- Oakham, Dudley
-
Oakham is a residential area of Dudley in the West Midlands of England.
It was a largely rural area with only a handful of residential properties until the 1930s, when a transformation began that left the area almost unrecognisable over the next 30 years. A large number of private houses, some of which were the among the most desirable in Central England, were developed during this time. They are still expensive and highly sought after today.
Since 1966, part of Oakham has actually existed beyond Dudley's borders, first being absorbed into Warley and then into Sandwell. This includes the Tividale Hall and Grace Mary housing estates.
Oakham's most famous resident was George Smith, known as the Dudley Hangman [1]. He was born in nearby Rowley Regis in 1805. In 1840 he became assistant to the executioner William Calcraft before being appointed as executioner for Staffordshire in his own right. He became notorious for entertaining customers in Black Country pubs with gruesome stories of his work. There was a pub in Oakham, now demolished, called the 'Hangman's Tree' which was named in George Smith's honour.
A photograph of George Smith can be found in the Black Country Gob Gallery http://www.blackcountrygob.com/Photogallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=0
Oakham Primary School has served the local community since the 1950s.
References
- ^ Tump, A., A Memorable Medley of Great Black Country Characters, A Bugle Publication, 1986
Categories:- Areas of Dudley
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
