Tipton

Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000.

The Villages of Tipton

The centre of Tipton has always been known as Tipton Green and during the latter part of the 19th century hundreds of terraced houses were built in the area, but almost all of these homes had been demolished by the early 1970's to make way for modern council houses and flats.

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The south side of Tipton, near Dudley, is known as Burnt Tree because there was once a large tree in the area which was burnt down after being struck by lightning. Joining onto Burnt Tree is Dudley Port, which took its name in the 19th century from a canalside coalyard. When Second World War evacuees from other parts of the country arrived in the area to be transported to the Staffordshire countryside, they thought that Dudley Port was near the sea!

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The village of Tividale was created during the 19th century but was mostly developed between 1920 and 1960. When Tipton became part of West Bromwich County Borough in 1966, Tividale curiously became part of Warley.

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In the east of Tipton is the village of Great Bridge, which was extensively developed as factories and terraced houses during the 19th century. But many of the factories and Victorian terraces were replaced by modern private houses during the 1990's. One lasting feature of Great Bridge is its outdoor market, which was last seen in operation in the 1990s. There is (or was) an indoor market that was seen to be operating circa 1998 and had some outdoor stalls in the car park at weekends.

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In the north of Tipton are the villages of Princes End and Ocker Hill. Princes End is mostly made up of pre- and post-war council houses, only a handful of pre-1900 buildings still exist. Ocker Hill retains many terraced houses but almost all of the factories have disappeared to be replaced by private houses. Until 1985, there was a power station at Ocker Hill which had two enormous cooling towers. Like many other industrial sites in Tipton, the power station site is now occupied by modern houses.

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