Pendeford is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is situated north-north-west of the city centre, within the Oxley ward of the City of Wolverhampton Council. At the 2011 Census, the population of Pendeford was 5,826, increasing from 4,356 at the 2001 Census.
Name and origins
The first known written recording of the place name 'Pendeford', was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded with the same spelling as today – a rarity for place names. The name is thought by many toponymists to mean 'Penda's Ford', possibly a crossing over the nearby River Penk named after the Anglo-Saxon King, Penda of Mercia who reigned in Mercia from the year 626. Despite the origin of the name not being set in stone, the recording of the place name in the Domesday Book tells us that Pendeford was in existence at the time of the Norman conquest, and that at the time, Pendeford was held by two Englishmen, Ulstan and Godwin. After the conquest, the land was confiscated and given to a Norman knight called William Fitz-Ansculf, as a reward for serving William the Conqueror.
At this point in time, Pendeford would have been little more than a few scattered buildings amongst woodland, bordered on its eastern side by a lake known in more recent times as Alleycroft Lake (the lake no longer exists, having been drained upon the construction of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal during the 18th century, though a marshy area remains on the site of the new I54 project to the north of Wobaston Road). Pendeford lay near the farthest south-west reaches of Cannock forest, which was much larger than today in early medieval times.
Location
Despite the modern day Pendeford, with the housing estates Dovecotes, Pendeford Park and Pendford Rise being within the Wolverhampton city border, parts of Dovecotes Estate are within South Staffordshire boundaries. The former site of Pendeford Hall, today the Pendeford Hall Residential Park, constructed after the demolition of the hall in 1968, as well as Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve are in South Staffordshire. The new i54 site is a joint project of Wolverhampton City Council, South Staffordshire District Council and Staffordshire County Council.
History
Pendeford's history dates back to at least the 11th century: a record about it exists in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book.
Dovecotes (Barnhurst) was also part of Pendeford, as was Aldersley.
The brook
The area has a small brook running through it, but it has been moved and culverted. The majority of the brook now runs underground, although it is above ground next to the subway which goes underneath Blaydon Road. It then carries on for around quarter of a mile before disappearing back underground next to Marholm Close.
Pendeford Airfield
In the 1930s, Wolverhampton Council decided to establish an airfield at Pendeford, on of land at Barnhurst formerly used for sewage disposal. The airfield was officially opened on 27 June 1938, by which time Boulton Paul Aircraft had established a factory there. Boulton Paul had separated from its parent in Norwich to move to an area with a suitable workforce to take advantage of the Government Aircraft Expansion Scheme, starting work on their new factory in October 1935. The first Wolverhampton-built aircraft was a sub-contracted Hawker Demon, making a flight in August 1936. Boulton Paul also built their own designs including the Defiant fighter (which had its first flight at Pendeford in August 1937, almost a year before the airfield was officially opened).
During the Second World War the airfield was also used for training air force pilots, with over 100 de Havilland Tiger Moths stationed there at one stage. No.28 Elementary Flying Training School commenced operations at Pendeford on 15 September 1941 and was operated for the Royal Air Force by Air Schools Ltd. It was renamed No.25 Reserve Flying School on 26 June 1947, and ceased to operate on 31 March 1953.
Post-war, the airfield was used for private and training aircraft, with limited scheduled services from 1953. In 1950, the airfield hosted the prestigious Kings Cup air race. By the end of the 1960s the airfield was losing money and there were safety concerns over its close proximity to houses, and the airfield was closed on 31 December 1970. Remaining aircraft transferred to Halfpenny Green airport to the southwest of Wolverhampton. A memorial to the airfield can be seen on the walls of an estate within Pendeford.