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Template:GBthumb Darlaston is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.

History

The town grew in the 19th century around the nut, bolt and gun lock manufacturing and coal mining industries. But most of the town's industries had closed by the end of the 1980s and the town is now considered a ghost town, with an increasing high level of unemployment.

Many Victorian terraced houses were demolished during the second half of the 20th century, and the Urban District Council of Darlaston built thousands of houses and flats to replace them with. Since 1966, Darlaston has been part of the Walsall borough and is now in the WS10 postal district which also included neighbouring Wednesbury.

Bentley Old Hall stood in the north of Darlaston until the early 20th century. Its grounds were redeveloped as a housing estate in the 1950s.

Mining subsidence, which has taken its toll on many buildings across central England, has also made its mark in Darlaston. In 1999, a council house on the New Moxley housing estate collapsed down a disused mineshaft while its occupants were on holiday. The adjoining house also had to be knocked down. Since then, the council owned housing stock in Darlaston has broken away from Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council and is now controlled by Darlaston Housing Trust. In 2001, two of the town's four multi-storey blocks of flats were demolished, and the remaining two where demolished 2004. Some of the town's council owned low rise homes have already been flattened by bulldozers, mostly because of subsidence, while many more are expected to be cleared.

Crime

Darlaston has been the scene of high profile crimes, including in November 1992 when a drunk-driver ran over and killed two young girls in Herberts Park Road. He was remanded in custody for his own safety due to fears of reprisal attacks on him by angry locals. The driver, 20-year-old Janson Cartwright, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving at his trial in April 1993. He was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

In May 1993, a middle-aged woman was found dead in a ground floor flat in Glynne Avenue. The woman's fiancée was later found dead from an overdose. It was established that the woman had been murdered by her fiancée, who then committed suicide.

In August 2000, a 19-year-old man was stabbed to death in George Rose Park during a funfair. Three men were later charged with murder but found not guilty.

Famous residents

• Stephen C Page, the actor who plays Master Sargeant in the TV program LOST, is originally from Darlaston and started off his acting career at Theatre Foundry in Darlaston.
• Jimmy McIntyre, football manager was born in Darlaston in 1881 and started his playing career with the local football team.
• The athlete Mark Lewis-Francis was born at Darlaston in 1981.
• The town was also the home of footballer Billy Annis (1878-1944) who played 143 games in defence for Wolverhampton Wanderers between 1898 and 1905.
• Mark Rhodes, runner-up in ITV's Pop Idol 2003 contest, is also from Darlaston.
• Darlaston is the home town of the professional boxer and former Midlands Welterweight Champion Stuart Elwell.
• Both Lewis-Francis and Rhodes were pupils at Darlaston Comprehensive School.
• Royston Jones AKA Royst Gardening show presenter for BBC Garden SOS. Also builder of Chelsea Flower Show medal winning gardens and garden sets for Hells Kitchen. Another pupil of Darlaston Comprehensive.

Neighbourhoods

• Rough Hay: a predominantly interwar council housing area in the north of the town close to the border with Willenhall.

• Moxley: an established private and council residential area in the west of the town close to the border with Bilston.

• Kings Hill: a mixed residential area near the town centre which includes many types of housing as well as several factories and business units.

• Woods Bank: a predominantly interwar council housing area in the south of the town close to the border with Wednesbury.

• Bentley: the most northernly area in Darlaston which was mostly developed after 1945 but is now included in the Walsall postal district.

52°34′15″N 2°02′45″W / 52.57081°N 2.04570°W / 52.57081; -2.04570

• Towns in the West Midlands
• Neighbourhoods of Walsall