Essential Hotels > England > West Midlands > Walsall

Known as a large industrial town in the West Midlands, Walsall is an up-and-coming destination that has had plenty of developments in recent decades. It is situated in the middle of England, a short distance to the north of Birmingham and directly to the east of Wolverhampton, while the M6 runs along next to the west of the town, providing excellent access to the West Midlands settlement. It is also worth noting that Walsall is home to Barr Beacon, pictured, which is the tallest feature of the surroundings.

Walsall has a long-established leather trade and today is even home to the Walsall Leather Museum. The town still manufactures the queen’s handbags and leather items for the Prince of Wales, evidence of its experience and reputation in this area. There are several other museums and such like in the town: the Jerome K Jerome Museum celebrates the life and works of the writer who was born in the region; and the New Art Gallery which is home to a range of historic and modern works of various forms of art. There are a number of golf clubs situated to the south-east of the town, while the Walsall Arboretum opened in 1874, initially for the encouragement of cockfights, bull-baiting and dog fights. Other places to visit in the vicinity include the Old Square Shopping Centre, the Saddlers Centre, Walsall Football Club, parts of Wolverhampton University and the Premier Business Park.

Formerly part of the county of Staffordshire until the recent introduction of the West Midlands, the name Walsall is thought to have derived from Walh halh meaning valley of the Celtic speakers. Later on, in the year 1002, Walsall was referenced as Walesho in documents but surprisingly it missed out on a listing in the Domesday Book of 1086. By the 13th century it had become a small market town with a weekly market while in the 14th century the position of mayor was created with political powers. Famously, Queen Elizabeth I visited Walsall but at the time its name was spelt Walshale. Where Birmingham was known as the city of a thousand trades Walsall to the north was nicknamed the town of a hundred trades, and it took on added importance during the Industrial Revolution, with significant population and manufacture growth. Other historic features of the town include Molesley’s Almshouses which were built for poor women in 1825 and the railway line which first passed through the area in 1847.