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Brownshore Lakes in Essington, Staffordshire on a Summers Day

Essington is a village and civil parish near Wolverhampton in South Staffordshire, England. It is considered by the Office for National Statistics to be part of the West Midlands conurbation.

It is near where the M6 motorway joins the M54 motorway at Junction 10A. Despite its vicinity to the motorways, it is a fairly quiet village, surrounded by fields used for grazing, and for crops.

The area around the village is criss crossed with public footpaths around the countryside, which is a great escape for the local people living in the nearby built up areas.

In Cuttlestone Hundred Roger holds 2 hides of land from William in Essington (Eseningtone). Land for 6 ploughs. In Lordship 1;2 slaves. 15 villagers with 2 smallholders have 3 ploughs. Woodland 1 league long and as wide.

There are some treasures to be found in the area, including a Medieval Moat possibly dating back 1321, a patch of Bluebell Woodland called Sandy Flatts, a disused windmill dating back 1681, and a path leads to the Monarch's Way west of the village, which is the second longest long distance footpath in the United Kingdom, and follows the path of Charles II after the Battle of Worcester, the King stayed at the nearby National Trust property of Moseley Old Hall. The area mainly grew up around the Collieries, where coal was mined to fuel the Industrial Revolution. Before this though, it is thought that areas nearby Essington, were extensively Coppiced for Charcoal.

In the village of Essington, though small, and fairly recently built, there is one place, called Brownshore Lakes(known localy as the pools), which are two adjacent small quarry lakes, surrounded by woodland, it is a local meeting place, and home to waterfowl, and other animals thrive which around the lakes and the woods. Also in the village, there is a public house, called the Minerva Inn, and a church, St Johns, built in 1932. A primary school also named St Johns, resides on the spot where the old church originally stood. Just outside the village is Essington Fruit Farm, the local farm where fresh fruit and vegetables, are sold. Much of the produce is locally grown in the fields around the farm, and during the summer it hosts a maize maze, taking its theme from Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre pantomime. A small mound near the farm shop, offers a great view of the West Midlands, and overlooking nearby Cannock Chase. Much of the village is over 600 feet above sea level, and to the east of the village lies the Wyrley and Essington Canal, now disused.

Quite recently in the village, there have been several redevelopments on brown belt land. The new develepments of Houses and Flats are thought to be completed in sections from Late 2006 and mid 2007.

Meera Syal - Comedian and Author.