Blakenhall's name, according to toponymists, comes from the Old English "blæc" (meaning "black") and "halh" (meaning "nook" or "corner").[2] It was developed during the late 19th century just south of the town centre with hundreds of terraced houses, some with shop fronts, being built on the Dudley Road (A459) towards Sedgley. Many were also built down the side streets. Wanderers Avenue, the original home of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, can be found in Blakenhall. The team regularly played on the adjacent Phoenix Park until 1889. Names of the players can be found on the front of the terraced houses along the street.[3]
Wolverhampton's first council houses were built in Blakenhall in 1902, though it would be nearly 20 years before mass council house building took place anywhere else in the area.[4] By the 1980s, these properties were outdated and were finally demolished in the spring of 1988.[5] Vehicle maker AJS moved to a new factory built around Graiseley House in 1914.[6] It closed upon their insolvency in 1931 and the site, now occupied by a supermarket (Tesco since July 2021, previously Waitrose and Safeway), is marked by a sculpture called The Lone Rider, designed by Steve Field.[7][8][9]
In 1919, when work began on Wolverhampton's first major council housing development to rehouse families from town centre slums, a site around Green Lane (later renamed Birmingham Road and Thompson Avenue) and Parkfield Road was included in this development.[10] In 1960, 1st Blakenhall Scout Group was formed. The group now meets at St. Johns Methodist Church and is open to boys and girls aged 6–14.[11] The next major development in Blakenhall took place in the 1960s when six tower blocks were constructed. One of the two taller tower blocks, Cobden House, was demolished by a controlled explosion in August 2002. The four smaller tower blocks (Neale House, Villiers House, Cross House, and Ranelagh House) were cleared with mechanical demolitions in 2007. The final taller tower block, Phoenix Rise (previously known as Franchise House), was demolished in 2011.
Blakenhall's residents are predominantly descendants of Indians who settled in the area following World War II, with 45.6% of the population claiming Indian ethnicity.[13] The local Gurdwara occupies the site of a former Corona drinks factory, and has at times laid claim to be the largest Gurdwara in Europe. Blakenhall's religious makeup as of the 2021 census[14] was 40.7% Sikh, 24.3% Christian, 16.6% non-religious, 10.4% Hindu, 4.3% Muslim, 3.3% other, and 0.4% Buddhist.
It was incorrectly reported in 2013 that one of Blakenhall's oldest and most notable buildings, the 1861 St Luke's Church, was to close due to mounting repair bills and structural problems with the tower and spire.[15][16] The building, which is grade II listed, finally closed as a church in 2017 and became an antiques centre.[17] The congregation now meets in St. Luke's School a short distance away.[18]
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 2001 Census
