wednesbury was fortified by æthelflæd (ethelfleda), daughter of alfred the great and known as the lady of mercia. she erected five fortifications to defend against the danes at bridgnorth, tamworth, stafford and warwick, with wednesbury in the centre. wednesbury's fort would probably have been an extension of an older fortification and made of a stone foundation with a wooden stockade above. earthwork ramparts and water filled ditches would probably have added to its strength. there is a plaque on the gardens between ethelfleda terrace and st bartholomew's church stating that the gardens there – created in the 1950s – used stone from the graaf, or fighting platform, of the old fort. exploration of the gardens reveals several dressed stones, which appear to be those referred to on the plaque.