West Bromwich

West Bromwich
Metropolitan county		West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Areas of the town	List Balls Hill Black Lake Friar Park (part) Great Barr (Part) Great Bridge (part) Guns Village Harvills Hawthorn Hateley Heath Hilltop Lyng Stone Cross Swan Village Tantany Yew Tree (part)
Post town	WEST BROMWICH
Postcode district	B70, B71
Dialling code	0121
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	West Bromwich West West Bromwich East
List of places UK England West Midlands 52°31′08″N 1°59′42″W / 52.519°N 1.995°W / 52.519; -1.995

West Bromwich (/ˈbrɒmɪtʃ/ ^ⓘ BROM-itch), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is 7 miles (11 kilometres) northwest of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, culture and dialect.^[3] West Bromwich had a population of 103,112 in the 2021 Census.^[4]

Initially a rural village, West Bromwich's growth corresponded with that of the

The town is known for its football club West Bromwich Albion, who have played in the town since the club's formation in 1878.^[10] It is also home to parts of Sandwell Valley Country Park and Sandwell Valley RSPB nature reserve.^[11]

History

Origin and etymology

West Bromwich was first mentioned as Bromwic ('

, around 8 miles (13 km) to the east on the other side of Birmingham.

Development

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. 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.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1801	5,687	—
1811	7,485	+31.6%
1821	9,505	+27.0%
1831	15,377	+61.8%
1841	26,121	+69.9%
1851	34,581	+32.4%
1861	41,795	+20.9%
1871	47,918	+14.7%
1881	56,295	+17.5%
1891	59,538	+5.8%
1901	65,175	+9.5%
1950	89,000	+36.6%
1991	146,386	+64.5%
Source: [13]

In 1888, West Bromwich became a

.

Charlemont Hall, built during the 1750s, stood on the west side of the present Charlemont Crescent, in the

.

The population of West Bromwich suffered heavily in the

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

20th century

By the outbreak of World War I in 1914, many of the older houses built to house workers during the Industrial Revolution were becoming unfit for human habitation^{[citation needed]} Sanitation was inadequate, decay was rife, and the homes were becoming a danger to the health and safety of their inhabitants. After the end of the war, the local council started building new homes to rehouse people from the rundown town centre. However, there are still many late 19th century and early 20th century buildings around the centre of West Bromwich.

The first

The town suffered significant damage from air raids in World War II, with 58 civilian deaths, most in the raids of 19 November 1940 around Oak Road and Lombard Street to the west of the town centre. There were a few other less severe raids during the war on parts of West Bromwich including Stone Cross and Tantany, with no fatalities. This occurred on the same night as the Birmingham Blitz, which resulted in thousands of casualties, as well as the less severe raids on nearby Dudley and Tipton.^[16]

The first major postwar council housing development was the Harvills Hawthorn Estate near Hill Top, which was completed in 1948.^[15]

Mass immigration from the

terraced houses.

The local road network was also greatly increased during the 1960s and 1970s. West Bromwich is at the extreme northern end of the M5 motorway, with junction 1 serving the town on the A41 road. Traffic passing through West Bromwich on the main route from Wolverhampton to Birmingham was soon diverted along the new dual carriageway, the Northern Loop Road (also known as The Expressway), after its opening in 1972, with another dual carriageway being built to link The Expressway with neighbouring Oldbury.

West Bromwich County Borough was expanded in 1966 to include the bulk of

area of Wednesbury was now within the borders of West Bromwich township.

As with many other parts of the

of the mid-1970s and early 1980s, resulting in mass unemployment across the town, exceeding 20% in some districts.

Queen's Square shopping centre opened in the town centre in 1971, providing shoppers with a 60-unit indoor shopping centre and an 850-space

Many local towns, particularly Dudley, lost many of their major stores around the time that the

took it over in 2012.

Several more factories have closed in more recent years as manufacturers look to countries where the labour is cheaper, but West Bromwich remains a relatively busy industrial area despite the decline of the last 35 years.

West Bromwich's road links were further enhanced in 1995 on the completion of the

. The completion of this new road opened up several square miles of previously inaccessible land, and has allowed several major businesses to set up along the route. This has helped relieve some of the unemployment problems in West Bromwich, although most parts of the town still have the highest unemployment rates in the West Midlands.

21st century

West Bromwich was among the many towns and cities in England affected by the widespread rioting in August 2011. On 9 August, shops closed their doors early to combat looting and vandalism; this was followed by widespread acts of vandalism and violence followed. Police closed the main roads leading into the town until the following morning.^[21]

The town has enjoyed something of an economic revival since 11 July 2013, when, after a large scale demolition of an area including the school known as Cronehills, the New Square shopping and entertainment complex opened in the town centre on land adjoining the existing Queen's Square shopping centre. Hundreds of jobs have been created and the town has attracted retailers including Next, JD Sports, Primark and Bank Fashion, as well as an Odeon cinema, several food and drink outlets, and a Tesco Extra superstore.

The mixed success of

until 2018, during which time the club attracted a level of average attendance not seen since the late 1970s.

The archives for West Bromwich Borough are held at Sandwell Community History and Archives Service.

Governance

The town is divided into two constituencies: West Bromwich East and West Bromwich West.

West Bromwich East is served by Nicola Richards (Conservative Party), who was elected on 12 December 2019.

West Bromwich West is served by Shaun Bailey (Conservative Party), who was elected on 12 December 2019. Betty Boothroyd^[22] had previously served as the constituency's MP and she was the first female Speaker of the House of Commons.

Geography

Below is a list of localities:

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Climate data for West Bromwich
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7 (44)	8 (46)	10 (50)	13 (55)	16 (61)	19 (66)	22 (72)	22 (72)	18 (64)	14 (57)	10 (50)	7 (45)	14 (57)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2 (36)	2 (36)	3 (37)	4 (39)	7 (45)	10 (50)	12 (54)	12 (54)	9 (48)	7 (45)	4 (39)	2 (36)	6 (43)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	43 (1.7)	38 (1.5)	25 (1)	30 (1.2)	28 (1.1)	36 (1.4)	33 (1.3)	28 (1.1)	38 (1.5)	48 (1.9)	41 (1.6)	41 (1.6)	430 (16.9)
Source: Weatherbase[24]

Features

The town's

. All traces of the original structures are long gone; the present structures were added to the stadium in 1979, 1994 and most recently 2001. At an altitude of 551 feet, The Hawthorns is the highest football ground (above sea level) in the country.

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.

Sandwell General Hospital (on the site of the former Hallam Hospital) is located near the town centre. It is currently part of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the United Kingdom.

– knew him as "Brother Earl".

West Bromwich Town Hall, situated in the centre of the High Street, is a Grade II listed building. It was built between 1874 and 1875 in brick and stone to an Italian Gothic design, and its interior reflects the Victorian interest in Gothic and Medieval architecture. Its Grand Organ, built in 1862, is considered to be of historic importance for its musical and technical qualities.^[25][26]

, Hall Green Road, was built by the de Marnham family in the late 13th century as the centre of their agricultural estate in West Bromwich only the Great Hall survives of the original complex of living quarters, agricultural barns, sheds and ponds. Successive occupants modernised and extended the Manor House until it was described in 1790 as "a large pile of irregular half-timbered buildings, black and white, and surrounded with numerous out-houses and lofty walls." The Manor House was saved from demolition in the 1950s by West Bromwich Corporation which carried out an extensive and sympathetic restoration of this nationally important building.

The Oak House is an historic building in the Greets Green area. Its exact date of origin is uncertain, but in 1634 it was owned by the Turtons. John Wesley preached there twice in the late 1700s. Reuben Farley gave it to the town as a museum, with the formal opening on 25 July 1898. In 1949 it was protected as a Grade II* Listed Building.

In August 2009, The Public arts centre designed by architect Will Alsop fully opened. By 2013, the venue was attracting nearly 400,000 visitors a year and was bringing leading national and international artists to the town. Originally beset by problems before opening, in May 2013, it was revealed that Sandwell Council were considering borrowing a substantial amount of money to repurpose the £70 million building and lease it to Sandwell College to provide a new sixth form centre to complement the recently opened Central Campus in the town.^[27]

A large portion of the town centre was procured by Tesco for the development of a Tesco Extra store and shopping centre called New Square, West Bromwich which has been built on top of the old hospital. In the early 2000s the tenants of homes and businesses have slowly moved out of the site to make way for the development. Cronehills Primary School (staff and pupils) relocated to the newly built Eaton Valley Primary School, which opened in September 2009. The police station relocated to a brand new building the other site of the ring road. Major works started on the site during October 2011 and the development was completed by late spring 2013.

Religion

West Bromwich is a culturally diverse area with many places of worship for several different religions.

At the time of writing (2023), The

.

West Bromwich has four mosques. With two on Dartmouth street, one serving the Bangladeshi sunni community and the other, the Pakistani sunni community. The reason for the separate mosques is due to historic differences in opinions between imams of the berelvi community (Pakistani) and other sunni denominations. The largest mosque in West Bromwich is the Madinatul Uloon Al-Islamiyah Madrasa on Moor street which accommodates all Muslim Sunni denominations and follows the

fultoli

teachings.

The Bangladeshi mosque on Dartmouth street (the Jami Masjid and Islamic Centre) is currently fundraising to rebuild a purpose built mosque to accommodate more worshippers. Currently, they have obtained the land they require for this rebuild but are lacking crucial funding required for the ambitious multi-million pound rebuild. The Jami Masjid and Islamic Centre was the first mosque in the area, of Bangladeshi origin. Madinatul Uloom Al-Islamiyah, located at Moor street is based at an abandoned church and was converted into a functioning mosque in 2001. The mosque also functions as a madrasa, meaning that it offers taught classes and hosts Islamic events including an annual jalsa (Islamic gathering). It currently (and since 2003) offers Islamic evening classes to hundreds of children and has plans in the future to offer higher education to adults who desire to pursue Islamic studies at a higher level. The premises consists of two large prayer halls and an assortment of classrooms. This mosque is regularly attended by mostly people of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Arab ethnicity (in order of proportions of worshippers from each ethnicity) - but what sets this mosque apart from others in West Bromwich, is that it is used regularly by people of many ethnicities, unlike other mosques in West Bromwich which are primarily used by people of one ethnicity.

There are also a large^[

. Sikhs have settled in the area since 1950, when the first influx of immigrants came. The oldest Gurdwara in West Bromwich is the Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji on High Street. Other Gurdwara's include Guru Nanak Gurdwara on Edward Street and Gurdwara Sachkhand Ishar Darbar on Vicarage Road.

Congregational Chapel, which had closed in 1971.^[31] It was damaged by fire on 8 December 1992, the same date that a Mandir in Birmingham and another in Coventry were damaged in arson attacks. It was believed to have been connected to religious violence in India that was spreading into communities in Britain.^[32]

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.^[33]

Transport

Railway

Wolverhampton High Level and Walsall. This station closed in 1945 and, although it moved twice between 1863 and 1902, only the line remains in use for the services from Walsall to Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Liverpool Lime Street

.

Roads

The M5 motorway between the West Midlands and the West Country and its junction with the M6 motorway passes through the town, making West Bromwich at the hub of Britain's motorway network. Improvements were made at the A41 junction by West Bromwich town centre after a £25 million project grant was awarded to the area to cut congestion for commuters. The junction, which is where The Expressway meets All Saints Way (A4031), currently carries over 60,000 vehicles a day and is close to junction 1 of the M5. The project involved the creation of a dual carriageway underpass beneath an improved roundabout; this work began in June 2010 and was completed in autumn 2012.

Carters Green, High Street and the beginning of Birmingham Road formed the original main route through West Bromwich as part of Thomas Telford's London to Holyhead route in the early 19th century. This later formed part of the A41 road which links London with Merseyside, taking in the Midlands, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire on the way. However, the route through central West Bromwich was by-passed in 1973 on the completion of the Expressway, a two-mile (3 km) dual carriageway beginning at Carters Green and finishing at junction 1 of the recently completed M5 motorway on Birmingham Road. The original A41 road through the centre of West Bromwich was downgraded to an unclassified route.

Around this time, West Bromwich Ringway was opened which circulates the main shopping areas. The section of the Ringway, near the new Tesco, has since had traffic restrictions placed on it prohibiting use by private cars.

Further revolution came to the local road network in 1995, with the completion of the

Black Country Spine Road which stretches from Carters Green to Bilston via Wednesbury

, forming another new section of the A41.

Buses

West Bromwich has a large bus station managed by Transport for West Midlands and served by a large number of routes, both locally to places such as Oldbury, Smethwick and Stone Cross as well as regional bus routes to places such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Walsall. Stands are lettered A to Z. The main bus operators serving the bus station are National Express West Midlands and Diamond West Midlands.^[34][35]

Air

The nearest airport, which is approximately 16 miles (26 km) away, is Birmingham Airport, which can be reached by tram to Birmingham New Street and train to Birmingham International.

Education

The largest educational provider in the town is the Central Campus of Sandwell College. This is housed in a £77 million building opened in February 2012. The college is capable of enrolling over 5,000 students each year across many curriculum areas. Central Sixth delivers the college's A-Level programme covering some thirty different subject areas. Facilities in the Central Campus include a Boeing 737 fuselage used for training air cabin crew and a dental surgery used to train dental nurses. Central Campus also offers a wide variety of apprenticeships and a small number of Higher Education programmes.

The town is served by five secondary schools: George Salter Academy, Health Futures UTC, the Phoenix Collegiate, Q3 Academy Great Barr and Sandwell Academy. A new secondary school, West Bromwich Collegiate Academy, opened in September 2019.

The town has 21 primary schools in total. Some of which are Lodge Primary School, St. John Bosco RC Primary School, Holy Trinity C of E Primary School, Ryders Green Primary School, All Saints' CofE Primary School, St Mary Magdalene, Hateley Heath and Eaton Valley.

Sandwell Academy serves the whole of West Bromwich (along with the rest of Sandwell), Phoenix Collegiate Academy serves the area around

Charlemont and Grove Vale and Stone Cross, West Midlands. George Salter Academy serves the west of the town near the border with Tipton. Q3 Academy serves the north-eastern part of the town around Great Barr

.

The area was also served by Churchfields High School, approximately 1 mile (2 kilometres) north of the town centre. Due to constant closure rumours, less and less pupils began enrolling to attend the school and it was closed in July 2001. The site has since been redeveloped for housing.[36]

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by

Free Radio Birmingham and Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands. The town is served by the local newspaper, Express & Star (formerly West Bromwich Chronicle). ^[38]

Sport

Football

The town's sport scene is dominated by West Bromwich Albion, a football club who were founded in the town in 1878 by workers from George Salter's Spring Works in West Bromwich. They played at a number of sites near the town centre until they moved to their current home, The Hawthorns on Birmingham Road (on the borders of Smethwick and Handsworth) in 1900.

West Brom were among the 12 founder members of the

Football League in 1888 (the first professional football league in the world), along with their two fiercest local rivals, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers

. Albion have spent the majority of their existence in the top tier of English football.

The club has won nine major trophies; five

UEFA Cup quarter-final. They currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English football, having been relegated from the Premier League

in May 2021.

Notable former players of West Bromwich Albion include

1968 FA Cup Final

and remained a cult figure among Albion fans).

Cricket

The local cricket team is West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club, and is based in the town. The club was founded in 1834. It is a founder member of the Birmingham and District Cricket League, the oldest cricket league in the world. They play their home games at Sandwell Valley, opposite the Hawthorns.

Notable people

This article's list of residents may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are residents, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (October 2018)

• Methodist
  bishop
• Anne Aston – born Anne Lloyd, TV presenter and actress, lived in Old Meeting Street
• Al Atkins – founder member of Judas Priest. Still lives in West Bromwich
• John Bainbridge – author and countryside access campaigner, born in West Bromwich, raised in Great Barr
• Jana Bellin – chess grandmaster
• Alan Birch – footballer
• Paul Birch – footballer
• Gary Bull – footballer
• John Byrne – comic book artist
• Madeleine Carroll – actress
• Mike Collins – comic book artist, attended Churchfields High School
• Stewart Donaldson – author, positive psychologist, evaluation research scientist
• K.K. Downing – Judas Priest
  guitarist
• Reuben Farley – first Mayor of West Bromwich
• Clive Ford – footballer, born in Hateley Heath^[39]
• Peter Griffiths – Member of Parliament, born in West Bromwich
• Ian Hill – Judas Priest bassist
• Anglican
  priest and writer
• Noel Johnson - Actor, original voice of Dick Barton, in radio series
• Cindy Kent – former singer with The Settlers, later a radio broadcaster^[40]
• Denise Lewis – heptathlete
• Steve Lynex – footballer
• Phil Lynott – Thin Lizzy singer and bassist, born in Hallam Hospital
• Matthew Marsden – actor
• Horace Notice - boxer
• Major Nichols – lightweight Racing bicycle manufacturer
• Phil Parkes – footballer
• Robert Plant – singer and frontman of Led Zeppelin, born in West Bromwich
• Jonathan Ship – cricketer
• cryptozoologist
  and author
• Graham Skidmore – voice artist, game show announcer, singer and photographic model, born in West Bromwich
• Frank Skinner – comedian
• Larry Stephens – comedy scriptwriter, born in West Bromwich
• Miles Storey – footballer currently playing for Partick Thistle.
• Brian Walden – Member of Parliament, journalist and broadcaster
• Steve Webb – Member of Parliament, and Liberal Democrat^{[citation needed]}
• Lee Woodley
  – boxer
• Betty Boothroyd - Member of Parliament and Speaker. Hansard.

See also

• West Bromwich Building Society
• Charlemont and Grove Vale
• West Bromwich Mountaineering Club

References

1. ^ "Census 2018 Key Stats". Sandwell Trends. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
2. ^ "Census 2001 Key Statistics, Urban areas in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
3. ^ "What and where is the Black Country?". BBC. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
4. ^ "West Bromwich (West Midlands, West Midlands, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
5. ^ "West Bromwich Staffordshire". Vision of Biritain. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
6. ^ "West Bromwich: Economic history". British History Online. A P Baggs, G C Baugh and Johnston D A, 'West Bromwich: Economic history', in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 17, Offlow Hundred (Part), ed. M W Greenslade (London, 1976), pp. 27-43. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
7. ^ "West Bromwich Blitz 1". West Bromwich Local History Society. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
8. ^ "Bomb Damage: West Bromwich at War 1939-45". West Bromwich Local History Society. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
9. ^ "Recession hits West Midlands hard". BBC. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
10. ^ "West Bromwich". Britannica. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
11. ^ ^{a b} "All about Sandwell Valley Country Park". Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
12. ^ "West Bromwich: Churches – British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
13. ^ GENUKI. "Genuki: West Bromwich, Staffordshire". www.genuki.org.uk.
14. ^ ^{a b c} "West Bromwich: Parliamentary history – British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
15. ^ ^{a b} "West Bromwich: The growth of the town – British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
16. ^ "Cemetery".
17. ^ "Queen's Square Shopping Centre".
18. ^ Group, Completely. "Kings Square Sandwell Centre, West Bromwich – Completely Retail". www.completelyretail.co.uk.
19. ^ "£5m revamp for West Bromwich shopping centre". www.expressandstar.com. 8 December 2011.
20. ^ "A little extra help".
21. ^ "Masked youths rampage through West Bromwich". www.expressandstar.com. 10 August 2011.
22. ^ "The Guardian: West Bromwich West full election history".
23. ^ "Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
24. ^ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on 4 June 2013.
25. ^ "West Bromwich Guide: The Town Hall". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
26. ^ "History of West Bromwich, in Sandwell and Staffordshire – Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.
27. ^ Haywood, Bob (19 May 2013). "Investors in The Public could be set to sue". Birmingham Mail.
28. ^ Historic England. "Dartmouth Park (1001102)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
29. ISBN 978-0951153222
    .
30. ^ TheThemeLab. "Shree Krishna Temple – West Bromwich". www.skm-wb.org.
31. ^ "West Bromwich: Hindus – British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
32. ^ "Those were the days". www.expressandstar.com.
33. ^ "Pleasant Sunday Afternoon – The Black Country Society". www.blackcountrysociety.co.uk.
34. ^ "Local National Express West Midlands". nxbus.co.uk.
35. ^ "Services - West Midlands". Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
36. ^ "school-index.co.uk". www.school-index.co.uk.
37. ^ "Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
38. ^ "Newspapers". Sandwell Council. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
39. ^ West Bromwich at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
40. ^ Dan Wooding (6 August 2010). "The next chapter in the extraordinary life of Cindy Kent". Christian Today. Retrieved 9 October 2018.

Sources

• 'West Bromwich: Social life', A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 17: Offlow hundred (part) (1976), pp. 70–74. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36169. Date accessed: 23 April 2008.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Bromwich.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for West Bromwich.

• Sandwell MBC
• West Bromwich in the Domesday Book
• West Bromwich Borough Archive Catalogue