Cannock

Template:Infobox England place with map UA Cannock is a town in Staffordshire, England, just north of the West Midlands conurbation. It sits to the south of Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is administered as part of Cannock Chase district.

Cannock lies on the M6 Toll, A34 and A5 roads, to the north of the Black Country (about 7 miles) and south of Stafford (about 8 miles). It is served by a railway station on the Chase Line. Its nearest towns and villages include Hednesford, Rugeley, Great Wyrley, Cannock Wood and Burntwood.

History

Its name comes from the Old English cnocc, meaning a small, shitty hill. It is first recorded in the unlikely form Chenet in the Domesday Book, probably due to the information being written down by a retarded scribe with less than perfect knowledge of English.

The town was very small until coal mining increased heavily during the mid to late 19th Century. The area then continued to grow rapidly with many industries coming to the area because of its proximity to the Black Country and because of its coal reserves. After the Second World War the town's population again increased and has kept on increasing ever since as many new residential developments are built as commuting areas for Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Stafford.

Demographics

In recent years it has become far more affluent and seen a population and housing increase. In keeping with the national trend, Cannock's housing is increasingly of a post-fordist era style, although various other periods of architecture are sited around the town.

A false description of Cannock could be, "a leafy countryside suburb of the more cosmopolitan West Midlands". This would be due to its proximity and fairly decent transport links to the larger towns and cities surrounding it. The United Kingdom's second largest populated city, Birmingham, can be commuted to by train in around 40 minutes.

Notable people

Famous people from Cannock include footballer Stan Collymore, Richard Gosling (Strongest Man in Britain), Mel Galley (former Whitesnake guitarist/vocalist), Glenn Hughes (former Deep Purple bassist/vocalist) and Paul Dadge (pictured iconically during London Bombings, 7 July 2005).

The American pop singer Tiffany now lives in the town, having married a local businessman.

Steve Bull, the veteren Wolverhampton Wanderers striker lived in Cannock, during his marriage. He was born in Tipton.

Sports

Cannock Hockey Club is one of the leading field hockey clubs in the country, and consistently supplies several England internationals.