Situated in a far corner of a West Midlands metropolitan borough is a ‘posh’ town whose medieval name originates from a type of tree that grew in the area. It’s a fitting backstory, given one of the town’s plus factors is its close proximity to the countryside and nature.
Aldridge is located in the north-eastern part of Walsall, close to the Staffordshire border. The town is considered one of the more ‘affluent’ areas of Walsall where residents say they enjoy its friendly community and the greenery on the doorstep. During a visit in March this year, an Aldridge resident Joan Wiseman told BlackCountryLive: “There is countryside all over the edge.
“We’ve got the Croft (park), there’s a lot of trees there. We think it makes a nice environment. The people are nice, if you walk anywhere, they will speak to you.
READ MORE: The origins of Walsall towns and how they got their names
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“I lived here as a child. I couldn’t wait to leave, I wanted to be in the thick of it in Birmingham, but I came back to raise a family. Now we’re old, it’s a good place to be.”
Her husband Tony, 65, added: “There’s a big elderly population and families. There’s good schools. There’s a bit of history here, generally there’s nice people.”
But residents felt Aldridge could benefit from a greater variety of shops, while they are looking forward to its train station reopening in 2027 after a 57 year hiatus. Figures from Rightmove reveal that the average property price in Aldridge over the past 12 months has been £292,866.
This is slightly higher than the UK average of £282,000. However the online real estate website revealed that some homes have fetched almost £500,000.
Rightmove said: “House prices in Aldridge have an overall average of £292,866 over the last year. The majority of properties sold in Aldridge during the last year were semi-detached properties, selling for an average price of £294,642.
“Flats sold for an average of £137,695, with detached properties fetching £490,969. Overall, the historical sold prices in Aldridge over the last year were 2% down on the previous year and 7% up on the 2021 peak of £274,359.”
What many residents may not realise are the origins of Aldridge’s name. Today, we’ll pronounce it without second guessing there could be any hidden meanings.
But historians have revealed how the town’s name originated from Old English, spoken by the Anglo-Saxons during the medieval period. It is believed the name derives from two Old English words: alr or alre, meaning an alder tree, and wic, meaning village.
This roughly translates to Aldridge’s name meaning the ‘village among the alder trees’. It is also believed Aldridge could have meant a farm among the alder trees.
In the Domesday Book, Aldridge was recorded as Alrewic. At the time, the population consisted of seven homes far fewer than the 26,896 residents recorded in the 2021 census.