Caldmore

Caldmore is one of the villages that make up the town of Walsall (defined as the area within the Broadway ring road). The pronunciation of Caldmore often leaves those from other areas in confusion, because it is pronounced 'Karma' or 'Calmer'.

History

The area was an important junction of roads which created a triangular shaped green called Caldmore Green. During the 19th century, the area began to develop into a social and commercial area with the majority of the development being focussed around the green. The area was once again developed in the 1950s with the removal of Victorian slums, which were replaced with new flats.

Caldmore House

Caldmore House is the surviving segment of Victorian terraced houses in Caldmore. Located on Carless Street (then Oxford Street until 1923), it was part of a row of three houses which were built in 1886. The houses remained until the 1950s and 1960s when the street was bulldozed with only one house remaining. This was saved from demolition and modernised. It is now a museum open to the public with the original Victorian features still remaining in the house.

Jerome K. Jerome

Jerome K. Jerome, the novelist, essayist, humourist and playwright, was born at Belsize House on the corner of Bradford Street and Caldmore Road.

Caldmore at present

Caldmore Green is the centre of the Caldmore Shopping area with Caldmore Housing HQ base. The area is home to restaurants and fashion and jewellery outlets. In addition, Caldmore Housing annually host The Calmore Carnival which is based on different themes with the most recent being space.

Many late 19th and early 20th century terraced houses are still in existence around Caldmore. But clearance of the tower blocks began in 2004 and since then the clearance has resulted in most of the high-rise flats being demolished. When one of the first tower blocks was demolished, the body of a man was discovered in one flat; he had not been seen for six years and was believed to have died of natural causes shortly after his last reported sighting, but the council had not served an eviction order because the flats had already been earmarked for demolition. The man's brother did arrive at the flat on at least once occasion, only to be told by a neighbour that his brother had either died or moved away.

Between 1950 and 1970, hundreds of immigrant families from the Commonwealth settled in Caldmore, and today it has a strong Asian community.

References

External links

* [http://www.caldmorehousing.co.uk/ Caldmore Area Housing Association]
* [http://www2.walsall.gov.uk/History_Projects/Caldmore/The_Caldmore_House/Default.asp Caldmore House information]
* [http://www2.walsall.gov.uk/History_Projects/Caldmore/default.asp Living in Caldmore]