Everything about West Bromwich totally explained
West Bromwich is a
town in the
Metropolitan Borough of
Sandwell, in the
West Midlands, historically
Staffordshire,
England. It is north west of
Birmingham lying on the
A41 London-to-Holyhead road. It is part of the
Black Country. West Bromwich is the largest town within the Borough of Sandwell with a population of
136,940 (2001).
The motto on the town's coat of arms proclaims in Latin "
Labor omnia vincit" which translates as "Work Conquers All".
Features
The town is famous for its
football team,
West Bromwich Albion. The team won the
league championship in 1920 and has won five
FA Cups; the most recent in
1968. Albion were based in and around the centre of West Bromwich during their formative years, but moved further out of the town in 1900 when they switched to their current ground,
The Hawthorns.
Engineering and chemicals are important to the town's economy, as it played a crucial part in the
Industrial Revolution during the 19th century and still retains many manufacturing jobs to this day, despite a steady nationwide decline in this sector since the 1970s.
The
Sandwell General Hospital is located near the town centre. The hospital is part of the
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, and is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the
United Kingdom.
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth had his seat at Sandwell Hall. Legge was unusual as an aristocrat of this period by being a
Methodist and attending the
Wednesbury Methodist meetings, where fellow Methodists - many of them
colliers and
drovers - knew him as "Brother Earl".
West Bromwich Town Hall and the Grand Organ within, built by the West Bromwich Town Improvement Commissioners, are features along with the Walk West Bromwich Heritage Trail. The town improvement commissioners also constructed a market hall, free library and public baths.
In 2004, a modern community arts centre known as "
The Public" was developed in the town centre. Designed by the architect
Will Alsop, the £52 million venue consists of a massive
cuboid building constructed in dark
grey and
silver metal
cladding with irregularly-shaped windows edged in
magenta; its appearance has drawn comparisons with a fish tank. The development has been beset by financial difficulties, going into
administration before the expected opening date of July 2006.
History
Historical population of West Bromwich>
| Year |
Population figure |
| 1801 |
5,687 |
| 1811 |
7,485 |
| 1821 |
9,505 |
| 1831 |
15,377 |
| 1841 |
26,121 |
| 1851 |
34,581 |
| 1861 |
41,795 |
| 1871 |
47,918 |
| 1881 |
56,295 |
| 1891 |
59,538 |
| 1901 |
65,175 |
| 1950 |
89,000 |
| 1991 |
146,386 |
West Bromwich was first mentioned in the
Domesday Book of 1086, the name meaning "the little village on the heath of broom" (broom being a particular type of bush). It is believed that it may have originally been part of the
Handsworth parish. A
Benedictine priory existed in West Bromwich from the 12th century around which the settlement of
Broomwich Heath grew. In 1727, the town became a stop on the coaching road between
London and
Shrewsbury and its growth began. In the 19th century, coal deposits were discovered, ensuring that the town grew rapidly as an industrial centre, with industries such as spring, gun and nail making developing. Most of the coal deposits were found below the ground a mile or so west of Broomwich Heath, and so the "new" town adopted the name
West Bromwich. Well before the end of the 19th century, West Bromwich had established itself as a prominent area to match older neighbouring towns including
Dudley and
Walsall.
In 1888, West Bromwich became a
county borough, incorporating the village of
Great Barr. It was expanded in 1966, acquiring most of the
borough of
Tipton and
Wednesbury urban district, before joining with the neighbouring county borough of
Warley in 1974 to form the
Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell.
Charlemont Hall, built during the 1750s, stood on the west side of the present Charlemont Crescent, in the Charlemont and Grove Vale district of the town. Charlemont Hall was described c. 1800 as 'a lofty neat-looking house of brick, faced with stone, with iron palisades etc. in front'. An east wing was added in 1855. The last occupants were Thomas Jones, town clerk of Wednesbury 1897-1921, and his widow. The house was demolished in 1948, and is now covered by a number of smaller detached homes. Much of the surrounding area was developed during the 1960s as the
Charlemont Farm housing estate, which ia a mix of private and council housing.
West Bromwich suffered heavily in the
Cholera epidemic of 1831 which spread northwards into the town. A temporary board of health was set up and a hospital opened in the former Revivalist chapel in Spon Lane. The natural gradual slope of the land provided drainage within the soil, however, urbanisation made this increasingly difficult and drainage along the streets was described as inadequate. The
West Bromwich Town Improvement Commissioners was established in 1854, and they tackled the drainage problem in the town. They appointed members to new titles and in the 1880s bought land in Friar Park for a sewerage farm.
Under the
Reform Act of 1832, West Bromwich became part of the new southern division of
Staffordshire, and under the
Reform Act of 1867 it was transferred to the parliamentary borough of Wednesbury. Under the
Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, the borough of West Bromwich became a parliamentary borough returning one member. In 1885, it was held by the
Liberal Party but from 1886 to 1906 it was held by the
Conservative Party before being held by the Liberal Party again until 1910 when the Conservative Party regained the area which they held until 1918 under the representation of
Viscount Lewisham.
West Bromwich West is served by
Adrian Bailey of
Labour who won a 54.3% share in the 2005 general election. He has been MP for the ward since the
2000 by-election. Preceding him, the MP for the ward was
Betty Boothroyd, who for eight years served as the first female
Speaker of the House of Commons.
Religion
West Bromwich is a culturally diverse area with many places of worship for several different religions.
Christianity is still the predominant faith group in the area, with the
Church of England providing the most places of worship across the geographically wider
West Bromwich Deanery (taking in West Bromwich, Hill Top, Stone Cross, Carter's Green, Friar's Green and others) which contains nine
Anglican churches and the newly formed
West Bromwich Network Church. Other Christian denominations are present, including
Roman Catholic,
Methodist,
Baptist, Elim
Pentecostal,
Assemblies of God and other independent churches. The deanery of West Bromwich is under the
Diocese of Lichfield.
Hindus have had a formal place of worship in West Bromwich since the opening of the Shree Krishna Temple in 1974, in a converted church once called Ebenezer
Congregational Chapel which had closed in 1971.
In 1875, being locked out of a packed
Evangelist meeting in
Birmingham caused John Blackham of Ebenezer Congregational Church to start the Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Movement.
Mass immigration from the
Commonwealth took place in West Bromwich during the 1950s and 1960s, with most of these hailing from the
Indian sub-continent, although a significant number of
Afro-Caribbean immigrants also settled in West Bromwich. The majority of these immigrants settled in the older parts of the town that were mostly made up of
Victorian and
Edwardian terraced houses.
Transport
For roads, the
M5 motorway between the West Midlands and the
West Country passes through the town. West Bromwich has its own bus station in the town centre, with connections to Birmingham and other major towns in the
West Midlands region.
West Bromwich railway station was opened by the
Great Western Railway on its
route between
Birmingham Snow Hill and
Wolverhampton Low Level on
14 November,
1854. The trackbed of that line is now served by the
Midland Metro light rail (tram) system. The nearest main-line railway station is now
Sandwell and Dudley railway station, approximately one mile away in
Oldbury town centre.
The nearest
airport which is approximately 16 miles away, is
Birmingham International Airport.
Education
The town is served by three secondary schools;
Menzies High School,
George Salter High School and
Dartmouth High School.
Menzies High School serves the area around
Hateley Heath,
Tantany,
Charlemont and Grove Vale. George Salter served the west of the town near the border with
Tipton. Dartmouth serves the north-eastern part of the town around
Great Barr.
Localities
Famous residents
Francis Asbury - Methodist bishop
Denise Lewis - heptathlete
Robert Plant - singer with Led Zeppelin
Madeleine Carroll - actress
Jana Bellin - chess grandmaster
Phil Lynott - Thin Lizzy
Ian Hill - Judas Priest
K.K. Downing - Judas Priest guitarist
Dr Karl Shuker - zoologist, cryptozoologist and author
Frank Skinner - comedian
Brian Walden - Member of Parliament, journalist and broadcaster
Matthew Marsden- actor
Cindy Kent - former singer with The Settlers and currently a broadcaster
Steve Webb - [[Member of Parliament, and Liberal Democrat leadership candidate
John Byrne - comic book artist (Moved to Canada when 8)
Local dialect
The West Bromwich dialect owes much to the Black Country which has words of its own and strong pronunciation. The West Bromwich version, however, is slightly diluted but still contrasts markedly with the adjacent Birmingham "Brummie" dialect.
Quotes
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to chose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I'd make straight for West Bromwich." J.B. Priestley, English JourneyFurther Information
Get more info on 'West Bromwich'.
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