Gornal, West Midlands

Gornal is a suburban area and electoral ward of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands county in England. It encompasses three historic villages: Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, and Gornal Wood. Gornal was formerly part of Staffordshire, prior to the creation of the West Midlands in 1974.The three Gornal villages were originally a part of the ancient manor of Sedgley until 1894, when the area became part of Sedgley Urban District. In 1966, along with most of the rest of Sedgley, it was merged into the County Borough of Dudley. Since 1974, it has been part of the larger Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.Gornal stone, a variety of limestone, originates in Gornal.AreasUpper GornalSituated south of Sedgley on the main A459 road, the area has undergone extensive private and council housing development since the 1920s. It was the target of three bombs by the German Luftwaffe during World War II, though no buildings were damaged and there were no civilian casualties.Upper Gornal formerly had a small cinema, the Jack Darby Picture House, from the early 20th century, but it closed in 1960 due to competition from other nearby theatres. The building now houses a small hardware store. Also of note, the local landmark Pig on the Wall public house was controversially demolished in 2002 to make way for a McDonald's restaurant.