several housing estates, new schools and improved roads. Present day. Codsall has expanded since World War II, forming the largest part of three adjoining villages (the others being Bilbrook and Oaken). It is the site of the headquarters of South Staffordshire District Council. It is twinned with the French commune of Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin. The village also has a cricket club called Codsall Cricket Club (Codsall CC), the club was established in 1897 and plays at the Village Hall. There is also a 3 -par, 18 hole golf course (The Ledene). In the village, Codsall Community High School runs a post-16 Football Academy for their students. The main shopping area around The Square has a variety of shops including a local wine shop. Another shopping area is around Birches Bridge, where the shops include a branch of The Co-operative Food. Although not part of the city of Wolverhampton. Codsall along with neighbouring villages Perton, Wombourne, Himley, Swindon, Featherstone and Essington form part of a built up area of South Staffordshire around the West Midlands County (Wolverhampton and Dudley) and Shropshire (Cosford and Albrighton ). Education. Codsall Community High School opened in 1940 as the only secondary school in the area, starting as a secondary modern school before becoming Codsall Comprehensive School in 1969. By this stage it provided education for pupils aged 11–18, but a reorganisation of education in the area saw a name change and most notably a change in the age range, with the school now serving pupils aged 13–18. and it has three feeder middle schools; Codsall Middle School, Bilbrook Middle School and Perton Middle School, all of which serve the 9-13 age range. This reorganisation came when Perton was  first being developed for housing, and the school has continued to serve the Perton community after plans to build a secondary school in Perton never materialised. There are also three first schools for pupils aged 5–9; Lane Green First School, St. Nicholas' C of E and Birches First School. St Christopher's Roman Catholic Primary School is the only primary school in the area. Codsall Community High School was judged to be good by Ofsted in November 2013. Public houses. Codsall has several pubs, bars and members' clubs. The oldest is The Crown Joules in Codsall Square, renamed from the  Crown in 2015 following the purchase of the site by Joules Brewery. The Crown was briefly named 'Butlers Bar & Bistro' in 2008, but reverted to 'The Crown' in 2009. Also in Codsall Square is The Bull, another traditional old pub serving ale with an extensive lunchtime food menu. There is also the award-winning Codsall Station on the corner of Chapel Lane & Oaken Lanes, a working railway station with a Holdens Brewery pub on the platform. Codsall has two social clubs, the Codsall Legionnaires club (known locally as 'the Legion'), and The Firs (formerly Codsall Conservative Club). Codsall Legionnaires club  has a modern 'members bar' area. Its former function room has been acquired by the Pet Stop, a local pet shop, as approved by Codsall Parish Council in May 2011, on condition that the car park remains for public use. Events. The first Codsall Beer Festival took place on 3 October 2015 at Codsall village hall, with over 35 real ales and ciders, many fruit wines and live music from local artists. Proceeds were donated to the Harry Will Walk charity & Codsall Community Group, a volunteer group that looks after the green spaces in Codsall, Codsall Wood and Oaken. The  second Codsall Beer Festival took place on 1 October 2016 at Codsall Village Hall. Twin town. Codsall & Bilbrook are twinned with: Transport. Codsall has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line, and has train services to Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. The village also has regular bus links with Wolverhampton, the 5 / 5A service operated by National Express West Midlands providing a full weekly service.