Cradley Heath

In December 1839, four men were crushed when a coal mine roof collapsed underground; between two and three thousand mourners attended the funeral procession.

[8] At the inquest it was reported that the mine had been inspected hours earlier, tested for sulphur gas and declared safe.

[9] From the introduction of machine-based nail-making around 1830, Cradley Heath developed two prolific industries – chainmaking and nailmaking – which would remain strong for decades afterwards.

[11]: 34  In 1903, Samuel Woodhouse & Sons at the Eagle Works on Corngreaves Road became the first British manufacturer of electrically welded chain.

The women successfully campaigned for the implementation of the minimum rate of pay set by the Chain Trade Board — effectively doubling their wages.

[11]: 40  The papers of the Cradley Heath Chainmakers' Trade Union are housed at the University of Birmingham Special Collections.

The Workers' Institute, which stood in Lower High Street for almost 100 years, was rebuilt at the Black Country Living Museum in 2006, after being dismantled to make way for a bypass.

The newspaper's title was changed to The Stourbridge Observer - Cradley Heath, Halesowen and District Chronicle on 6 October, 1866 and published under that name until 30 June 1888.

[16] The Royal Electric Theatre stood on Bank Street from 1913; it closed in 1988 and was demolished in 2006 to make way for a Tesco supermarket.

[17] The Majestic Cinema on Cradley Road opened in 1933 and was designed by Dudley architects, Webb and Gray in Art Deco style.

The Majestic had room for 1,500 people, stained glass windows with heraldic patterns at balcony level and a Christie organ.

[22] Sandwell Council is the local education authority for Cradley Heath, and is responsible for maintaining all the schools in the area.

The local secondary school, Ormiston Forge Academy, is situated in Wright's Lane, Old Hill, and has served the area since the 1960s.

Corngreaves Academy on Plant Street claims to be the oldest school in Sandwell Borough, with roots back to 1848-49 and the British Iron Company.

St James' Wesleyan Reform Union Chapel relocated from Cradley Heath to Old Hill when the bypass was constructed.

Bus services run to Birmingham, Dudley, Halesowen, the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Walsall and West Bromwich.

The club's heyday was in the 1980s when World Champion riders such as Erik Gundersen and Bruce Penhall were team members.

The Regis Restaurant, Old Hill, was for many years a community hall but the future has been in doubt after Sandwell MBC found it uneconomic.

Firedoor of a boiler made by the Cradley Boiler Co, of Cradley Heath, displayed in the Black Country Living Museum .
Cradley Heath Library, Upper High Street
Former Rowley Regis Municipal Building, demolished in 2012.
Cradley Heath Baptist Church
Cradley Heath Interchange