Sandwell is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is made up of the Black Country towns of Oldbury (where the council has its headquarters), Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. Sandwell is divided into 24 wards and is represented by 72 ward councillors.

The borough was formed on April 1, 1974 as a merger of the county boroughs of Warley and West Bromwich, previously in Staffordshire. The local council has considered changing its name in the past, as many people outside of the West Midlands are confused as to where it is located. However, since no single town dominates the borough, no new name could be agreed upon.

One of Sandwell's most famous residents was Francis Asbury 1745-1816 who left the Great Barr area of Sandwell in 1771 for America where he rose to become the first Methodist Bishop in the United States.

Localities

Localities in the borough include:

• Bearwood, Blackheath, Brandhall
• Cradley Heath
• Dudley Port
• Grove Vale , Guns Village
• Hamstead , Hill Top, Horseley Heath
• Langley Green
• Oakham , Ocker Hill , Oldbury, Old Hill
• Princes End
• Rowley Regis
• Sandwell , Smethwick, Summer Hill
• Tipton, Tividale
• Warley, Wednesbury, West Bromwich
• Yew Tree

Other places

• Sandwell Priory
• Sandwell Valley
• Sandwell Valley Country Park
• RSPB Sandwell Valley
• West Bromwich Albion

External links

• Rowley Regis Online
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