Compton sits nestled below the ridge that stretches south west from Aldersley, with some of its housing climbing the steep hill near 'The Holloway' on the climb towards Tettenhall Wood. Across the Smestow valley the terrain rises again in the direction of Finchfield. The valley here through which the Smestow Brook flows was formed as a glacial meltwater channel.[1] The area was quarried for its sandstone.[2]
Its place name reflects its position - first recorded in the Domesday book of 1086 as 'Contone', from Old Englishcumb - a narrow valley or deep hollow ('cumb' is likely a continuation in use or a loan word from Brythoniccwm (Welsh) or cum (Cornish), meaning 'valley'),[3] and Old English tūn - a farmstead or fenced place.[4]
In the late 19th-early 20th century, Compton was home of a distinguished local artist Joseph Vickers de Ville (1856–1925). It was during this time that the still-existing terraced housing was built along Henwood Road near the Bridgnorth Road junction.
Today
'The Oddfellows', Compton
Today, the quarrying has stopped, and housing estates have been constructed along the side of the valley. Much of the area was built in the latter half of the 20th century, though Compton does retain some of its older buildings such as several houses on The Holloway.