The Village of Himley.
Himley village was part of Seisdon Rural District which in 1974 was replaced by the South Staffordshire District and is so small it is classed as a hamlet. It is situated on the A449 Stourbridge-Wolverhampton road, 1½ miles north of Kingswinford and 4 miles west from Dudley.
It is recorded in the Domesday Book under the spelling Himelei and has been found recorded elsewhere under the names Himelilega, Himilie and Himlele. The name is probably derived from ‘hymele’ meaning a hop plant and ‘leah’ meaning a clearing in a wood.
It does not have a post office or school, only a farm shop / plant nursery; however there are two hotels with bars and a public house, all with restaurants, a nursing home, a cricket club and a golf course which is within Himley Park
The Himley Conservation Area encompasses:
- Himley Hall, originally home to the Earl of Dudley,
- St Michael and All Angels Church,
- The Old Rectory which is now a private house,
- The Grade II listed Himley House Hotel, which was originally part of Himley Hall Estate,
- Whitehall. Originally a farm but now apartments and barn conversions,
- The Grade II listed Dudley Arms public house,
- the Demesne Estate adjacent to Himley Park,
- The original village school which is now a hotel.
- The houses located on School Road from the junction with the A449 including several cottages which were once part of the hall estate
School Road Playing Field has excellent play equipment for children under 12 years of age which the Parish Council provided with financial help from the Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust and South Staffordshire Council.
Himley Hall
Himley Church
Himley church was originally built alongside Himley Hall. The current Himley Church was built in Georgian style in 1763 and was once the family church to Himley Hall. The Earl of Dudley decided to move the original church building to the current location away from the Hall when the congregation numbers began to increase. The site on Dudley Road at the junction with the Wolverhampton Road was chosen and the new church was built. It was consecrated on September 28th 1763.
The main door is a good example of 18th Century carpentry. Much of the oak panelling and the rood screen used in the original church were installed in the new church. The Lych Gate, however, was provided by the parishioners to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria.
The Crooked House
Himley Cricket Club
Himley Cricket Club was formed in 1883 with cricket being played at the Stourbridge Road ground ever since. The original pavilion donated by Francis Grazebrook, a local entrepreneur back in 1890, was then built on the Club's present site. Most old photographs indicate that the early teams were made up of local men from Himley and the outlying areas of Wombourne, Swindon, Wall Heath, Kingswinford and Gornal.
The club has grown rapidly over recent years. The First Eleven play in the Birmingham and District Premier Cricket League, with the four other senior sides playing in the Worcestershire Cricket League.
The club offers excellent facilities, including two cricket squares at the Stourbridge Road facility, supporting eight senior teams and one of the top junior sections in the country, which boasts 200 plus members and countless coaches and county and district representatives.
For More information about the club please visit www.himleycc.co.uk
South Staffs Railway Walk
Himley Hall
Himley Hall was constructed in the 18th century on the site of a medieval manor house which was demolished and replaced by the new hall. The grounds were designed by Capability Brown and between 1824 and 1827 the hall was extensively remodelled by William Atkinson. It was once home to the Earls of Dudley and had regular royal visits including Edward VIII who spent the last weekend before his abdication at the hall. At one point all of the houses in Himley village were associated with the hall in one way or another. The hall and its grounds are identified as a Historic Landscape Area and it is a Grade II Registered Park and Garden. Dudley Metropolitan Borough now owns the estate and runs events throughout the year which can be found on their website. Adjoining the park is a ‘pay and play’ nine-hole golf course.
Within the grounds of Himley Hall, the Great Pool is home to Himley Hall Sailing Club founded in December 1969, a small family club with some 50 members.
The clubhouse is the old thatched boathouse, a listed building, modified to give an area for eating and a small functional kitchen.
For more information on Himley Hall and Park, please visit the website www.himleyhallandpark.co.uk
Himley Church
The Crooked House
In the south-eastern corner of the parish is The Crooked House. It was first built in 1765 as a farmhouse but later became a public house known as the Siden House (Siden being Black Country dialect for crooked). Its leaning effect is due to local mining in the 1800s when the building was badly affected by subsidence, meaning that one side of the building is now four feet lower than the other! It was then renamed the Glynne Arms, named after Sir Stephen Glynne, on whose land it stood before being condemned as unsafe in 1940s. The building was rescued by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries and reinforced with supporting buttresses and girders.
Now known as The Crooked House it has become a tourist attraction and is visited by travellers from all over the world. The level floors combined with the leaning walls can create
some very intriguing optical illusions where glasses can slowly slide across tables, bottles appear to roll uphill and you should ask to see the marble roll uphill.
Both The Crooked House and Himley Hall are listed on the Dudley Heritage Trail.
Unfortunately, in August 2023, the building burnt down and was
demolished, but an enforcement notice to have the place rebuilt
has been issued. See
The crooked house (sstaffs.gov.uk)
for more details
Himley Cricket Club
The South Staffs Railway Walk.
The closed railway station at Himley now gives access with car parking to the South Staffs Railway Walk. This runs for five and a half miles from Castlecroft in Wolverhampton at the northern end to Wall Heath in Dudley in the south, where it continues on to Pensnett. The northern end at Castlecroft extends through Valley Park.
The all-weather surface in some places makes it ideal for wheelchairs, pushchairs and family cycling. Horse riding is allowed between Greyhound Lane (Penn Halt) and Wombourne Station, and from Wall Heath to Himley Car Park.
Picnic sites run all along the walk including Penn Halt, Orton Hall, The Bratch and Himley and free car parking is available at the Old Wombourne Station, and at Himley Station. The car park facilities are locked at night, so please check the times with the Rangers on 01902 882605.
If you would like copies of the walking routes for any of the above mentioned walks please contact the Ranger Service:
The Ranger Service of South Staffordshire Council manages the 'South Staffordshire Railway Walk'.
Please contact them at The Ranger Service, Baggeridge Country Park.
Telephone: (01902) 882605
Fax: (01902) 882605
Email:
baggeridge@sstaffs.gov.uk>
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