West Bromwich is a town in the county of West Midlands, and is the largest town within the metropolitan borough of Sandwell. It is located five miles north west of Birmingham, England, and as such it is considered a part of the Black Country.

The town is most famous for its football team West Bromwich Albion. Engineering and chemicals are important to the town's economy, and a technical college is located there.

West Bromwich played an important part in Methodist history by being the childhood home of Francis Asbury who left the family cottage in Newton, Great Barr, to propagate the Methodist faith in America, eventually becoming the first Methodist Bishop. The Asbury Cottage is now a small museum.

William Legge the 2nd Earl of Dartmouth had his seat at Sandwell Hall. Legge was unusual as an aristocrat of this period by being a Methodist and attending the Wednesbury Methodist meetings, where fellow Methodist - many of them colliers and drovers - knew him as "Brother Earl". See Black Country Methodism

Robert Plant, singer with Led Zeppelin was born here.

History

West Bromwich was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1066, the name meaning "the little village on the heath of broom". A Benedictine priory existed in West Bromwich from the 12th century around which much of the town grew. In 1727 the town became a stop on the coaching road between London and Shrewsbury and its growth began. In the 19th century coal deposits were discovered, ensuring that the town grew rapidly as an industrial centre, with industries such as gun and nail making developing.

In 1888 West Bromwich became a county borough, incorporating the village of Great Barr. It was expanded in 1966 to include most of the borough of Tipton and Wednesbury urban district, before joining with the neighbouring county borough of Warley in 1974 to form the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell.

Communications

For roads, the M5 motorway between the West Midlands and the West Country passes through the town.

For rail, there are two rail routes through the town: The Great Western Railway opened the first section of its route between Birmingham and Wolverhampton on 14 November 1854, with a station at West Bromwich & Spon Lane. The trackbed of that line is now served by the Midland Metro light rail (tram) system.

The London and North Western Railway, later to become the LMSR, opened its line further to the south of the town. Here the station was named Spon Lane for West Bromwich. That has now closed, and the nearest main-line railway station is now Sandwell and Dudley.

Population

• 1831 - 15,000
• 1901 - 65,000
• 1950 - 89,000
• 1991 - 146,386

Famous people

• Francis Asbury - Methodist Bishop
• Denise Lewis - heptathlete
• Robert Plant - rock and roll singer

Quotes

• "I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to chose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I would make straight for West Bromwich." J.B. Priestley, English Journey

External Links

• [Francis Asbury