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• 
  

• 
  A41 road
  The A41 is a major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now in parts been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Kings Langley, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Newport, Whitchurch, Chester and Ellesmere Port.
  It follows part of the line of the old Roman road, Akeman Street and the eighteenth century Sparrows Herne turnpike.
  With the opening of the M40 extension in 1990 linking with the M42 near Birmingham, much of the route was downgraded in importance - with the sections between Bicester and the M42 near Solihull being renumbered as the A4141, A4177 and B4100.
  The route begins near Marble Arch in London, at the junction with Oxford Street (A40). Here, north-bound traffic uses Gloucester Place, the south-bound uses Baker Street. It becomes a dual-carriageway on Finchley Road, through Swiss Cottage, and along Hendon Way, and intersects with the North Circular Road near Brent Cross shopping centre. The road passes through Hendon and after the junction with the A5150, (close to the Metropolitan Police's police college and the RAF Museum), it runs directly next to the M1. The A41 overlaps the A1 at Five Ways Corner with the section known as Watford Way. It passes through Mill Hill, separating with the A1 at Apex Corner roundabout After crossing the M1, near Elstree, it links the M1 at Junction 4, and then meets the A5 at a roundabout (where the A5 becomes the A5183). The A41 continues next to the M1 into Hertfordshire. This section is known as Elton Way, as far as the roundabout with the B462. The next section is dual-carriageway.
  
  wn.com/A41_road
• 
  Aldridge
  Coordinates: 52°36′22″N 1°55′04″W / 52.606°N 1.91787°W / 52.606; -1.91787
  Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.
  Aldridge was recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book of 1086, though the now much larger settlement of Walsall was not. It was valued at 15 shillings under the name of "Alrewic", which may have originated from an abundance of Alder trees in the area.
  Aldridge began as a small agricultural settlement, with farming being the most common occupation up until the 19th century.
  In the 1800s, Aldridge became an industrial town with coal mines and lime kilns. The coal and clay in the area prompted many to set up collieries and brickworks. Aldridge clay is especially useful in the manufacture of blue bricks. The 1881 census shows that the mines and brick works were major employers. Because the coal and clay beneath the eastern side of Aldridge (towards Stonnall) is located much deeper under the surface, extraction of this coal and clay would not have been economically viable. As a result farms continued to dominate the eastern part, though a sand quarry was set up and still remains on Birch Lane.
  
  wn.com/Aldridge
• 
  Bilston
  Coordinates: 52°33′58″N 2°04′22″W / 52.56605°N 2.07281°W / 52.56605; -2.07281
  Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Historically within Staffordshire, three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and Ettingshall which comprise a part of Bilston and parts of Wolverhampton.
  Bilston was first referred to in AD 985 as Bilsatena when Wolverhampton was granted to Wulfrun then in 996 as Bilsetnatun in the grant charter of St. Mary's Church (now St. Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton). It is later mentioned in the Domesday Book as a village called Billestune, being a largely rural area until the 19th century. Bilsetnatun can be interpreted as meaning the settlement (ton) of the folk (saetan) of the ridge (bill).
  Situated just two miles southeast of Wolverhampton, it was extensively developed for factories and coal mining. Many houses were constructed in the Bilston area. Between 1920 and 1966, the council replaced most of the 19th century terraced houses with rented modern houses and flats on developments like Stowlawn, The Lunt and Bunker's Hill. Bilston has had a market in the town centre for many years.
  
  wn.com/Bilston
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  Birmingham
  Birmingham (ⁱ/ˈbɜrmɪŋəm/ BUR-ming-əm, locally /ˈbɜrmɪŋɡəm/ BUR-ming-gəm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 (2010 estimate), and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census). Birmingham's metropolitan area is also the United Kingdom's second most populous with a population of 3,683,000.
  A medium-sized market town during the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide developments in science, technology and economic organisation, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly-skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.
  
  wn.com/Birmingham
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  Black Country
  Coordinates: 52°32′N 2°2′W / 52.533°N 2.033°W / 52.533; -2.033
  The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation. The South Staffordshire coal mines, the coal coking operations, and the iron foundries and steel mills that used the local coal to fire their furnaces, produced a level of air pollution that had few equals anywhere in the world.
  The Black Country is relatively recent as a concept and identity, the expression deriving from the 1840s. It is popularly believed that the area got its name because of pollution from these heavy industries that covered the area in black soot. There is an anecdote (of dubious authenticity) about Queen Victoria ordering the blinds lowered on her carriage as the royal train passed through^{[citation needed]}. However, historians^[who?] suggest that it is more likely that the name existed even before the Industrial Revolution; outcroppings of black coal scarred the surface of the local heath, and the presence of coal so near the surface rendered the local soil very black.
  
  wn.com/Black_Country
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  Bloxwich
  Coordinates: 52°36′57″N 2°00′58″W / 52.61577°N 2.01620°W / 52.61577; -2.01620
  Bloxwich is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England, with a population of around 40,000 people.
  Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as the Anglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a small Mercian settlement named after the family of Bloc (Bloxwich, earlier Blochescwic, meaning "Bloc's village").
  Some 19th century works suggest that at one time Bloxwich was a settlement in the ancient manor of Wednesbury. There is no conclusive evidence for this and Bloxwich has since at least medieval times been associated with the manor and town of Walsall (which for reasons unknown does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086). Bloxwich itself is however mentioned in this book under the name 'Blockeswich'.
  Traditionally there has been a strong rivalry between Bloxwich and Walsall with origins as early as the English Civil War, when Walsall was Parliamentarian in sympathy and Bloxwich, centre of the Foreign of Walsall, was Royalist. This situation was exacerbated by disputes over local taxation for the poor rate in the 17th and 18th centuries.
  
  wn.com/Bloxwich
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  Brierley Hill
  Coordinates: 52°28′46″N 2°07′28″W / 52.4795°N 2.1245°W / 52.4795; -2.1245
  Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined considerably since the 1970s. One of the largest factories in the area was the Round Oak Steelworks which closed down and redeveloped to become the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Brierley Hill was originally in Staffordshire, but was transferred to the West Midlands metropolitan county upon its creation in 1974.
  The name Brierley Hill was formed from three Anglo-Saxon or Old English words; 'brier' meaning the place where the Briar Rose (Rosa rubiginosa) grew, 'leah' or 'ley' meaning a woodland clearing and 'Hill'. The name Merry Hill is derived from the word 'gemeare' which means the boundary, indicating that it was on the boundary of the parish of Kingswinford.
  
  wn.com/Brierley_Hill
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  Bristol
  Bristol ⁱ/ˈbrɪstəl/ is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007. It is England's sixth and the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city, one of the group of English Core Cities and the most populous city in South West England.
  Historically within Gloucestershire, the city received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and Norwich, on the basis of tax receipts, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, and is also located near the historic cities of Bath to the south east and Gloucester to the north. The city is built around the River Avon, and it also has a short coastline on the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel.
  
  wn.com/Bristol
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  Brownhills
  Coordinates: 52°38′49″N 1°55′59″W / 52.647°N 1.933°W / 52.647; -1.933
  Brownhills is a town in the West Midlands, England. Located on the edge of Cannock Chase near the large artificial lake Chasewater, it is 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of Walsall and a similar distance south-west of Lichfield. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the Aldridge-Brownhills parliamentary constituency and neighbours the ancient villages of Pelsall and Stonnall. Before boundary changes in 1974, it was in the county of Staffordshire.
  The town lies on the ancient Watling Street, but is not recorded before the 17th century, although Ogley Hay, which in modern times is a district of the town, is recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book. Brownhills quickly grew around the coal mining industry, especially after it became linked to the canal and railway networks in the mid-19th century, and by the end of the century had grown from a hamlet of only 300 inhabitants to a town with a population of over 13,000, of whom the vast majority were employed in the coal industry. Mining remained the town's principal industry until the 1950s, but the subsequent closure of the area's pits led to a severe economic decline which has continued until the present day. The local authority has instituted a regeneration programme which it is hoped will revive the town's fortunes, providing better transport and leisure facilities.
  
  wn.com/Brownhills
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  Coseley
  Coordinates: 52°33′00″N 2°04′59″W / 52.55°N 2.083°W / 52.55; -2.083
  Coseley is a village in the north of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the English West Midlands. Part of the Black Country, it is situated on the border with Wolverhampton, approximately three miles north of Dudley itself.
  Coseley railway station is on the West Coast Main Line and is served by London Midland. It is within the Bilston WV14 and Tipton DY4 postal districts.
  Coseley was originally a village area in the ancient manor of Sedgley. In 1867, it, with the village areas of Brierley, Woodsetton, and Ettingshall, broke away from the parish of Sedgley and, together, formed Lower Sedgley Local Board District. In 1875, the name was changed to Coseley Local Board District by order of the Council and, in 1895, became Coseley Urban District. At this stage, most of the Coseley area was occupied by industrial and agricultural land.
  Coseley Urban District Council built several thousand council houses and flats over a 40-year period from the mid-1920s which changed the face of the area. Most of these were built around Woodcross, Lanesfield, Wallbrook and Brierley.
  
  wn.com/Coseley
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  Coventry
  Coventry (ⁱ/ˈkɒvəntri/) is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and Nottingham have larger urban areas. The population of Coventry had risen to 315,800 as of 2010, according to the Office of National Statistics.
  Historically within Warwickshire, Coventry is situated 95 miles (153 km) northwest of central London and 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Birmingham, and is further from the coast than any other city in Britain. Although harbouring a population of almost a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group due to its proximity to Birmingham.
  Coventry was the world's first twin city when it formed a twinning relationship with the Russian city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) during World War II. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet Red Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. The city is now also twinned with Dresden, Lidice and 23 other cities around the world.
  
  wn.com/Coventry
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  Cradley Heath
  Coordinates: 52°28′23″N 2°04′45″W / 52.47302°N 2.07908°W / 52.47302; -2.07908
  Cradley Heath ((pronunciation: /ˌkreɪdli ˈhiːθ/) is a town in the Black Country, located in Sandwell metropolitan borough, England. Cradley Heath is often confused with neighbouring Cradley in Halesowen, although the two places have long been in separate local authorities.
  Cradley Heath is one of several towns in central England still recognisable from their early 20th century appearance. Many of the shops and houses in the town's High Street are still standing after 100 years. Some of these were demolished in the mid-2000s to make way for a long-awaited by-pass, which finally opened in 2007 to relieve the town's severe congestion problem which had been getting worse for decades.
  Cradley Heath was originally an area of heath, between Cradley, Netherton and Old Hill, in the Staffordshire parish of Rowley Regis, which subsequently received borough status in 1933. The residents of Cradley had grazing rights, subject to an annual payment to the lord of the manor. The River Stour forms the boundary to the south between Cradley and Cradley Heath. To the north, Mousesweet Brook (which feeds into the River Stour near to Cradley Heath Railway Station) forms the border next to Quarry Bank and Netherton. Both also act between the modern MBCs of Sandwell and Dudley.
  
  wn.com/Cradley_Heath
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  Darlaston
  Coordinates: 52°34′15″N 2°02′45″W / 52.5708°N 2.0457°W / 52.5708; -2.0457
  Darlaston is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.
  Archaeological evidence of the history of Darlaston has been destroyed by The de Darlaston family owned Darlaston and lived in the manor between the 12th century and 15th century. When the de Darlaston family died out, the manor was taken over by the Hayes family and renamed Great Croft. The exact location of the manor is not known. It is believed that the site is covered by the new Asda car park, slightly south west of the original parish church, which is now the location for St Lawrence's Church.
  Due to being located on the South Staffordshire Coalfield, Darlaston became industrialised very early in its history. The first industries were cottage industries and anyone wishing to mine the coal had to apply for a copyhold from the lord of the manor. In 1698, Timothy Woodhouse was manager of the coal mines belonging to Mrs Mary Offley, who was the lady of the manor. In the first year he sold 3,000 sacks of coal and later went into partnership in his own business. Darlaston also had a windmill which is mentioned in a map of 1695. The mill continued to be in use until about 1860.
  
  wn.com/Darlaston
• Diocese of Lichfield
  The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
  The Diocese of Mercia was created by Bishop Diuma in around 656 and the see was settled in Lichfield in 669 by the then bishop, Ceadda (later Saint Chadd), who built a monastery there. At the Council of Chelsea, Bishop Higbert was raised to the rank of archbishop and given authority over the dioceses of Worcester, Leicester, Lincoln, Hereford, Elmham and Dunwich. This was due to the persuasion of King Offa of Mercia, who wanted an archbishop to rival Canterbury. On Offa's death in 796, however, the Pope removed the archiepiscopal rank and restored the dioceses to the authority of Canterbury. In 803 the Council of Clovesho accepted this decision.
  During the 9th century, the diocese was devastated by the Vikings. Lichfield itself was unwalled and had become rather poor, so Bishop Peter moved the see to the fortified and wealthier Chester in 1075. His successor, Robert de Limesey, transferred it to Coventry and the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield. At this stage it also covered Derbyshire and most of Warwickshire.
  
  wn.com/Diocese_of_Lichfield
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  Dudley
  Coordinates: 52°30′43″N 2°05′45″W / 52.5119°N 2.0957°W / 52.5119; -2.0957
  Dudley (ⁱ/ˈdʌdli/ DUD-lee) is a large town in the West Midlands county of England, and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. At the 2001 census (according to the Office of National Statistics), the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the one of the largest settlements in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without its own university.
  Dudley is part of the West Midlands conurbation, and is located south of the city of Wolverhampton. It is the largest town in the Black Country region of England, and for many years the town (but not the castle, which was classed as part of Staffordshire) formed part of an exclave of the county of Worcestershire. Despite the more recent changes in county borders, the town still remains part of the Anglican Diocese of Worcester.
  Dudley unsuccessfully bid to receive city status in 2012, losing out to Chelmsford, Perth and St. Asaph.
  
  wn.com/Dudley
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  England
  England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
  The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
  
  wn.com/England
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  Exeter
  Exeter (ⁱ/ˈɛksɨtər/ EK-si-tər) is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the County Council. The city is on the River Exe, about 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Plymouth, and 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Bristol. According to the 2001 Census, its population in that year was 111,076, while the mid-2010 estimate was 119,600.
  Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain. Its Exeter Cathedral, founded in the early 12th century, became Anglican at the time of the 16th century Reformation.
  Exeter has been identified as one of the top ten most profitable locations for a business to be based. The city has good transport links, with Exeter St David's railway station, Exeter Central railway station, the M5 motorway and Exeter International Airport connecting the city both nationally and internationally. Although a popular tourist destination, the city is not dominated by tourism.
  
  wn.com/Exeter
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  Florence
  Florence (Italian: Firenze [fiˈrɛntse] ( listen), alternate obsolete form: Fiorenza; Latin: Florentia) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area.
  Florence is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.
  The historic centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, and Euromonitor International ranked the city as the world's 72nd most visited in 2009, with 1,685,000 visitors. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, amongst others, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics.
  
  wn.com/Florence
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  Fordbridge
  Coordinates: 52°29′06″N 1°44′24″W / 52.48512°N 1.74006°W / 52.48512; -1.74006
  Fordbridge is a civil parish and suburb between Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is in the West Midlands county, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is 8 miles (13 km) east of Birmingham City Centre. It has a town council. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,748.
  Fordbridge is near to Marston Green and features a new £32 million secondary school, called the 'Grace Academy'. The area falls within the borders of North Solihull, which is now subject to a £1.8 billion regeneration project.
  According to statistics, Fordbridge is one of the more poorer areas of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. However, Cooks Lane and surrounding areas differ in that there is more expensive housing (well above the average house price for that area), less crime and are different in housing architecture compared to the surrounding areas of Smith's Wood, Kingshurst and Chelmsley wood.
  
  wn.com/Fordbridge
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  Gloucester
  Gloucester (ⁱ/ˈɡlɒstər/ GLOS-tər) is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately 32 miles (51 km) north-east of Bristol, and 45 miles (72 km) south-southwest of Birmingham.
  Gloucester was founded in AD 97 by the Romans under Emperor Nerva as Colonia Glevum Nervensis, and was granted its first charter in 1155 by King Henry II. Economically, the city is dominated by the service industries, and has a strong financial and business sector, being home to the bank Cheltenham & Gloucester and historically was prominent in the aerospace industry.
  The existence of a British settlement at Gloucester (Caer Glow, Gleawecastre, Gleucestre) is not confirmed by any direct evidence, but Gloucester was the Roman municipality of Colonia Nervia Glevensium, or Glevum, founded in the reign of Nerva. Parts of the walls can be traced, and many remains and coins have been found, though inscriptions are scarce. Evidence for some civic life after the end of Roman Britain includes the mention in the Historia Brittonum that Vortigern's grandfather ruled Gloucester. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Gloucester was part of Wessex from the Battle of Deorham in 577 until 584, when it came under the control of Mercia.
  
  wn.com/Gloucester
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  Great Barr
  Coordinates: 52°32′53″N 1°55′55″W / 52.548°N 1.932°W / 52.548; -1.932
  Great Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich (Sandwell; including the Great Barr with Yew Tree Ward) and Walsall (including Pheasey), West Midlands, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as Perry Barr, which is still the name of an adjacent Birmingham district.
  "Barr" means "hill", and the name refers to nearby Barr Beacon.
  Great Barr was a largely rural area in south Staffordshire, on its border with Warwickshire, as recently as the First World War, but during the 1920s development for private and council housing began. The urban district of Perry Barr was ceded to Birmingham, then in Warwickshire, in 1928.
  By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 it was a very busy residential area with good road connections to West Bromwich, Walsall and Birmingham.
  Expansion continued after the war, and during the 1960s the area received a motorway link when Junction 7 of the M6 motorway was opened on the A34. It is also located close to the starting point of the M5, which can be accessed just one mile (1.6 km) northwards on the M6.
  
  wn.com/Great_Barr
• Greets Green
  Greets Green is a residential area of West Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. It was mostly developed between 1920 and 1970 with a mix of private and council housing, though there are still buildings in the area which date from before the First World War.
  The Walsall Canal runs thorough the area.
  A lot of the older housing in the area has been procured by development companies and have been knocked down or are ready to be knocked down to make way for more modern housing.
  Coordinates: 52°31′12″N 2°01′15″W / 52.5199°N 2.0209°W / 52.5199; -2.0209
  
  wn.com/Greets_Green
• 
  Halesowen
  Coordinates: 52°27′01″N 2°03′03″W / 52.450164°N 2.050935°W / 52.450164; -2.050935
  Halesowen ( /heɪlzˈoʊ.ɨn/) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England. After the construction of the M5 motorway a part of Halesowen's Lapal suburb, Carters Lane to the east of the M5 and the roads which culminate on it, were separated from the rest of it and thus fell within Birmingham City Council's boundary. It is now included in the city's Woodgate ward but retains Halesowen as its post town and the B62 postcode.
  The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273. Halesowen is included in the Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency which is held by the Conservative James Morris.
  Halesowen was a detached part of the county of Shropshire but was incorporated into Worcestershire in 1844 by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act. Since the local government reorganisation of 1974 it has formed a part of the West Midlands Metropolitan County and Conurbation, in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, which it joined at the same time as neighbouring Stourbridge.
  
  wn.com/Halesowen
• Hateley Heath
  Hateley Heath is a residential area of West Bromwich in the West Midlands of England.
  It was developed during the late 1940s and early 1950s to rehouse people from town centre slum clearances, with hundreds of new homes being built by the local council. The new homes initially very popular with their occupants, who appreciated modern facilities such as indoor toilets, bathrooms, running water, electricity and gardens.
  An infant school was built to serve the estate in 1950, replacing facilities at Hill Top, followed by the junior school two years later. The infant and junior schools merged to form a single primary school in September 1999.
  By the 1980s, Hateley Heath had become a crime-fuelled "sink" housing estate with a very poor reputation.
  In January 1992, an Express & Star report on the estate revealed some shocking findings. It was estimated that six out of ten children living in Hateley Heath were involved in crime. Joyriding, burglaries and vandalism were just some of the many problems that were supposedly plaguing the area. Several shopkeepers had closed their stores due to theft and vandalism. In 1991 alone, West Midlands Police in Sandwell received no less than 1,006 complaints about crime on the estate - an average of once in just over eight hours. Car thefts and break-ins were the most common crime in the area, followed closely behind by burglaries and vandalism. During the year, 48 people on the estate were arrested on suspicion of criminal offences, though it is unknown how many of these arrests resulted in a conviction. What is known is that all but three of the people arrested were aged under 25. Unemployment and social deprivation were blamed for the decline of Hateley Heath, with almost 15% of employable residents being out of work. However, the nearby towns of Smethwick and Tipton had an even higher unemployment rate at this time, when the national economy was in recession.
  
  wn.com/Hateley_Heath
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  Hertfordshire
  Hertfordshire (ⁱ/ˈhɑrtfərdʃɪər/ or /ˈhɑrfərdʃər/; abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.
  Hertfordshire is one of the home counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London (to the south), Buckinghamshire (to the west), Bedfordshire (including the unitary authorities of Luton and Central Bedfordshire to the north), Cambridgeshire (to the north east) and Essex (to the east).
  Hertfordshire was originally the area assigned to a fortress constructed at Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder in 913. The name Hertford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing (of a watercourse). The name Hertfordshire first appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1011. Deer feature prominently in many county emblems.
  There is evidence of human beings living in Hertfordshire since the Middle Stone Age. It was first farmed during the Neolithic period and permanent habitation appeared at the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was followed by tribes settling in the area during the Iron Age.
  
  wn.com/Hertfordshire
• 
  Holyhead
  Coordinates: 53°18′32″N 4°37′58″W / 53.3088°N 4.6328°W / 53.3088; -4.6328
  Holyhead (ⁱ/ˈhɒlɪhɛd/ HOL-i-hed; Welsh: Caergybi [kɑːɨrˈɡəbi], "the town of Cybi") is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland.
  Despite being the largest town in the county, with a population of 11,237 (2001 census), it is neither the county town nor actually on the island of Anglesey. Holyhead is located on Holy Island. It was originally connected to Anglesey via Four Mile Bridge, so called because it was four miles (6 km) from Holyhead on the old turnpike Road to London. In the mid 19th century, Lord Stanley, a local philanthropist, funded the building of a larger causeway.^{[citation needed]} Known locally as "The Cob", it now carries the A5 and the railway line. The A55 dual carriageway runs parallel to The Cob on a modern causeway.
  The town centre is built around St. Cybi's Church, which is built inside one of Europe's few three-walled Roman forts (the fourth wall being the sea, which used to come up to the fort). The Romans also built a watchtower on the top of Holyhead Mountain inside Mynydd y Twr, a prehistoric hillfort. Settlements in the area date from prehistoric times, with circular huts, burial chambers and standing stones featuring in the highest concentration in Britain. The current lighthouse is on South Stack on the other side of Holyhead Mountain and is open to the public. The area is also popular with birdwatchers.
  
  wn.com/Holyhead
• 
  India
  India (ⁱ/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
  Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
  
  wn.com/India
• 
  London
  London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
  London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
  
  wn.com/London
• 
  Merseyside
  Merseyside ( /ˈmɜrzisaɪd/) is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool. Merseyside, which was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, takes its name from the River Mersey.
  Merseyside spans 249 square miles (645 km²) of land which border Lancashire (to the north-east), Greater Manchester (to the east), and Cheshire (to the south and south-west); the Irish Sea is to the west. North Wales is across the Dee Estuary. There is a mix of high density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Merseyside, but overwhelmingly the land use is urban. It has a focused central business district, formed by Liverpool City Centre, but Merseyside is also a polycentric county with five metropolitan districts, each of which has at least one major town centre and outlying suburbs. The Liverpool Urban Area is the seventh most populous conurbation in the UK, and dominates the geographic centre of the county, while the smaller Birkenhead Urban Area dominates the Wirral Peninsula in the south.
  
  wn.com/Merseyside
• 
  Midland Metro
  The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group (NEG), under the brand name Travel Midland Metro (TMM).
  The current line opened in 1999, mostly using a disused railway trackbed. In Birmingham, it terminates at Snow Hill station. An extension to the line, allowing trams to run into Birmingham city centre, was approved in 2012, and is expected to be operational by 2015. Various other extensions, including entirely new lines, have been proposed but not yet approved.
  In June 1984,around the same time as a brief experiment with guided buses, the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (Centro) and the soon to be abolished West Midlands County Council, planned a tram line between Five Ways, just west of Birmingham city centre, and the Clock Garage, in the eastern suburbs. It would have involved property demolition, and was to have been the first of a series of tramways known as the 'Light Rail Transit' system.
  
  wn.com/Midland_Metro
• 
  Oxfordshire
  Oxfordshire ( /ˈɒksfərdʃər/ or /ˈɒksfərdʃɪər/; archaically the County of Oxford; abbreviated Oxon from the Latinised form of "Oxford", Oxonia) is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire (to the north/northeast), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the southwest) and Gloucestershire (to the west).
  The county has major education and tourist industries. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.
  The main centre of population is the city of Oxford. Other significant settlements are Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, and Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford; Witney to the west; Thame and Chinnor to the east; and Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped^{[clarification needed]} to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the South Midlands growth area.
  
  wn.com/Oxfordshire
• Q3 Academy
  Coordinates: 52°33′13″N 1°56′42″W / 52.5535°N 1.9449°W / 52.5535; -1.9449
  Q3 Academy, previously known as Dartmouth High School, is an Academy type secondary school located on Wilderness Lane in Great Barr, England, near the border with Birmingham in the Great Barr area of the City. It used to be controlled by Sandwell LEA.
  Dartmouth High School opened in September 1964 as a secondary modern school, becoming comprehensive in September 1969.
  It became Q3 Academy in September 2008. In August 2008, the project to rebuild the school began. It took 21 months to build, and was ready for students in April 2010, straight after the Easter Holiday. The old building is now demolished and the final landscaping phase is taking place. The whole project should be completed by September 2010.
  The school's current head teacher is Caroline Badyal. She arrived on a secondment from the Dormston School in Sedgley (where she had been a deputy head teacher for four years and a member of staff for 12 years) in September 2002, and received the job on a permanent basis in April 2003.
  
  wn.com/Q3_Academy
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  Rowley Regis
  Coordinates: 52°29′N 2°04′W / 52.48°N 2.06°W / 52.48; -2.06
  Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to understand.
  The history of Rowley Regis began centuries ago when a small village grew around the parish church of St Giles approximately two miles south-east of Dudley. It began to develop as a town between the two world wars, when thousands of privately owned and local authority houses were built in the surrounding area. During that time, Rowley Regis became a borough and incorporated the neighbouring communities of Blackheath, Old Hill and Cradley Heath. These places were all within the ancient parish of Rowley Regis, which (despite being in the county of Staffordshire) was in the diocese of Worcester. The parish contained the manors of Rowley Regis and Rowley Somery, the latter being part of the barony of Dudley, but the extents of these manors and the relationship between them are not clear.
  
  wn.com/Rowley_Regis
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  Sandwell
  Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of 33 square miles (85 km²). The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Tividale, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich. West Bromwich is the most populous town in Sandwell, but Sandwell Council House (the headquarters of Sandwell's local government) is located at Oldbury.
  The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell was formed in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of the former County Borough of Warley and County Borough of West Bromwich. For its first 12 years Sandwell had a two-tier system of local government; Sandwell Council shared power with the West Midlands County Council. Since the Local Government Act 1985 Sandwell Council has effectively been a unitary authority, serving as the sole executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local policy, setting council tax, and allocating budget in the district.
  
  wn.com/Sandwell
• Sandwell Valley
  Sandwell Valley is an area of green belt in the West Midlands of England, on the border of Birmingham and West Bromwich, with Walsall at its northern end.
  It is a valley on the River Tame of which 720 hectares (1,800 acres) are owned by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, with the RSPB leasing 25 acres as RSPB Sandwell Valley nature reserve. Within this large area, is the 270 hectares (670 acres) Sandwell Valley Country Park, which contains two visitor centres, Forge Mill Farm and Sandwell Park Farm, the former using modern farming techniques, the latter with a walled kitchen garden and rare breeds of farm animals, one of 16 farm parks approved nationally by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
  Sot's Hole is one of three Local Nature Reserves in the Country Park, and lies on the edge of the site on Dagger Lane/Church Vale, West Bromwich. In an effort to protect and restore the reserve, a group of local people joined together in November 2005 and formed the Friends of Sot's Hole.
  The earliest evidence of people in Sandwell Valley is in the form of flint tools from the Mesolithic period, but evidence of later periods is also present in the landscape, including the site of Sandwell Hall (home of the Earls of Dartmouth) and Priory Ruins (still evident today). Exhibitions at Sandwell Park Farm tell the story of the people who lived here.
  
  wn.com/Sandwell_Valley
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  Sedgley
  Coordinates: 52°32′24″N 2°07′23″W / 52.540°N 2.123°W / 52.540; -2.123
  Sedgley is a small town and ward in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands of England. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal, Gospel End, Woodsetton, Ettingshall, Coseley and Brierley (now called Bradley), before the Sedgley Urban District was formed in 1894 from Sedgley, Gospel End, the Gornals and Woodsetton, with the remainder of the manor forming Coseley Urban District.
  The bulk of Sedgley was merged into the Dudley County Borough in 1966, which was later abolished to form the metropolitan borough.
  The place name Sedgley was first mentioned in a 985 charter from King Æthelred to Lady Wulfrūn, when describing the Wolverhampton border. The original Old English place name was 'Secg's lēah' – Secg being a personal name (meaning sword bearing man or warrior) and lēah meaning wood, glade or woodland clearing.
  In 1897, the villages of Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley broke away from the Manor of Sedgley to form the Coseley Urban District Council. At the same time, Sedgley Urban District Council was formed to include the rest of the manor, with the exception of Gospel End (which became a part of the Seisdon Rural District). The entire area was part of the Wolverhampton Parliamentary Borough, created in 1832.
  
  wn.com/Sedgley
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  Shropshire
  Shropshire ( /ˈʃrɒpʃər/ or /ˈʃrɒpʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east and Herefordshire to the south. A unitary authority (Shropshire Council) was created on 1 April 2009, taking over from the previous county council and 5 district councils, and covers most of the county. The borough of Telford and Wrekin, included in Shropshire for ceremonial purposes, has been a separate unitary authority since 1998.
  The county's population and economy is centred on five towns: the county town of Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important and is located in the centre of the county;Telford, a new town in the east which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, which is today the most populous; and Oswestry in the north-west, Bridgnorth just to the south of Telford, and Ludlow in the south. The county has many further smaller towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport just to the north-east of Telford, and Market Drayton in the north-east of the county.
  
  wn.com/Shropshire
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  Smethwick
  Coordinates: 52°29′34″N 1°58′06″W / 52.492854°N 1.968226°W / 52.492854; -1.968226
  Smethwick ( /ˈsmɛðɨk/ SMEDH-ick) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire.
  Originally the area was an urban district and from 1894 a municipal borough in the county of Staffordshire. In 1907 it became a county borough. In 1966, Smethwick was merged with the boroughs of Oldbury and Rowley Regis to form the new County Borough of Warley, and was transferred into the county of Worcestershire. This in turn was merged with West Bromwich in 1974 to form the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, which was incorporated into the new West Midlands county.
  In 1888, there had been plans for Smethwick to be incorporated into the city of Birmingham, but the urban district council voted against these plans by a single vote.
  Smethwick had always had strong economic links to Birmingham (even after its independence of county control following the creation of Smethwick County Borough in 1907), although like most areas and towns of the West Midlands has a strong sense of its own identity. The Warley County Borough was placed entirely in Worcestershire on its creation, but Smethwick has also been in Warwickshire and Staffordshire, and since 1974 has formed part of the West Midlands county. The former boundary of Staffordshire, and detached parts of Worcestershire and Shropshire could be found at the Three Shires Oak, in Bearwood.
  
  wn.com/Smethwick
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  Solihull
  Coordinates: 52°24′46″N 1°46′20″W / 52.412903°N 1.772094°W / 52.412903; -1.772094
  Solihull ( /ˈsɒlɨhʌl/ or /ˈsoʊliːhʌl/ or /soʊliˈhʌl/) is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles (14.5 km) southeast of Birmingham city centre. It is the largest town in, and administrative centre of, the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which itself has a population of 200,400.
  Historically part of Warwickshire, Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands. Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in Country)
  Solihull is "commonly thought" to have derived its name from the position of St Alphege parish church – on a “soily” hill. The church was built on a hill of stiff red marl, which turned to sticky mud in wet weather.
  
  wn.com/Solihull
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  Staffordshire
  Staffordshire (/ˈstæfərdʃɪər/ or  /ˈstæfərdʃaɪər/; abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders. It adjoins the ceremonial counties of Cheshire (to the north west), Derbyshire (to the east), Leicestershire (to the east), Warwickshire (to the south east), West Midlands (to the south), Worcestershire (to the south), and Shropshire (to the west).
  The largest city in Staffordshire is Stoke-on-Trent, which is administered separately from the rest of the county as an independent unitary authority. Lichfield also has city status, although this is a considerably smaller cathedral city. Major towns include Stafford (the county town), Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leek and Tamworth.
  Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich and Smethwick were also in Staffordshire until local government reorganisation in 1974, but are now within the West Midlands County in the West Midlands Conurbation.
  With the exception of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire is divided into the districts of Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, and Tamworth.
  
  wn.com/Staffordshire
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  Stourbridge
  Coordinates: 52°27′27″N 2°08′52″W / 52.4575°N 2.1479°W / 52.4575; -2.1479
  Stourbridge  /ˈstaʊərbrɪdʒ/ is a large town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically a part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley.
  The population, as recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,480. Stourbridge is included in the Stourbridge parliamentary constituency, currently held by Margot James of the Conservative Party.
  Stourbridge is a part of the West Midlands metropolitan county and conurbation, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. Stourbridge is located about 13 miles west of Birmingham, at the edge of the industrial Midlands, located between Kidderminster and Dudley.
  Much of the town consists of suburban streets, interspersed with green spaces. Stourbridge borders on green belt land, and is close to unspoiled countryside with rural Shropshire close by to the west. The Clent Hills, Kinver Edge and large areas of farmland lie to the south and west.
  
  wn.com/Stourbridge
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  Sutton Coldfield
  Coordinates: 52°33′47″N 1°49′19″W / 52.563°N 1.822°W / 52.563; -1.822
  Sutton Coldfield ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a town within the city of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton (as it is often abbreviated) is located about 8 miles (13 km) from central Birmingham; it has borders with North Warwickshire, Lichfield, Erdington, Kingstanding and Castle Vale. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census. It forms part of the West Midlands conurbation.
  Historically within Warwickshire, the town has a historical connection to the Royal Family, resulting in it receiving the title of Royal Town when it was a municipal borough in its own right and part of Warwickshire. When the Local Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974, Sutton Coldfield became part of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands County.
  The Etymology of the name Sutton appears to be from South Town.
  The name "Sutton Coldfield" appears to come from this time, being the "south town" (i.e. south of Tamworth and/or Lichfield) on the edge of the "col field". "Col" is usually derived from "charcoal", charcoal burners presumably being active in the area.
  
  wn.com/Sutton_Coldfield
• Tantany
  Tantany is a residential area of West Bromwich. It is situated to the north of the town centre and consists predominantly of council housing constructed during the 1920s. It is served by community facilities including West Bromwich Baptist Church.
  It was West Bromwich's first council housing development when the first houses were built there in 1920.
  A small number of houses on the southern side of the estate were demolished during the 1970s to make way for a dual carriageway that by-passed West Bromwich town centre, though a direct road link between the estate and the town centre does still exist.
  Several houses on Tantany were damaged in air raids during the Second World War, and were rebuilt afterwards.
  A further few houses were demolished during the 1990s and replaced by new private homes, but the bulk of the pre-war housing is still in existence.
  When a number of homes on the nearby Hateley Heath estate were demolished, a number of families were moved to Tantany.
  
  Coordinates: 52°31′34″N 1°59′49″W / 52.526°N 1.997°W / 52.526; -1.997
  
  wn.com/Tantany
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  Tesco
  Coordinates: 51°42′18.89″N 0°1′36.37″W / 51.7052472°N 0.0267694°W / 51.7052472; -0.0267694
  Tesco plc (LSE: TSCO) is a British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues (after Wal-Mart and Carrefour) and the second-largest measured by profits (after Wal-Mart). It has stores in 14 countries across Asia, Europe and North America and is the grocery market leader in the UK (where it has a market share of around 30%), Malaysia, the Republic of Ireland and Thailand.
  The company was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen as a group of market stalls. The Tesco name first appeared in 1924, after Cohen purchased a shipment of tea from T. E. Stockwell and combined those initials with the first two letters of his surname, and the first Tesco store opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Middlesex. His business expanded rapidly, and by 1939 he had over 100 Tesco stores across the country. Originally a UK-focused grocery retailer, since the early 1990s Tesco has increasingly diversified geographically and into areas such as the retailing of books, clothing, electronics, furniture, petrol and software; financial services; telecoms and internet services; DVD rental; and music downloads.
  
  wn.com/Tesco
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  Tipton
  Coordinates: 52°31′33″N 2°04′30″W / 52.5259°N 2.0751°W / 52.5259; -2.0751
  Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country.
  Historically within Staffordshire, Tipton was an urban district until 1938, when it became a municipal borough. The vast majority of the Borough of Tipton was transferred into West Bromwich County Borough in 1966, although the Tividale part of the town became part of Warley. Along with the rest of West Bromwich and Warley, Tipton became part of the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough in 1974 and remains within this local authority to this day.
  Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country.^{[citation needed]} But most of its factories closed during the 1980s and new housing estates have been built on the site of many former factories, the new private homes have seen an upturn in Tipton's fortunes by rising house prices.
  
  wn.com/Tipton
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  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
  The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
  
  wn.com/United_Kingdom
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  Walsall
  Coordinates: 52°35′N 1°59′W / 52.58°N 1.98°W / 52.58; -1.98
  Walsall ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.
  Walsall is the administrative headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, though it has changed its name to Walsall Council. In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 170,994 with the wider borough having a population of 253,500. Neighbouring towns in the borough include Brownhills, Willenhall, Bloxwich and Aldridge.
  The name Walsall is thought to have derived from the words "Walh halh", meaning "valley of the Welsh speakers" (referring to the Brythons). Walsall is first referenced as 'Walesho' in a document dated 1002. Possibly as a result of a clerical error, it is not referenced in the Domesday Book, while the settlements of Aldridge, Bescot, Shelfield, Pelsall, Bloxwich, Great Barr and Rushall within the Metropolitan Borough are. However, it is believed that a manor was held here by William FitzAnsculf, who held numerous manors in the Midlands. By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small market town, with the weekly market being introduced in 1220 and held on Tuesdays. The mayor of Walsall was created as a political position in the 14th century. Walsall is known as "the town of a hundred trades". (This appellation is a nod to the fact that nearby Birmingham is known as "the city of a thousand trades".)
  
  wn.com/Walsall
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  Wednesbury
  Coordinates: 52°33′11″N 2°01′12″W / 52.553°N 2.020°W / 52.553; -2.020
  Wednesbury (/ˈwɛnzbᵊri/WENZ-bər-ee) is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame.
  It is believed that Wednesbury was originally founded as an Iron Age hill fort. The first authenticated spelling of the name was Wodensbyri, written in an endorsement on the back of the copy of the will of Wulfric Spot, dated 1004. Wednesbury is one of the few places in England to be named after a pre-Christian deity.
  Wednesbury is one of the oldest parts of the Black Country. The ending "-bury" comes from the old English word "burgh" meaning a hill or barrow. So "Wednesbury" may mean "Woden's Hill" or "Woden's barrow". It could also mean Woden's fortification, although the former description is often accepted.
  During the Anglo-Saxon period there are believed to have been two battles fought in Wednesbury, one in A.D. 592 and one in 715. According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle there was "a great slaughter" in 592 and "Ceawlin was driven out". Ceawlin was a king of Wessex and the second Bretwalda, or overlord of all Britain. The second battle, in 715, was fought between Mercia (of which Wednesbury was part) and the kingdom of Wessex. Both sides allegedly claimed to have won the battle, although it is believed that the victory inclined to Wessex.
  
  wn.com/Wednesbury
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  Wednesfield
  Coordinates: 52°35′59″N 2°04′54″W / 52.5998°N 2.0817°W / 52.5998; -2.0817
  Wednesfield is a town within the city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) east-northeast of Wolverhampton city centre, and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is historically within the county of Staffordshire.
  Its name comes from the Old English Wōdnesfeld meaning Woden's Field, open land belonging to, or holy to, the high god of the Germanic Pantheon.
  It is reported by the Englisj Dialectal Society in the publication "A Glossary of dialectal place-nomenclature" available on-line in the Internet Archive of The University of Toronto Library, that the place name "Wednesfield" is pronounced by the local populace as "Wedgefield". Indeed, The 1871 Census enumerators have used the name "Wedgefield" rather than "Wednesfield" when recording the place of birth of some of those persons enumerated.
  Local areas include Ashmore Park and Wood End. There is also a formal garden at Wednesfield Park.
  Wednesfield lies at 52°35′59″N 2°04′54″W / 52.5998°N 2.0817°W / 52.5998; -2.0817 (52.5998°, -2.0817°), and is located to the northeast of Wolverhampton city centre on the northern fringe of the West Midlands conurbation. It is historically part of the county of Staffordshire, and since 1974 has been part of the West Midlands metropolitan county.
  
  wn.com/Wednesfield
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  West Bromwich
  Coordinates: 52°31′30″N 2°00′58″W / 52.525°N 2.016°W / 52.525; -2.016
  West Bromwich ⁱ/wɛst ˈbrɒmɪtʃ/ is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road and is part of the Black Country. Historically within Staffordshire, West Bromwich is the largest town within Sandwell, with a population of 136,940 at the time of the 2001 census.
  The Latin motto on the town's coat of arms translates as "Work Conquers All".
  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.
  
  wn.com/West_Bromwich
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  Willenhall
  Coordinates: 52°34′47″N 2°03′38″W / 52.57980°N 2.06046°W / 52.57980; -2.06046
  Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire. It lies upon the River Tame.
  The urban district of Willenhall (established by the Local Government Act 1894) was partitioned in 1966 between the county boroughs of Walsall and Wolverhampton (since 1974 the metropolitan boroughs of Walsall and Wolverhampton).
  The northern border of Willenhall has always been adjoining green belt land, although Willenhall has expanded so much in the last 100 years that its northern border has been moved by about two miles. This is mostly due to housing developments in the Short Heath and New Invention areas.
  As a town it is historically famous for the manufacture of locks and keys. As early as 1770 Willenhall contained 148 skilled locksmiths and its coat of arms reflects the importance of this industry to its growth. Its motto is "Salus Populi Suprema Lex" - The welfare of the people is the highest law.
  
  wn.com/Willenhall
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  Wolverhampton
  Wolverhampton ⁱ/ˌwʊlvərˈhæmptən/ is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG35) and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100. Wolverhampton is part of the West Midlands Urban Area which had a population of 2.3 million in the 2001 census which makes it part of the second largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
  Historically a part of Staffordshire, and forming part of the metropolitan county of the West Midlands from 1974, the city is commonly recognised as being named after King Wulfhere, who established an abbey in 659. The original name being from Wulfereēantūn = "Wulfhere's high or principal enclosure or farm" after the Mercian King. The name Wulfrun is used to denote a later nun who established a church in the city – for example, for the Wulfrun Centre or for Wulfrun Hall.
  
  wn.com/Wolverhampton
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  Worcester
  The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, (ⁱ/ˈwʊstər/ WUUS-tər), is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the twelfth-century Worcester Cathedral. The site of the final battle of the Civil War, Worcester was where Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated King Charles II's Cavaliers, resulting in the English Interregnum, the ten-year period during which England and Wales became a republic. Worcester was the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain and the birthplace of the composer Sir Edward Elgar. It houses the Lea and Perrins factory where the traditional Worcestershire Sauce is made, and is home to one of the UK's fastest growing universities, the University of Worcester.
  Occupation of the site of Worcester can be dated back to Neolithic times, a village surrounded by defensive ramparts having been founded on the eastern bank of the River Severn in around 400 BC. The position, which commanded a ford on the river, was used in the first century by the Romans to establish what may at first have been a fort on the military route from Glevum (Gloucester) to Viroconium (Wroxeter) but which soon developed – as the frontier of the empire was pushed westwards – into an industrial town with its own pottery kilns and iron-smelting plants.
  
  wn.com/Worcester

• Adrian Bailey
  Adrian Edward Bailey (born 11 December 1949) is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich West since winning the seat at a by-election in 2000. He is also the Chairman of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.
  Born in Salisbury, Bailey was educated at Cheltenham Grammar School before going on to university at the University of Exeter, graduating in 1967 with an Honours Degree in Economic History. Subsequently he trained at the Loughborough College of Librarianship and graduated in 1971 with a postgraduate diploma in Librarianship. From 1971-1982 he was employed as a professional librarian by Cheshire County Council and from 1973 to 1982 he also worked as a librarian and teacher of study skills in a Cheshire Comprehensive school.
  Bailey contested the seat of Worcester at the 1970 general election, where he was easily defeated by Peter Walker. At both the February 1974 general election and October 1974 general election he unsuccessfully contested the Cheshire seat of Nantwich, where he was defeated by John Cockcroft.
  
  wn.com/Adrian_Bailey
• Al Atkins
  Alan John "Al" Atkins (born 11 October 1947, Stone Cross, West Bromwich, Birmingham, England) is an English heavy metal vocalist, perhaps best known for his association with Judas Priest.
  Atkins began his musical career in 1964, singing in a succession of blues rock outfits before forming a band in September 1969, named Judas Priest (named after the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"). Featuring a musical direction unrelated to the future metal band, this band lasted until April 1970, developing a small following in Birmingham before splitting up over creative differences.
  By this time, bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were emerging, and Atkins was interested in pursuing a similar direction. Fellow Birmingham musicians K.K. Downing, Ian Hill and John Ellis, who were in a band called Freight (April-October 1970) had similar musical interests, and teamed up with Atkins to form a new band. Atkins did not like the name Freight, so he suggested they be called Judas Priest, as he had rights to the name. After gaining a following in Birmingham, the Atkins-led Priest recorded a demo in 1971, which attracted the attention of Tony Iommi's management but failed to endear them with any of London's major record labels.
  
  wn.com/Al_Atkins
• Anne Aston
  Anne Aston (born Anne Lloyd 1 January 1948 in Glasgow, Scotland) is an actress and television presenter best known as the hostess of the The Golden Shot in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
  She grew up in West Bromwich in the Midlands and attended West Bromwich Technical High School. After leaving school she worked for the travel agency run by her father before successfully auditioning for the Golden Shot in 1967. On the show she was cast as the stereotypical dumb mini-skirted blonde who struggled to add up the contestants' scores.
  Her acting roles include Up the Chastity Belt (1971) and Jason King (1971).
  She later went on to run a property business in Hampshire.
  
  wn.com/Anne_Aston
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  Betty Boothroyd
  Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC (born 8 October 1929) is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons. She was the first, and to date only, female Speaker.
  Boothroyd was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in 1929, to Archibald and Mary Boothroyd, textile workers. She was educated at council schools and went on to study at Dewsbury College of Commerce and Art. In the 1940s, she enjoyed a career as a dancer, as a member of the Tiller Girls dancing troupe.
  In 1960, she travelled to the United States to see the Kennedy campaign. She subsequently began work in Washington as a legislative assistant for an American Congressman, Silvio Conte, between 1960 and 1962. When she returned to London she continued her work as secretary and political assistant to various senior Labour politicians. In 1965 she was elected to a seat on Hammersmith Borough Council, in Gibbs Green ward, where she remained until 1968.
  
  wn.com/Betty_Boothroyd
• Brian Walden
  Alastair Brian Walden (born on 8 July 1932 in West Bromwich) is a British journalist and broadcaster who was a Labour Member of Parliament for a decade. He is the father of actor Ben Walden.
  The son of a glass-worker, Walden attended West Bromwich Grammar School. He then won a major open scholarship to study at The Queen's College, Oxford and in 1957 was elected President of the Oxford Union. He completed a postgraduate course at Nuffield College, Oxford, before becoming a University Lecturer.
  At the 1964 general election, Walden was elected the MP for Birmingham All Saints, later Birmingham Ladywood, in an election where race dominated the Birmingham campaign (see Patrick Gordon Walker). He was re-elected in the subsequent General Elections of 1966, 1970, February 1974 and October 1974. He was a campaigner for the liberalisation of the cannabis and gambling laws, even named by some as "the bookies' MP" when he was revealed to be receiving more from the National Association of Bookmakers than from his parliamentary salary.
  
  wn.com/Brian_Walden
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  Bryan Robson
  Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and a former player. He played in midfield for West Bromwich Albion in the late 70s before moving to Manchester United in 1981 where he became the longest serving captain in the club's history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008. The following month, Robson returned to Manchester United as an ambassador for the club.
  Born in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, Robson began his playing career at West Bromwich Albion, before moving on to Manchester United, whom he captained to three FA Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup. He also won two FA Premiership winners medals. Towards the end of his playing career he moved into management as player-manager with Middlesbrough. Robson had a good goal-scoring record; terrific anticipation, movement, timing on and off the ball; was fiercely competitive and brave; possessed high levels of stamina; tackled, passed well and was also a good header of the ball.^{[citation needed]} He represented England on 90 occasions, making him the sixth most capped England player of all-time, and has the eleventh highest goalscoring tally with 26. Robson captained his country 65 times, with only Bobby Moore and Billy Wright having captained England on more occasions. Robson is also known by the nicknames "Robbo" and "Captain Marvel". Bobby Robson stated that after Kevin Beattie, Robson was, along with Alan Shearer, the best British player he ever worked with. In August 2011, Robson was voted as the greatest ever Manchester United player from a poll of ex Manchester United Players as part of a new book, 19, released to celebrate their 19th league title win.
  
  wn.com/Bryan_Robson
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  Denise Lewis
  Denise Lewis OBE (born 27 August 1972, in West Bromwich, England) is a retired British athlete who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Since retiring from athletics she has undertaken various television and media work, and is now a regular athletics pundit for BBC television.
  The first day of the 2000 Summer Olympics heptathlon was 23 September. In the first event, Lewis recorded 13.23 seconds for the 100 metres hurdles to be in second place behind the world champion, Eunice Barber, who had finished in 12.97 seconds. Ghada Shouaa, the 1996 Olympic champion, pulled-out after only 20 metres of her heat.
  After a poor performance in the high jump of only 1.75 m, some way off her personal best, Lewis was in eighth place, 152 points behind Barber who had increased her lead. In the third event, the shot put, Lewis recorded a distance of 15.55 m, placing her second. 30 points behind Natallia Sazanovich and 45 points ahead of former world champion Sabine Braun. Barber's distance of 11.27 m put her in eighth place.
  
  wn.com/Denise_Lewis
• 
  Francis Asbury
  Francis Asbury (ăz'bərē, -bĕ-), (August 20, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now The United Methodist Church in the United States. As a young man in October 1771, English-born Francis Asbury traveled to America and, during his 45-year ministry in America, he devoted his life to ministry, traveling on horseback or by carriage thousands of miles to faithfully deliver sermons to those living on the frontier. Bishop Asbury's tireless leadership helped spread Methodism in America. He also launched several schools during his lifetime, although his own formal education was limited. His journal too left a lasting legacy and is valuable to scholars for its account of frontier society, as well as giving insights into his personal life and ministry.
  
  wn.com/Francis_Asbury
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  Frank Skinner
  Frank Skinner (born Christopher Graham Collins on 28 January 1957 in West Bromwich)^{[citation needed]} is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."
  He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.
  Skinner was born at Sandwell General Hospital, and grew up in a council house in neighbouring Oldbury. He was the youngest of four children born to West Cornforth-born former semi-professional footballer John Collins and his wife Doris. He has two older brothers, Keith and Terry, and an older sister, Nora. His father played for Spennymoor United before the Second World War, and met his mother in a local pub after Spennymoor had played West Bromwich Albion in an FA Cup game in 1937. Skinner attended Moat Farm Infant School from 1961 to 1964, St. Hubert's Roman Catholic Junior School from 1964 to 1968, and then Oldbury Technical Secondary School from September 1968.
  
  wn.com/Frank_Skinner
• Gary Bull
  Gary William Bull (born 12 June 1966 in West Bromwich) is an English footballer currently playing for Boston Town.
  Having been a trainee at Southampton, Bull joined Cambridge United in March 1988. Bull first came to prominence at Barnet, scoring the goal that took them into the Football League for the first time. Whilst at York City in 1996 he scored a goal as they beat Everton 3-2 in the second round 2nd leg of the League Cup.
  He has played for many clubs, most notably Nottingham Forest, typically as a centre forward. During the 2006-07 season at Boston Town, he scored 57 goals, a club record.
  He is the cousin of Steve Bull.
  
  wn.com/Gary_Bull
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  Ian Hill
  Ian Hill (born Ian Frank Hill, 20 January 1951, in Yew Tree Estate, West Bromwich, England) is a founding member and bassist for the Birmingham-based Grammy award winning heavy metal band, Judas Priest. His only three songwriter credits for Judas Priest are "Winter" and "Caviar and Meths", both featured on the first Priest-album Rocka Rolla, and "Invader", featured on Stained Class. As of 2011, Hill is the sole constant member of Judas Priest following the departure of KK Downing.
  Hill learned how to play the double bass from his father, a bass player for local jazz acts. His father died when he was only fifteen, but his contribution to Hill was the foundation for years to come. In 1970, together with schoolmate K.K. Downing, Hill formed pioneering heavy metal band Judas Priest. He has been playing bass with the band ever since and has witnessed them achieve platinum-covered status around the world.
  Hill is known^{[citation needed]} for his solid and melodic bass playing, which proved to be the ideal background for the dual guitars of K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton and Rob Halford's operatic vocals. He also played a twin-neck bass guitar in concert on the DVD Electric Eye. During the early years of the band, he played bass finger-picking, but in the band's later years, he began playing with a pick which he felt adds "attack" to the songs. On rare occasions, he still plays with his fingers.
  
  wn.com/Ian_Hill
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  Jana Bellin
  Jana Bellin (born December 9, 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia; née Malypetrová), chess player, was awarded her WIM (Woman International Master) of chess title in 1969, and WGM (Woman Grandmaster) title in 1982.
  She won the British Women's Championship in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 (after a play-off), and 1979. At the Olympiad, she earned a bronze medal in 1968 with the Czechoslovakian team, and a silver in 1976 with the English team.
  Bellin is a medical doctor specialising in anaesthesiology, and works in intensive care at Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich, England.
  She is also Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission, which supervises drug testing of chess players.
  Bellin was married first to International Master William Hartston, then to Grandmaster Tony Miles, and after that to International Master Robert Bellin. She and Bellin have two sons: Robert (born 1989) and Christopher (born 1991).
  She is the granddaughter of the thrice Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Jan Malypetr.
  
  wn.com/Jana_Bellin
• 
  Jeff Astle
  Jeffrey "Jeff" Astle (13 May 1942 – 19 January 2002) was an English footballer. He played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion, scoring 174 goals, and was one of the most iconic players in the history of the club. He also won five caps for England, but did not score any goals. He was an iconic figure among Albion fans, who nicknamed him "The King".
  Born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire (in the same street, or so he claimed, as D. H. Lawrence), Astle turned professional with Notts County F.C. when he was 17. His style was that of a classic centre forward; he was a protegé of the great Tommy Lawton. In 1964 he signed for West Brom for a fee of £25,000. Of his 174 goals for the Baggies, the most notable was probably the only goal in the 1968 FA Cup final, with which he completed the feat of scoring in every round of the competition.
  Two years later, Astle scored in Albion's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City in the League Cup final, becoming the first player to score in the finals of both of the major English cup competitions at Wembley. He had already scored in the first leg of the 1966 League Cup Final four years previously, however that was at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground.
  
  wn.com/Jeff_Astle
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  Karl Shuker
  Karl P. N. Shuker (born 1959) is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author living in the West Midlands, England. He works as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and noted author specializing in cryptozoology.
  Shuker received a BSc(Hons) in zoology from the University of Leeds and a PhD in zoology and comparative physiology from the University of Birmingham. He is a Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a consultant for the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and a member of the Society of Authors.
  Shuker is one of the leading cryptozoologists in the English speaking world. Some of his larger works include Mystery Cats of the World (1989), The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (1993; expanded in 2002 as The New Zoo), and In Search of Prehistoric Survivors (1995), as well as two worldwide bestsellers – Dragons: A Natural History (1995; reissued in 2006), and The Unexplained (1996; reissued in 2002). Shuker also published Star Steeds and Other Dreams, a book of poetry which appeared in 2009.
  
  wn.com/Karl_Shuker
• Laurie Cunningham
  Laurence Paul "Laurie" Cunningham (8 March 1956 – 15 July 1989) was an England international footballer. When he joined Real Madrid, he became the first English player in the club's history.
  He was also the first black player to represent England at any level (under 21), and the first to represent the full England side in a competitive match.
  Born in Archway, London, Cunningham started in schoolboy football and was turned down by Arsenal before joining Leyton Orient in 1974. He joined West Bromwich Albion in 1977, where, under manager Johnny Giles, he teamed up with another black player, Cyrille Regis, and the following year (under Ron Atkinson) with Brendon Batson. This was the first time an English team simultaneously fielded three black players, and Atkinson collectively referred to Cunningham, Batson and Regis as 'The Three Degrees' after the legendary U.S. soul singing trio.
  West Bromwich Albion became one of the most attractive and exciting English sides in the late 1970s and Cunningham soon attracted attention. He became the first black player to wear an England shirt at any level in England under-21s' friendly against Scotland at Bramall Lane on 27 April 1977, scoring on his debut. He subsequently earned a full England cap, making his debut against Wales in a Home International on 23 May 1979. Although Viv Anderson had made his England debut in a friendly six months previously and thus was the first black player to play for the senior England team, Cunningham was the first black player to play in a competitive England match. In June 1979, Cunningham gained his 2nd and 3rd caps, against Sweden and Austria respectively.
  
  wn.com/Laurie_Cunningham
• Madeleine Carroll
  Edith Madeleine Carroll (26 February 1906 – 2 October 1987) was an English actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.
  Carroll was born at 32 Herbert Street (now number 44) in West Bromwich, Staffordshire. She graduated from the University of Birmingham, with a B.A. degree. She once taught in a girls' public school.
  Carroll made her stage debut with a touring company in The Lash. Widely recognised as one of the most beautiful women in films (she won a film beauty competition to start herself off in the business), Carroll's aristocratic blonde allure and sophisticated style were first glimpsed by film audiences in The Guns of Loos in 1928. Rapidly rising to stardom in Britain, she graced such popular films of the early 1930s as Young Woodley, Atlantic, The School for Scandal and I Was a Spy. She played the title role in the play Little Catherine. Abruptly, she announced plans to retire from films to devote herself to a private life with her husband, the first of four.
  Carroll attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock and, in 1935, starred as one of the director's earliest prototypical cool, glib, intelligent blondes in The 39 Steps based on the espionage novel by John Buchan. The film became a sensation and with it, so did Carroll. Cited by the New York Times for a performance that was "charming and skillful",^{[citation needed]} Carroll became very much in demand thanks, in part, to director Hitchcock, who later admitted that he worked very hard with her to bring out the vivacious and sexy qualities she possessed offscreen, but which sometimes vanished when cameras rolled.^{[citation needed]} Of Hitchcock's heroines, as exemplified by Carroll, film critic Roger Ebert once wrote that they "reflected the same qualities over and over again: They were blonde. They were icy and remote. They were imprisoned in costumes that subtly combined fashion with fetishism. They mesmerised the men, who often had physical or psychological handicaps."^{[citation needed]}
  
  wn.com/Madeleine_Carroll
• Major Nichols
  Major Albert Nichols (September 17, 1914 – August 3, 2005) was the last of the craftsmen cycle makers of the West Midlands of England. He was born in West Bromwich in his father's cycle shop at 5 Reform Street. Major was a frequent name in Birmingham and the Black Country.
  He trained in the electrical industry and served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. On the death of his father in 1947, he took over the business and taught himself lightweight cycle-frame building, which he carried out in West Bromwich from the early 1950s until 1971 when the area was redeveloped.
  Nichols moved to a former shop at 48 Durban Road in nearby Smethwick. His last frame was built in 1995. He was a vice-president of the Hill Top Cycling Club and at its 21st anniversary dinner in 1956 he presented one of his early track frames to the first Briton to finish the Tour de France, Brian Robinson.
  His cycles were ridden to success by Anthony Taylor , Paul Carbutt, Roy Cox, Ray Ward, Phil Bayton and others.
  
  wn.com/Major_Nichols
• Matthew Marsden
  Matthew Marsden (born 3 March 1973) is an English actor, martial artist, model and singer. In the United Kingdom, he played Chris Collins on Coronation Street. In the United States he is best known as a film actor, having appeared in Helen of Troy, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Tamara, Resident Evil: Extinction, Rambo, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Atlas Shrugged.
  Marsden was born in Sandwell General Hospital and brought up on the Yew Tree Estate, Walsall. His father abandoned the family when Matthew was ten years old and he and his sister were brought up by their mother, Ann. He was a pupil of Manor High School, Wednesbury, before leaving to go to Dartmouth High School in Great Barr. After leaving school he took up acting and joined the National Youth Theatre.
  He later found work as a model in London with "Models 1", Paris with "Men of Karin" and Milan with "Beatrice" and featured in commercials for products such as Jacobs Coffee, Punica, Vimto and Impulse body spray. Marsden has since commented "I was at college in London and when you're a struggling student it doesn't take a genius to work out that it's easier to model for a few hours each week and earn thousands of pounds than work in a bar for a pittance. But I hated doing it really." After nearly two years of modelling he decided to get an agent, and found work as an actor.
  
  wn.com/Matthew_Marsden
• 
  Phil Lynott
  Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott ( /ˈlaɪnət/; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy.
  As the leader of the band, Lynott's vocals and bass guitar were a key element in the commercial success of a string of hit songs, notably "Whiskey in the Jar", "The Boys are Back in Town", "Jailbreak" and "Waiting for an Alibi". Lynott also embarked upon a solo career, published two books of poetry, and after Thin Lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam, of which he was the leader until it folded in 1984. In the period before his death, he had major UK success with Gary Moore with the song “Out in the Fields”, followed by a minor hit "Nineteen".
  
  wn.com/Phil_Lynott
• 
  Reform Act 1832
  The Representation of the People Act 1832 (commonly known as the Reform Act 1832 or sometimes as The Great Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament (2 & 3 Will. IV) that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales. According to its preamble, the act was designed to "take effectual Measures for correcting divers Abuses that have long prevailed in the Choice of Members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament."
  Calls for reform had been mooted long before 1832, but perennially without success. The Act which finally succeeded was proposed by the Whigs, led by the Prime Minister Lord Grey. It met with significant opposition from the Pittite factions in Parliament that had governed the country for so long (opposition was especially pronounced in the House of Lords). Nevertheless, as a result of public pressure, the bill was eventually passed. The Act granted seats in the House of Commons to large cities that had sprung up during the Industrial Revolution, and took away seats from the "rotten boroughs"—those with very small populations. The Act also increased the number of individuals entitled to vote, increasing the size of the electorate from about 400,000 to 650,000, and allowing a total of one out of six adult males to vote, in a population of some 14 million.
  
  wn.com/Reform_Act_1832
• 
  Reform Act 1867
  The Representation of the People Act 1867', 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 (known informally as the Reform Act of 1867 or the Second Reform Act) was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised the urban male working class in England and Wales.
  Before the Act, only one million of the five million adult males in England and Wales could vote; the act doubled that number. In its final form, the Reform Act of 1867 enfranchised all male householders and compounding was also subsequently abolished in the process. However, there was little redistribution of seats; and what there was had been intended to help the Conservative Party.
  For many years after the Great Reform Act of 1832, governments had resisted attempts to push through further reform, and in particular in rejecting the claims of the Chartist movement. After 1848, this movement declined rapidly , and elite opinion began to change^{[citation needed]} . It was quite a number of years later that it was thought prudent^{[by whom?]} to introduce further electoral reform. Lord John Russell attempted this in 1860, but the Prime Minister Lord Palmerston was against any further electoral reform. When Palmerston died in 1865, however, the floodgates for reform were opened.
  
  wn.com/Reform_Act_1867
• 
  Reuben Farley
  Reuben Farley was born in West Bromwich on 17 January 1826 and died in 1899. He was the eighth of ten children of the mining engineer Thomas Farley (1781–1830).
  Farley was a pupil at Borwicks Heath Academy and an active member of the West Bromwich Institution for the Advancement of Knowledge.
  After a mining apprenticeship, Farley took over Dunkirk Colliery when he was twenty-one. By 1861 he bought the Summit Foundry with his brother-in-law George Taylor. The foundry became one of the largest of its kind in South Staffordshire, and the firm won a medal at the 1897 Brussels Exhibition.
  Farley played a leading role in several local limited companies. He was a leading shareholder and Chairman in Fellows Morton and Clayton, a large canal carrier which his brother-in-law Joshua Fellows had founded, and Edwin Danks & Co. an important local maker of boilers and boats. He was a director of the Sandwell Park Colliery Co. and later an active Chairman of the Hamstead Colliery Co.
  His labour relations attitudes were stern. He condemned the eight-hour day as ‘interference with the liberty of the subject’ He also criticised union organisers at the Summit Foundry for alienating employers from workmen. However, Farley provided excursions and pensions in his own firm and experienced little labour trouble.
  
  wn.com/Reuben_Farley
• 
  Robert Plant
  Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.
  With a career spanning more than 40 years, Plant is regarded as one of the most significant singers in the history of rock music, and has influenced contemporaries and later singers such as Freddie Mercury and Axl Rose. In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All-Time". In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers' pick placed Plant in first place of the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time".
  Plant was born in the Black Country town of West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire now in West Midlands) to parents Robert C. who worked as a civil engineer and Annie C. (Cain) Plant, but grew up in Kidderminster, in Worcestershire. Plant gained an interest in singing and rock and roll music at an early age.
  
  wn.com/Robert_Plant
• Ronnie Allen
  Ronald "Ronnie" Allen (15 January 1929 – 9 June 2001) was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team. He later became a manager at clubs in England, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. His son, Russell, also played professional football throughout the 1970s.
  Starting his career in 1946 with Port Vale, he spent four years with the club, before making a record breaking transfer to West Bromwich Albion. He was one of the best strikers of the 1950s, playing over 400 games, with a ratio of a goal every two games. He lifted the FA Cup in 1954, and helped the club to the FA Charity Shield in 1954, and a second place finish in the First Division in 1953–54. In 1961 he signed with Crystal Palace, where he spent the final four years of his playing career. He helped Palace win promotion out of the Third Division in 1963–64.
  
  wn.com/Ronnie_Allen
• 
  Steve Webb
  Steven John Webb, better known as Steve Webb (born 18 July 1965), is an English Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Thornbury & Yate and the Minister of State for Pensions.
  Webb was born in West Bromwich to Brian and Patricia Webb, and attended the local comprehensive school (Dartmouth High School), before going on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Hertford College, Oxford. He then worked at the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London, where he specialised in researching into poverty, taxes and benefits. In 1995, he became a Professor of Social Policy at the University of Bath.
  At the 1997 General Election Webb was elected as MP for Northavon, just north of Bristol, overturning a Conservative majority of over 11,000. He increased a 2,137 majority to 9,877 in the 2001 Election and again to 11,033 in the 2005 Election.
  In 2001, Webb was promoted by Charles Kennedy to lead spokesman for the Liberal Democrats on Work and Pensions, a portfolio he had worked in since 1999. He continued in this position until being appointed as Liberal Democrat Health spokesman in 2005. At the end of 2006, he started a new role co-ordinating the party's manifesto for the next general election. In the first reshuffle after the leadership election, he was appointed Liberal Democrat Environment, Energy, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman. Following Gordon Brown's reshuffle in October 2008, he shadowed Ed Miliband in the newly formed Department for Energy and Climate Change. On 8 January 2009 Nick Clegg announced his "General Election Team" and an "economic recovery group" with Webb appointed as Work and Pensions spokesman.
  
  wn.com/Steve_Webb
• Stewart Donaldson
  Stewart I. Donaldson is a psychologist, specializing in evaluation science and optimal human and organizational functioning. He holds appointments as Professor and Chair of Psychology, Director of the Institute of Organizational and Program Evaluation Research, and Dean of the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.
  He was born in West Bromwich, England on February 28, 1961 but was raised and educated in California. He received a B.A. in Behavioral Science with a minor in Marketing Management from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, M.A. in General Experimental Psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in Psychology specializing in Organizational Behavior and Evaluation Research from Claremont Graduate University. Before joining the faculty at Claremont Graduate University in 1995, he was on the faculty at the University of Southern California (USC), 1990-1995.
  
  wn.com/Stewart_Donaldson
• 
  Thomas Telford
  Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE (1757–1834) was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.
  Telford was born on 9 August 1757 at Glendinning, a hill farm 3 miles west of Eskdalemuir Kirk, in the rural parish of Westerkirk, in Eskdale, Dumfriesshire. His father John Telford, a shepherd, died soon after Thomas was born. Thomas was raised in poverty by his mother Janet Jackson (d.1794).
  At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and some of his earliest work can still be seen on the bridge across the River Esk in Langholm in the Scottish borders. He worked for a time in Edinburgh and in 1782 he moved to London where (after meeting architects Robert Adam and Sir William Chambers) he was involved in building additions to Somerset House there. Two years later he found work at Portsmouth dockyard and — although still largely self-taught — was extending his talents to the specification, design and management of building projects.
  In 1787, through his wealthy patron William Pulteney, he became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire. Civil engineering was a discipline still in its infancy, so Telford was set on establishing himself as an architect. His projects included renovation of Shrewsbury Castle, the town's prison (during the planning of which he met leading prison reformer John Howard), the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth and another church in Madeley. (Called in to advise on a leaking roof at St Chad's Church Shrewsbury in 1788, he correctly warned the church was in imminent danger of collapse; his reputation was made locally when it collapsed 3 days later, but he was not the architect for its replacement).
  
  wn.com/Thomas_Telford
• 
  Will Alsop
  Will (William) Allen Alsop, OBE RA (born 12 December 1947) is a British architect based in London. He is responsible for several distinctive and controversial modernist buildings, most in the United Kingdom. Alsop's buildings are usually distinguished by their use of bright colour and unusual forms. While Alsop has won praise from some critics and fans of avant-garde architecture, he has also faced criticism from fellow architects and some segments of the general public.
  Alsop hails from Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, he was born on 12 December 1947. He always wanted to be an architect, even before he really knew what architects did; when he was six years old, he designed a house for his mother to live in – its most striking specification was that it had to be built in New Zealand. When he was 16 his father, an accountant, died, and being bored with school he left to work for an architect, doing his A-levels at evening classes.
  He was greatly influenced by his drawing tuitor, Henry Bird while at foundation course at Northampton Art School. He recalled how was taught to draw by him. "He gave me a brick, told me to draw it and promptly left the room. I proceeded to draw it with all its shadows. On his return he went into a rage and chastised me for destroying the vision with shading, shouting: 'What is wrong with a simple line?' He insisted that I redo the drawing with line only so that I could begin to see the brick and its proportions. I drew that brick for two three hour sessions per week, line only, for three months. Eventually, he admitted that I had mastered the brick and I was allowed to progress onto the tin can. After 18 months it was the nude model. His vision was one of economy of line and discipline. It worked."
  
  wn.com/Will_Alsop

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