It’s fair to declare there’s a good chance that West Midlands isn’t tourism central. However, while there are other exciting cities to visit, Birmingham has rollicking nightlife with plenty of culture, and more shopping options than you could ever imagine.
Be aware that the massive Indian group has provided Birmingham one of the best curry homes in the nation and invent”balti” “balti”. Since the beginning of the lime kilns, collieries and the metalworks in the 17th century, this part of England is more often associated with chimneys than rural idyllic landscapes.
You shouldn’t ignore your visit to the Black Country, certainly not when it’s the Industrial Revolution piques your interest due to the fact that towns like Dudley have preserved their historic factories and kilns in order to illustrate the realities of life during those days.
Let’s take a look at the best destinations to visit within the West Midlands:
1. Birmingham
Popularly referred to as “Brum”, the city of Birmingham is not known for its appearance however due to the redevelopment of its central area and its massive canal system, people now looking at the city that is Britain’s second in a new light.
Even prior to this revamp, Birmingham was well-loved due to its nightlife eating out (especially Indian food in the” Balti triangle”) and for its shopping.
It’s possible to claim that the city was the hub for this period of the Industrial Revolution, and if you’re interested about this time period, try Soho House, the 18th-century residence of businessman Matthew Boulton.
This is among the many fascinating museums that deal with the wealth generated by industry and (at The Back to Backs) what it was like for the workers.
2. Coventry
Like Birmingham Coventry’s factories, Coventry’s turned the city into the target of bombings in the second World War.
Interestingly, this caused the destruction of that gothic Coventry Cathedral, and the hollow walls, tower and spire are preserved in the same way they were originally intended to be as a tribute.
Coventry also boasts a long relationship with the manufacturing of cars and exports, particularly for brands from the UK such as Jaguar as well as Rover.
The latest information about the story of car manufacturing in the Coventry Transport Museum that is home to the largest collection of British automobiles around the globe.
The aircraft have also been built in Coventry since the beginning of flying manned: Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine was born in Coventry.
Midland Air Museum Midland Air Museum will tell you everything you need to be aware of.
3. Sutton Coldfield
Just a few miles from Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield has always been a city with money.
The wealthy and landed gentry families that were the ones who called Sutton Coldfield “home” built lavish manors, a lot of which are now hotels that give you the feeling of the lord of the house for an evening or two.
Two conservation zones in the town that take care of the townhouses and cottages dating back to the 1600s and the 1700s.
Sutton Coldfield is almost completely covered by parks and nature reserves.
The New Hall Valley Country Park is the New Hall Mill, one of the two working watermills in the vicinity of Birmingham.
Sutton Park meanwhile is one of Europe’s largest urban parks, covering over nine square kilometres of heathland and woodlands which are grazed by wild ponies.
4. Wolverhampton
In the Industrial Revolution Wolverhampton was known for its mining of coal as well as steel production and manufacturing engineering, which is an important part for the economy of Wolverhampton.
Most people do not consider the town to be a destination for tourists, but nearly everyone who visits is shocked by what Wolverhampton can offer.
This is the case for the plethora of stately residences owned through the National Trust, like Moseley Old Hall and Boscobel House, both witness to thrilling events during the English Civil War in the 17th century.
Find out about what the other half was like in the days of industrialization in Wolverhampton’s Bantock House, or be amazed with the Pop Art and pre-Raphaelites at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
5. Solihull
In a conurbation with a lot of population, like that of the West Midlands, it’s not often easy to locate towns that are truly located in the countryside.
It’s true that Solihull is one of these towns that ranks high on England’s scale of liveability.
The town is situated in an area of green belts, which requires that development be restricted which has led to huge green spaces, like that of Malvern or Brueton Park. It resembles open fields, yet retains some urbanity, thanks to its tea bars.
Jaguars as well as Land Rovers are manufactured on the edge of Solihull and you are able to go inside these modern manufacturing facilities.
6. Dudley
Dudley, the town in Dudley is frequently referred to as the capital city of The Black Country, which was basically the site of that Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The limestone quarries, kilns , and ironworks made Dudley into a massive industrial enterprise which produced chains and an anchor that would later be used on the Titanic.
It is possible to dig deeper into The Black Country Living Museum, which is where the workers’ cottages, shops the cobblestone, lime Kilns, as well as iron mongers are all preserved in time.
Another thing worth visiting is worth a visit is the Dudley Tunnel , the second-longest canal tunnel in England and is almost four kilometers.
The history of a much older type is also depicted at the 13th-century Dudley Castle (the grounds of which are home to Dudley Zoo) and the creepy ruins of the 12th century Dudley Priory.
7. Edgbaston
The upscale south-facing suburb Birmingham was where the writer Tolkien was a teenager.
The main roads are lined with trees. There are Victorian mansions as well as large homes separated from the main road with long driveways.
Edgbaston is chic and residential, however there’s plenty of reasons to go to the city.
In the spring and summer months that are is a characteristically English sport is cricket, it is played in the Edgbaston Cricket Ground, the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club but also the place where England is playing one-day and five-day matches.
At the Art Deco Grade II-listed Barber Institute of Fine Arts you can find a wide selection of works of Rembrandt, Veronese, Rubens, van Dyck, Monet, van Gogh and Picasso.
And a vast collection of coins that spans several thousand pieces, mainly Roman or Byzantine.
8. Walsall
This city was a centre of leather and iron manufacturing activities that were so deeply rooted into its history that the local team of football Walsall F.C. is known as “the Saddlers”. In reality, Walsall was the international seat of saddlemaking, which you will discover in the Leather Museum, situated within an authentic Victorian factory.
In recent years , a large amount of money has been put into regenerating the city centre including the canal-front.
This has enabled Walsall with the New Art Gallery, replete with a stunning collection of artwork from Constable, Turner, van Gogh, Monet and more.
9. Halesowen
The location of number of coal mines and coal pits, Halesowen was where nails were made as industry took off.
However, there’s a romantic side to the town that you’ll discover in The Grade-I listed Leasowes Park.
In the 57 hectares of land is one of oldest landscape gardens in the country that was designed in the late 1700s by The poet William Shenstone.
English garden as they are today have much time to get older than this. And among the first visitors to the gardens included John Adams and Thomas Jefferson as the second and third Presidents from the United States.
Halesowen also has an old abbey in ruins that was left to decay after the dissolution of monasteries in 1530. It is now protected to this day through English Heritage.
10. West Bromwich
While manufacturing has declined across Britain Chemicals and engineering are still a major job creator within West Bromwich, as they were in the 1800s.
Just a few miles away from the center of Birmingham it’s a quiet type of town that has done a great job of preserving its traces of history.
There are two gorgeous daub and wattle buildings that are worth a visit, the West Bromwich Manor House, with its origins dating back to the 1200s as well as the Oak House Museum, a renovated yeoman’s home built in the end of the 1500s.
The team from the local area West Bromwich Albion is a Premier League mainstay, and was one of the Football League’s first members in 1888.
