Walsall

Walsall is a market town and an administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, located in The Black Country in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is situated 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Birmingham, 7 miles (11 km) east of Wolverhampton, and 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Lichfield.

In 1974, Walsall was transferred from Staffordshire to the newly created West Midlands county. According to the 2011 census, the town's built-up area had a population of 67,594, while the wider borough was home to 269,323 people.

History

The name Walsall comes from old words meaning "valley of the Welsh," referring to people who lived there long ago. By the 1200s, Walsall was a small market town with a weekly market on Tuesdays. Important buildings like a manor house and a school were established during this time.

The Industrial Revolution brought big changes to Walsall. The town grew from a small village to a larger place with many factories making things like saddles and chains. New buildings and services, such as lighting and schools, were added to help the growing population.

During the First World War, many men from Walsall served and are remembered today. In the years after the war, the town continued to grow with new housing and shopping areas. Modern developments in the late 20th and early 21st centuries changed the town’s appearance, including new shopping centers and art galleries.

Geography

A well-known place in Walsall is Barr Beacon, which is said to be the highest point as you travel east along its latitude until you reach the Ural Mountains in Russia. The ground in Walsall is mostly made of clay, with some patches of limestone that people dug up during the Industrial Revolution.

See also: List of areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall

• Alumwell
• Beechdale
• Bentley
• Bescot
• Birchills
• Blakenall Heath
• Butts
• Caldmore
• Chuckery
• Coalpool
• The Delves
• Fullbrook
• Forest Estate
• Goscote
• Great Barr
• Harden
• Highgate
• Leamore
• North Walsall
• Palfrey
• Park Hall
• Pheasey
• Pleck
• Reedswood
• Rushall
• Ryecroft
• Shelfield
• Tamebridge

Demography

In the 2021 census, the population of Walsall’s built-up area was 70,778 people. The tables show the different ethnic groups and religions in the town.

Walsall’s surrounding suburbs have the largest Asian and Muslim populations of any town in the West Midlands County. White British and Christians are the second-largest groups, with other religions and ethnic minorities making up the rest of the population.

The local way of speaking in Walsall is called "Yam-Yam", and it is spoken by people from The Black Country.

Economy

Walsall has been home to many different industries, from coal mining to working with metal. In the late 1800s, the coal mines ran out, and Walsall became well-known around the world for making leather goods. The town made special handbags for the Queen's and saddles for the Prince of Wales, as well as other leather items.

Besides leather, Walsall has also been involved in making iron and brass products, digging up limestone, creating small hardware items, plastics, electronics, chemicals, and even parts for airplanes. Its central location in Central England and the nearby M6 highway have helped attract more businesses. Today, big stores like TK Maxx and companies such as Homeserve plc and South Staffordshire Water have offices and operations in the area.

Education

See also: List of schools in Walsall

Walsall has the University of Wolverhampton’s Sports and Art Campus and School of Education, all at the Walsall Campus on Gorway Road, which also has a place for students to live. Walsall College offers more learning after school, with three places around the town. There are ten regular junior schools and three religious junior schools close to the town centre. Walsall has many secondary schools, including regular schools, special schools for advanced learning, private schools, and two famous schools called Queen Mary's Grammar School and Queen Mary's High School.

Children usually move to secondary school at age 11 in the whole area, but one part used a different system until 1986.

Religion

Christianity is the most common religion in the Walsall Borough, with about 59% of people identifying as Christian, according to the 2011 census. Islam is the second most common religion, with about 8% of the population.

Walsall has many places of worship. St Matthew’s Church is a notable Christian church north of the town center, and St Martin’s Church serves suburban areas. There are also several mosques in the areas of Caldmore and Palfrey, including Masjid-Al-Farouq and Baitul Muqeet Mosque. Other religious buildings include The Crossing at St Paul’s, the Rock Church, and St Mary’s Catholic Church.

Transport

Buses

Local buses in Walsall are mostly run by National Express West Midlands and Rotala's Diamond West Midlands. Other smaller bus companies also serve the area, like Walsall Community Transport, Carolean, and Chaserider.

Walsall has two main bus stations. St Paul's bus station has routes to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Willenhall, Bloxwich, Cannock, Brownhills, Sutton Coldfield, and Aldridge. It also connects to places in Staffordshire like Burntwood, Lichfield, and Little Aston. Bradford Place bus station has routes to the south and southwest, including West Bromwich, Bilston, Willenhall, Darlaston, Oldbury, Dudley, and Merry Hill Centre. Both stations also have shorter bus routes to nearby housing areas such as Alumwell, Beechdale, Chuckery, Gility Village, Park Hall, and Walsall Manor Hospital.

Roads

Walsall has great road connections. It is close to the M6 motorway, which links to the M1 motorway near Leicestershire and the M74 motorway near Carlisle. There are three nearby junctions on the M6 that serve Walsall: J7, J9, and J10. This part of the motorway is very busy. The town is also connected by the A34 road, which goes to Salford, Manchester, and the M42 motorway toward London and Winchester. The A454 Black Country route also serves the area. In 2018, about 953 million miles were driven on Walsall’s roads.

Railway

Walsall railway station is in the town centre, near the Saddlers shopping centre.

West Midlands Railway runs these weekday off-peak trains:

• Two trains every hour each way between Birmingham International and Rugeley Trent Valley
• Two trains every hour between Walsall and Wolverhampton

There is also a smaller station at Bescot Stadium where some of these trains stop.

Trams

Trams used to run in Walsall from the late 1800s until they stopped on 2 October 1933.

Now, the West Midlands Metro tram runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham city centre. Soon, it will extend from north of the old Wednesbury Town railway station across Potter Lane to a stop at Brierley Hill. The line will go from Wednesbury Town to Dudley, then run along the streets before getting back on tracks at Canal Street. It will branch off to Merry Hill and another stop at Brierley Hill.

The railway line from Walsall to Wednesbury Town is kept for freight trains that might go to the Round Oak Steel Terminal in the future. There are plans to possibly extend the tram to Walsall via Bescot, using either small trams or tram-trains.

Walsall was supposed to be part of the old 5 Ws plan to connect it to Wolverhampton, Wednesfield, Willenhall, and Wednesbury. But Walsall Council decided to leave the plan and instead focus on reopening the railway line to Wolverhampton through Darlaston and Willenhall. There is a proposal to build new stations as part of a bigger plan to improve local train services.

Air

Walsall Aerodrome operated from the 1930s until 1956. The closest airport to Walsall is Birmingham Airport, about 30 minutes away by car.

Culture

Walsall Arboretum opened in 1874 and was meant to offer a nice place to visit instead of watching animal fights. It had lakes, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. Over time, it hosted bright light shows called the Illuminations, which started in 1951. These shows used many bulbs and drew big crowds. However, they were stopped in 2011 and replaced with concerts and laser shows.

The New Art Gallery Walsall opened in 2000 and shows famous artworks by artists like Van Gogh and Monet. Walsall has had museums about local history and leatherworking. There is also interesting public art in the town centre, including statues and sculptures.

Local writers such as John Petty and Paul McDonald have used Walsall in their stories. The town gets news from BBC Midlands Today and ITV News Central, along with several local radio stations. Newspapers like the Walsall Advertiser and Walsall Chronicle serve the area.

Arboretum and illuminations

Art gallery

Museums

Public art

Literature

Media

Commerce

Recent changes

In 2009 and 2010, several big projects were planned in Walsall. These included rebuilding Walsall Manor Hospital for £174 million, building a new Walsall College for £65 million, and developing areas like Waterfront South for £60 million and St Matthew's Quarter for over £25 million.

Another planned project was the £500 million Walsall Gigaport, which would provide fast internet for businesses. The Waterfront North and Waterfront Lex developments were also approved, each worth £65 million. The Walsall Transport Package, worth £17 million, was finished early in 2009. This helped improve roads around the town centre and led to the opening of a large £55 million supermarket, which created many new jobs. The improvements also made it easier to get to Walsall Arboretum.

Sport

Walsall has a football club called Walsall F.C., also known as the Saddlers. It was created in 1888 when two teams, Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C., joined together. Their first match was against Aston Villa, and today they play in Football League Two.

Besides football, Walsall has teams for other sports too. Walsall Cricket Club won a top league in 2006. The town also has a rugby union team called Walsall RUFC, which plays in Midlands 1 West. There are other rugby teams nearby as well, such as Handsworth RUFU, Aldridge RFC, and Wednesbury RUFU.

There is also a field hockey club named Beacon Hockey Club, which plays in the Midlands Hockey League. In the past, Walsall had a place for horse racing. A special stand was built there in 1809, and races happened every year during the 1800s at Michaelmas.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Walsall

Walsall has been home to many interesting people throughout history. Some of these individuals have made their mark in various fields such as entertainment, sports, and more. The town continues to celebrate its notable residents who have contributed to its rich cultural heritage.

Twin towns

Walsall has friendships with cities in other countries. These include:

• Bahla in Oman, since 1953
• Mulhouse in France, since 1962
• Amritsar in India
• Kobar in the West Bank, Palestine