Fallings Park Garden Suburb Wolverhampton Model Housing Exhibition

FALLINGS PARK - Fallings Park is an estate of 400 acres, situate about one mile and a half from the London and North-Western Railway station at Wolverhampton, on the property of Sir Richard Paget, Bart. The site is in touch with the city by tramway and motor bus. Development began in 1907, when the Fallings Park Garden Suburb Tenants came into existence. The Society has now about eight acres under its control, and some 75 houses built. It is intended to extend this type of development indefinitely, so that the greater part of the 400acres may be held by one or more co-partnership tenant societies. Large works on a site of ten acres adjoining the estate have been erected by Messrs. Chubb and Sons, and other factories are arriving on the estate. The original scheme was under the control of Mr. Thos. Adams. The advent of a new railway has necessitated an entirely fresh scheme which is being prepared by Professor Adshead and Messrs. Pepler & Allen, who will have charge of future development [The Garden City Movement up-to-date 1913].

The  original site was triangular, bounded by Cannock Road, Bushbury Road and Victoria Road which had been formed when the turnpike road took a shortened route into town. The earliest houses were built along Victoria Road.

Wolverhampton Model Housing Exhibition took place between 9 September 1908 and 24 October 1908, and included work by a number of local and London architects. Pepler and Allen contributed two pairs of semi-detached houses Nos 2-4 Victoria Road (plots 22-2), and Nos 410-412 Cannock Road (plots 89-90) for which they were awarded two gold medals as noted in their former school magazine: "We are informed that George L. Pepler (1893-96) and Ernest G. Allen (1897-99) have won the gold medal at the Wolverhampton Model Housing Exhibition for the best £200 cottage as well as the gold medal and prize for the best house in the Exhibition (without limitation as to price)." [Bootham School Magazine, October 1908]

Development at Fallings Park continued until 1915 by which time a total of 75 properties had been constructed. After World War One, the remaining plots were taken over by the Council for new 'council housing' and whereas some may follow the court layout the majority faced directly on to the road