walkers and cyclists use. World War II bombings In the early hours of 17 May 1941, an air raid by the German Luftwaffe destroyed the Tipton Tavern house on the corner of New Road and Horseley Road, killing six people; two brothers aged three and seven years, a 36-year-old male air raid warden, a middle aged married couple and a 42-year-old woman. New Road Methodist Church was also destroyed in the same attack and a number of nearby houses were damaged. Transport There were two railway stations (Great Bridge North railway station and Great Bridge South railway station) in the Great Bridge area, but both stations were closed in the 1960s due to the Beeching Axe. Great Bridge South Station was situated on the line between Great Bridge and West Bromwich, which was dismantled during the 1970s. Great Bridge North Station was situated on the South Staffordshire Line between Walsall and Stourbridge, which closed to passengers in the 1960s but remained open for goods trains until the Walsall - Round Oak section was closed in 1993. It is set to re-open during the 2020s as an extension to the Midland Metro. The main island in the centre of Great Bridge is decorated with two lions that came from the old showroom of Roman mosaic that was located on the nearby Burnt Tree Island. Great Bridge already has direct bus links with Tipton, Dudley, and West Bromwich (via the 74 number bus that runs from Dudley and onto Birmingham) and also has direct bus links to Wednesbury. Since 1995, Great Bridge has been served by the Black Country Spine Road which gives a quick dual carriageway route to Bilston and Wednesbury in one direction and West Bromwich as well as the M5 motorway in the other. This opened up several square miles of previously inaccessible land for industrial and commercial use, bringing jobs to Great Bridge in the aftermath of the 1970s and 1980s de-industrialisation. The Walsall Canal and River Thame both pass through the eastern side of the town. A pedestrian footpath crossing them links the town centre to the Asda site. See also Sandwell West Midlands References Areas of Sandwell Tipton