We visit a quiet Wolverhampton suburb that has strong sport and hospitality roots to find out why locals say they would never live anywhere else

Its proximity to these popular areas of the city made it an ideal spot for one of Wolverhampton's largest Victorian hotels, Castlecroft House, which was built on the site of an early 18th century farmhouse in the 1850s.

The old Wombourne branch train line serviced Castlecroft as well, with nearby stations at Penn and Compton open to passengers between 1925 and 1932. The line itself was mainly used by goods trains from 1858 until its closure in 1968, and separated Castlecroft into an easterly estate and a westerly estate.

The east of the suburb is best known for Bhylls Acre Primary School, an Ofsted-rated 'GOOD' school on Bhylls Lane, which connects Castlecroft Road to Coalway Road in Merry Hill, Penn.

Over on the other side of 'the track' is the hub of the suburb, centred around The Firs pub and shopping court on Windmill Lane. The latter is home to 'Self Service Woodward and Birkin,' an independent convenience store that has served Castlecroft for the best part of the last century.

"I've been here for 40 years, and the shops been here for 70 years since this block was first built in 1956," shopkeeper Dave Woodward said. "My grandmother and my uncle started  it off, and as a long-time resident I can say it's a good area and I've grown up with a lot of the people around here."

Midway through our conversation with Dave a regular customer popped by to pick up some groceries, and soon exclaimed: "it's the best shop in the world, this."

Dave added: "The regulars really do matter to me. One of my problems has been that a lot of the older generation that we've served here over the years have either gone into care homes or have passed away, and the younger generation are not so much smaller shop orientated.

"Over the last few years we've seen a drop off in the trade, but all small shops across the country are the same.

"In Castlecroft we've got The Firs here doing really, really well now, and with the housing estates and the schools here and the doctors and chemists reopening it does feel like Castlecroft is back again really."

Not only did Castlecroft used to play host to one of Wolverhampton's major hotels, it also used to be the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers' training ground between 1956 and 1986, spanning the glory years of Stan Cullis all the way through to the 1974 and 1980 League cup triumphs and the start of the club's dramatic fall in the mid 80s.

The venue was then occupied by the Rugby Football Union as a regional headquarters for almost two decades, before AFC Wulfrunians (now AFC Wolverhampton City) moved there in 2009.

It shows what a big part this little suburb has played in the city's history, something long-term resident Colin Ashton was keen to point out.

"I've been here for 23 years and it really is a lovely place to live," he said. "We live down by the Old Wulfrunians club and it's a nice house in a nice area in a nice part of the city.

"The shops and the pub are nice and convenient. My wife has just been in the butchers which is another nice place to have.

"It has changed a bit over the years, but so has everywhere, and Castlecroft is still a good place to live."