What's on in West Midlands

The West Midlands is a metropolitan county found in central England that was formed in 1974 from parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire and is made up of seven metropolitan boroughs: Walsall, Solihull, Sandwell, Dudley, the City of Wolverhampton, the City of Coventry and the City of Birmingham. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘West Midlands conurbation’ or the ‘West Midland metropolitan area’ and also the term ‘West Midlands’ is a broader term for the region.

The county itself is essentially a metropolitan, urban and industrial county, defined by the cities within. That is not to say there is nothing to do however as those cities offer plenty of excitement and the area has long had a reputation for industrial heritage, fantastic museums, new and exciting art galleries and a vibrant and entertaining nightlife.

In Dudley for example, there are attractions such as the Dudley Zoo or the Black Country Living Museum, and there is the Dudley Canal and Tunnel as well as the ruins of Dudley Castle and numerous beautiful churches (such as the Church of St. Edmund or the Church of St. James the Great). There are beautiful churches to be found in Wolverhampton too, from St. Peter’s Collegiate Church and St. Peter’s Gardens to the Church of St. John.

Also worth a look are Wightwick Manor and Moseley Old Hall. However, the highlight of the West Midlands must surely be the city of Birmingham, a city that has cast off its reputation as an industrial, grim city and swapped manufacturing for culture, the arts and entertaining. This is a city of exquisite dining (particularly the curry) and fantastic nightlife, endless shopping and constant entertainment.

From the impressive National Exhibition Centre to the football at Villa Park, or from watching the cricket at Edgbaston, home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, to shopping in the stunning Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the space-age Selfridges Store, (designed using a weird ‘skin’ of 15,000 spun aluminium discs), one thing Birmingham knows how to do is entertain. Whether you spend the entire time in the cities or venture out into the ‘black country’, West Midlands is a fascinating and entertaining destination.

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