Description

Bilston, a market-town and a township in Wolverhampton parish, Staffordshire. In Domesday Book it is called Billes-tune, and at different periods has borne the names of " Byls-tune," " Bylston," " Bilson," and "Bilston." The town is within Wolverhampton borough, 2 1/2 miles SE of Wolverhampton town, 2 1/2 NW of Wednesbury, and 139 from London. It has two stations on the G.W.R., one at Pipes Meadow in the centre of the town, and the other at Coseley Street, on the West Midland branch, to the west of the town. The L. & N.W.R. has a station at Ettingshall Road, about a mile SW. Area of the town and township, 1867 acres; population, 23,453. The place was at one time a royal manor of little note. It continued till a modern period to possess only a few private houses, and it burst into importance and rapidly increased as a centre of the hardware trade. The town occupies an elevated position, and extends for over a mile. Cholera attacked 8568 of the inhabitants, and carried off 742 in 1832, and 723 in 1849, and so roused attention to sanitary measures as to occasion much improvement. The townhall is a good building in the Italian style, erected in 1872; it contains the offices of the local board, and also a large free library and reading-room. The cemetery is situated about a mile from the town, was opened in 1855 at a cost of about £5000. It comprises upwards of 9 acres, and has one mortuary chapel of blue brick, stone facings, and a small spire, and is under the control of the local board. There are a temperance hall and a police station. Baths and wash-houses were built in 1853 at a cost of £2700. A new market-hall was opened in 1892 and is lighted with electric light. Bilston contains three ecclesiastical parishes in the diocese of Lichfield; St Leonard, of remote antiquity, but its legal constitution of disputed date, St Mary the Virgin, and St Luke. Populations respectively, 7862, 3891, and 4054. The living of St Leonard is a vicarage; net value, £750. St Leonard's Church, at the north-western extremity of the town, originally very ancient, was rebuilt in 1827 and restored in 1883; is a large Grecian edifice with low tower, and contains a splendid altar-piece. The living of St Mary the Virgin is a vicarage; gross value, £250 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Lichfield. St Mary's Church, in Oxford Street, was built in 1830, and is in the Perpendicular style, with a fine tower. The living of St Luke is a vicarage; net value, ?300 with residence. St Luke's Church, in Market Street, was built in 1852, is in the Early English style, with a tower and spire. There is also a Mission church in Wolverhampton Street, belonging to St Leonard's parish, and a church at Bradley a suburb of Bilston and a separate ecclesiastical parish. There are chapels for Roman Catholics, Baptists, Congre-gationalists, Wesleyans, New Connexion Methodists, and Primitive Methodists. The town is governed by the Bilston Township Commissioners. It has a head post office, market-hall, two banks, and two weekly newspapers, and is a seat of petty sessions. Markets are held on Mondays and Saturdays. Great trade is carried on in coal, iron, and stone from the neighbourhood; metal-casting in all its branches, and the manufacture of japanned and fancy goods in vast variety are highly prominent; and brass-working, bell-making, mailing, and ropemaking also are carried on. The hardware articles produced are too numerous to be mentioned, but include trays, waiters, iron buckets, hurdles, safes, keys, buckles, locks, bridle-bits, screws, chains, boilers, and weighing-machines.