Essington

In 1870–1872 the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Essington as a township in the parish of Bushbury, with a post office and 187 houses. The population had risen from 644 in 1851 to 976 in 1861, "from the extension of mining operations", and an iron church with room for 260 people had been built in 1858–1859.{{cite web |title=Essington through time |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/8055 |website=Vision of Britain |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=17 October 2021}}

The remains of several moated sites from the Middle Ages have been found in the parish.{{Cite web |title=Essington |url=https://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx?&ResourceID=23261&PageIndex=3&SearchType=2&ThemeID=750 |access-date=14 March 2025 |website=Staffordshire Past Track}} Brownshore Pools, a public park, is the site of three former coal mining tailing and settling ponds surrounded by woodland.{{Cite web |title=Essington {{!}} South Staffordshire District Council |url=https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/discover-south-staffordshire/essington |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.sstaffs.gov.uk}} Waterfowl and other wildlife inhabit the site. On the Bursnips Road is a former railway signal box,{{Cite book |last=Brew |first=Alec |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oJ_6EAAAQBAJ&dq=bursnips+road+signal+box&pg=PT138 |title=Lost Wolverhampton |date=2024-03-15 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-3981-0531-7 |language=en}} which served the now-defunct Hilton Colliery Railway.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BRlEAQAAMAAJ&q=essington+Signal+Box |title=Parliamentary Papers: 1909-1982 |date=1921 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |language=en}} The building, which Staffordshire County Council has designated a locally listed Grade C structure,{{Cite web |date=3 March 2015 |title=South Staffordshire Local List of Buildings and Other Structures of Architectural or Historic Interest |url=https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/south_staffs_locally_listed_buildings.pdf |archive-url= |access-date=26 January 2025 |website=www.sstaffs.gov.uk}} has been converted to a private house.{{Cite web |date=2018-10-12 |title=Bursnips Road Signal Box. |url=https://oakparkrunnerssnippets.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/bursnips-road-signal-box/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=oakparkrunners railway & other snippets. |language=en}}

The village has direct connections with two main major roads: the A462, which runs from Junction 11 of the M6 to Wednesbury, West Midlands, and the A460 that links Wolverhampton with Cannock and Rugeley. The M6 and M54 motorways meet just northeast of the village, and are both accessible via the A460.

Bus route no. 71 Wolverhampton - Cannock operated by Chaserider serves Essington.{{Cite web |title=Essington, Staffs – Bus Times |url=https://bustimes.org/localities/essington-staffs |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=bustimes.org}} Nearby railway stations are Bloxwich North, Bloxwich and Landywood.

The Parish of Essington covers an area of {{Convert|1463.76|ha|sqmi|sigfig=3}}{{Cite web |title=Standard Area Measurements for Parishes (December 2021) in EW |url=https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/14696d7a52bd4996a372f74148ca7f69/about |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=geoportal.statistics.gov.uk |language=en-us}} and encompasses in addition to Essington, the villages of Springhill and Newtown,{{Efn|Both Springhill and Newtown are designated 'village' per Ordnance Survey Open Names database (SJ80)}} and several farms. The residential suburban area of Westcroft along the A460 road in the west of the parish borders the Wolverhampton suburb of Underhill.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Essington (South Staffordshire) parish map - SWC |url=https://maps.walkingclub.org.uk/admin/staffordshire/south-staffordshire/essington-parish.html |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=Saturday Walkers Club |language=en}} The parish is part of South Staffordshire district in Staffordshire and borders the City of Wolverhampton (Ashmore Park) and the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the county of West Midlands. The Health Authority is South Staffordshire, the Ambulance Service is West Midlands, Social Services are South Staffordshire in Codsall. All property taxes (rates) are collected by South Staffordshire at Codsall.

Essington Parish Council is the lowest tier of local government.{{cite web |title=Essington Parish Council |url=https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/council-democracy/essington-parish-council.cfm |website=www.sstaffs.gov.uk |publisher=South Staffordshire Council |access-date=17 October 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Welcome to Essington Parish Council |url=https://essingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk/ |publisher=Essington Parish Council |access-date=17 October 2021}}

The main school in Essington is St Johns Primary Academy.{{cite web |title=St John's Primary Academy |url=https://www.stjohns-eagle.com/ |website=St John's Primary Academy |access-date=17 October 2021}} Located on Hobnock Road, it was built in 1846 and became known as St John's Church of England School from 1968.

Brownshore Pre-School Play Group is located opposite St John's Primary School on Hobnock Road.

Essington is a main catchment area for Cheslyn Hay Academy students.

There are rugby and football facilities in several locations around the parish located at Essington Rugby Club, High Hill, Essington.

St John the Evangelist is an active Anglican church in the village.{{cite web |title=Welcome - St John's Church Essington |url=http://stjohnsessington.co.uk/ |access-date=17 October 2021}} It was built in 1932 and has an extension at the west end, completed in 2015.{{cite web |title=About our building - St John's Church Essington |url=http://stjohnsessington.co.uk/about-our-building/ |access-date=17 October 2021}} Outside the village, Essington Wood Methodist Chapel is on Bursnips Road (A462).{{cite web |title=Essington Wood – Brownhills and Willenhall Methodist Circuit |url=https://brownhillsandwillenhallmethodistcircuit.org.uk/churches/essington-wood/ |access-date=17 October 2021}}

• Ealhswith, queen consort and wife of Alfred the Great, the self-styled first King of England.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
• Ralph Sweet-Escott (1869 in Essington – 1907) played international rugby union for Wales,{{Cite book |last=Lemon |first=Eric |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/They_Played_Rugby_for_Wales_2023_edition/BCoHEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ralph+Sweet-Escott&pg=PA420&printsec=frontcover |title=They Played Rugby for Wales, 2023 edition |last2=Jenkins |first2=John M. |date=2024-05-11 |publisher=Eric Lemon |isbn=978-0-6453626-6-4 |page=420 |language=en}} he also played cricket for Glamorgan.
• Meera Syal CBE (born 1961) comedian and author; her debut novel Anita and Me was set in the fictional village of Tollington, which was based on Essington in the early 1970s, where she grew up.

• Listed buildings in Essington

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{{Notelist}}

• [https://essingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk/ Essington Parish Council website]

{{Commons category|Essington}}

{{Staffordshire}}

{{Civil Parishes of South Staffordshire}}

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Category:Villages in Staffordshire

Category:Civil parishes in Staffordshire

Category:South Staffordshire District