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. The town's built-up area had many people living there, and the wider borough was home to even more.

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.

Walsall in Medieval Times, 15th Century; watercolour by Henry Somerfield, The New Art Gallery Walsall permanent collection, 1976.278.P

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

Skip Lane looking east; parts of Walsall are semi-rural. Barr Beacon is on the horizon

A famous spot in Walsall is Barr Beacon, the highest point when 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 dug up during the Industrial Revolution.

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.

Ethnic group	Population	%
Walsall: Ethnicity: 2021 Census
Asian or Asian British	33,269	47%
White	26,950	38.1%
Black or Black British	4,906	6.9%
Other Ethnic Group	2,829	4%
Mixed	2,495	3.5%
Arab	314	0.4%
Total	70,778	100%

Religious	Population	%
Walsall: Religion: 2021 Census
Muslim	24,540	36.6%
Christian	20,880	31.2%
Irreligious	11,142	16.6%
Sikh	7,014	10.5%
Hindu	2,832	4.2%
Other religion	466	0.7%
Buddhist	133	0.2%
Jewish	13	0.1%
Total	70,778	100%

Economy

Walsall has had many different jobs and work, from digging coal to working with metal. In the late 1800s, the coal ran out, and Walsall became famous for making leather goods. The town made special bags for the Queen's and saddles for the Prince of Wales, along with other leather things.

Besides leather, Walsall also made iron and brass things, dug up limestone, and created small hardware, plastics, electronics, chemicals, and airplane parts. Its place in Central England and the close M6 road have helped bring more businesses. Today, big stores like TK Maxx and companies such as Homeserve plc and South Staffordshire Water have offices and work in the area.

Education

Religion

Christianity is the most common religion in the Walsall Borough. Many people there identify as Christian. Islam is also common.

St Matthew's Church, Walsall

Walsall has many places of worship. St Matthew’s Church is a notable Christian church. There are also mosques in areas such as Caldmore. Other religious buildings include 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. 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 areas.

Roads

Walsall has good road connections. It is close to the M6 motorway, which links to the M1 motorway and the M74 motorway. There are three nearby junctions on the M6 that serve Walsall. The town is also connected by the A34 road, which goes to Salford and Manchester. The A454 Black Country route also serves the area.

Railway

Walsall railway station is in the town centre.

West Midlands Railway runs these 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.

Trams

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

Now, the West Midlands Metro tram runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham city centre. There are plans to extend the tram to Walsall.

Air

Walsall Aerodrome operated until 1956. The closest airport to Walsall is Birmingham Airport.

Culture

Walsall Arboretum opened in 1874 as a nice place to visit. It had lakes, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. Later, it hosted bright light shows called the Illuminations, which began in 1951. These shows used many bulbs and attracted large crowds. They stopped in 2011 and were replaced with concerts and laser shows.

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

White Hart, Caldmore Oil painting by an unknown artist, The New Art Gallery Walsall permanent collection, 1976.088.P

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

Arboretum and illuminations

Walsall's new art gallery

Art gallery

Statue of Sister Dora

Museums

Public art

Literature

Media

Commerce

Recent changes

In 2009 and 2010, big projects were planned in Walsall. These included rebuilding Walsall Manor Hospital, building a new Walsall College, and developing areas like Waterfront South and St Matthew's Quarter.

The £500 million Walsall Gigaport was also planned to provide fast internet for businesses. The Waterfront North and Waterfront Lex developments were approved. The Walsall Transport Package was finished early in 2009. This improved roads around the town centre and helped open a large supermarket, creating many new jobs. The improvements also made it easier to get to Walsall Arboretum.

Sport

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

Walsall also has teams for other sports. Walsall Cricket Club won a top league in 2006. The town has a rugby union team called Walsall RUFC, which plays in Midlands 1 West. There are other rugby teams nearby too.

There is 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 over time. Some of these people became well-known in areas like entertainment and sports. The town still honors its famous residents who helped shape its culture.