Wolverhampton

Historically a part of Staffordshire, the city is commonly recognised as being named after Lady Wulfruna, who founded the town in 985: its name coming from Anglo-Saxon WulfrÅ«nehÄ“antÅ«n = "WulfrÅ«n's high or principal enclosure or farm".History of Wolverhampton 985-1985 - URL accessed 8 July 2007 Alternatively, the city may have earned its original name from a local Danish leader who was called Wulfere.Wolverhampton Architectual Walks - URL accessed 8 July 2007 Nevertheless, the name Wulfruna is commonly used in the city - for example, for the Wulfrun Centre or for Wulfrun Hall.

The city's name is often abbreviated to "W'ton"BBC Black Country Wolverhampton St.George's Day Gallery - URL accessed 8 July 2007 or "Wolves".Wolverhampton Civic Hall - URL accessed 8 July 2007 It is also known as "Wolvo" by many of the locals.BBC Black Country Wolverhampton Marathon - URL accessed 8 July 2007 The city council's motto is "Out of darkness, cometh light".Wolverhampton History and Heritage Society - URL accessed 8 July 2007 People from Wolverhampton are known as Wulfrunians.

The city grew initially as a market town with specialism within the woollen trade. During and after the Industrial Revolution, the city became a major industrial centre, with mining (mostly coal, limestone and iron ore) as well as production of steel, japanning, locks, motorcycles and cars - including the first vehicle to hold the Land speed record at over 200mph. Today the major industries within the city are both engineering based (including a large aerospace industry) and within the service sector.City Mayors: Historic Cities in Western Europe

History

Wolverhampton or rather the area between Tettenhall (NW) and Wednesfield (NE) is recorded as being the site of a decisive battle between the Saxons and Danes in 963.http://www.philbateman.com/content/cm002226.htm Councillor Phil Bateman online - URL accessed 8 July 2007 The Saxons claimed a decisive victory and the field of Woden is recognised by numerous place names in Wednesfield.http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/education_learning/schools/list/primary/Wodensfield.htm Wolverhampton City Council - Wodensfield School - URL accessed 8 July 2007http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=21576 Skyscraper Page - Wodensfield Tower - URL accessed 8 July 2007

Statue of Lady Wulfruna on western side of St. Peter's Collegiate Church

A monastery existed in Wolverhampton in Saxon times, founded by Lady Wulfruna and consecrated in 994, for which Wulfruna granted land at Upper Arley in Worcestershire, Bilston, Willenhall, Wednesfield, Pelsall, Ogley Hay near Brownhills, Hilton near Wall, Hatherton, Kinvaston, Hilton near Wolverhampton, and Featherstone. This became the site for the new St. Peter's Church in 1425. A statue of Lady Wulfruna, sculpted by Sir Charles Wheeler, can be seen on the stairs outside the church.

By the 13th century Wolverhampton had grown to become a thriving market town. The city was famous for its part in the woolen trade, a fact that can be seen by the inclusion of a woolpack on the city's coat of arms, and by the many small streets, especially in the city centre, called "Fold" (examples being Blossom's Fold, Farmers Fold, Townwell Fold and Victoria Fold), as well as Woolpack Street.

From the 16th century onwards, Wolverhampton became home to a number of metal industries including lock and key making and iron and brass working. In 1512, Sir Stephen Jenyns, a former Lord Mayor of London, who was born in the city founded Wolverhampton Grammar School, one of the oldest active schools in Britain.

In January 1606, two farmers, Thomas Smart and John Holyhead of Rowley Regis, were hanged in High Green, now Queen Square, for sheltering some of the Gunpowder Plotters who had fled to the Midlands. The pair played no part in the original plot but nevertheless suffered the traitor's death of being hanged, drawn and quartered on butcher's blocks set up in the square a few days before the execution of Guy Fawkes and several other plotters in London.

In the 19th century the area to the south-east of the city became known as the Black Country because of the heavy industrial pollution which covered the area in black soot. In Victorian times, Wolverhampton grew to be a wealthy town mainly due to the huge amount of industry that occurred as a result of the abundance of coal and iron deposits in the area. The remains of this wealth can be seen in local houses such as Wightwick Manor and The Mount (both built for the Mander family, prominent varnish and paint manufacturers), and Tettenhall Towers. Many other houses of similar stature were built only to be demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 19th century the city saw much immigration from Wales and Ireland. Wolverhampton is home to a large proportion of the Indian Punjabi community who settled in Wolverhampton during the period 1945 - 1975. Today the Indian Punjabi community in Wolverhampton amount to 10% of the cities population. The majority of this population, almost 70% are followers of the Sikh faith. In the 20th and 21st centuries Wolverhampton has been home to peoples from places such as the South Asia the Caribbean and Africa.

Wolverhampton was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1849 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.

In 1866, a statue was erected in memory of Prince Albert, the unveiling of which brought Queen Victoria to Wolverhampton.[1] The unveiling of the statue was the first public appearance Queen Victoria had made since the funeral of her husband the Prince Consort. A 40 foot tall archway made of coal was constructed for the visit. The Queen was so pleased with the statue that she knighted the then mayor, an industrialist named John Morris. Market Square, originally named High Green, was renamed Queen Square in honour of the visit. The statue replaced a Russian cannon captured from Sevastopol during the Crimean War in 1855, and remains standing in Queen Square.

Location of the UK's first set of traffic lights at Princes Square: the poles are painted with black and white bands as they were originally.

England's first automatic traffic lights could be seen in Princes Square, Wolverhampton in 1927. The modern traffic lights at this location have the traditional striped poles to commemorate this fact.

The railways reached Wolverhampton in 1837, with the first station located at Wednesfield Heath, now Heath Town. This station was demolished in 1965, but the area exists as a nature reserve just off Powell Street. Wolverhampton Railway Works was established in 1849 for the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway and became the Northern Division workshop of the Great Western Railway in 1854.

Wolverhampton High Level station (the current main railway station) opened in 1852, but the original station was demolished in 1965 and then rebuilt. Wolverhampton Low Level station opened on the Great Western Railway in 1855. The site of the Low Level station, which closed to passengers in 1972 and completely in 1981, is currently undergoing redevelopment. Wolverhampton St George's (in the city centre) is now the northern terminus for the Midland Metro light rail system. Wolverhampton was one of the few towns to operate surface contact trams and the only town to use the Lorain Surface Contact System. Trolleybuses appeared in 1923 and in 1930 for a brief period, Wolverhampton was the world's largest trolleybus system. The last trolleybus ran in 1967, just as the railway line through the High Level station was converted to electric operation.

In 1918 David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister announced he was calling a General Election at "The Mount" in Tettenhall Wood. Lloyd George also made his "Homes fit for heroes" speech at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in the same year. It was on the idea of "Homes fit for heroes" that Lloyd George was to fight the 1918 "Coupon" General Election.

Wolverhampton was represented politically in Victorian times by the Liberal MP Charles Pelham Villiers, a noted free trade supporter, who was also the longest serving MP in parliamentary history. Lord Wolverhampton, Henry Hartley Fowler was MP for Wolverhampton at the turn of the century. Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander, a member of the Mander family, was Liberal MP for Wolverhampton East from 1929 to 1945, distinguished for his stance against Appeasement and as a supporter of the League of Nations; known as "the last of the Midland radicals". More recent members have included the Conservative mavericks Enoch Powell and Nicholas Budgen. In 2005, former Bilston councillor and MP for Wolverhampton South East, Dennis Turner entered the House of Lords as Lord Turner of Bilston.

The United Kingdom government announced on December 18, 2000 that Wolverhampton would be granted city status, making it one of three "Millennium Cities".BBC News City Winners Named - URL accessed 8 July 2007

Governance

The vast majority of Wolverhampton is governed locally by Wolverhampton City Council, although some small areas are governed by South Staffordshire District Council.

The area administered by the City Council is represented in the national United Kingdom parliament by three MPs representing Wolverhampton South West, Wolverhampton South East and Wolverhampton North East constituencies, with the areas administered by South Staffordshire District Council being represented by South Staffordshire constituency. The entire city is part of the West Midlands constituency of the European Parliament.

Since the abolition of West Midlands County Council in 1986, Wolverhampton City Council has been effectively a unitary authority. South Staffordshire District Council is a two-tier authority, with some services provided by Staffordshire County Council.

Civic history

Wolverhampton gained the beginnings of modern local government in 1777, when the Wolverhampton Improvement Act was passed by Parliament. This allowed for the establishment of 125 Town Commissioners who undertook a variety of local improvement work such as punishing bear baiting, improving drainage, widening streets and by the end of the century street lighting had been provided in the at every street corner and over the doorway of every inn, and water supply had been improved by the sinking of ten new wells and the provision of a great water tank in the market place. Policing had been improved with the appointment of ten watchmen and attempts were also made to regulate the markets and inspect hazardous food.A history of Wolverhampton 985-1985 URL accessed 15 July 2007Local Government in Wolverhampton URL accessed 15 July 2007

Wolverhampton parliamentary borough was created by the Reform Act 1832, which included areas currently located with the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell such as Wren's Nest, New Invention and Gornal. It initially returned two Members of Parliament.

Wolverhampton was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1849 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and at the same time Wolverhampton Borough Police was formed. The town was then made a County Borough in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888.

In 1933, the boundaries of the borough expanded, taking in areas from Cannock Rural District and Seisdon Rural District, with very little of the surrounding urban area being affected,Vision of Britain URL accessed 15 July 2007 with only Heath Town Urban District being abolished.

The bulk of the formerly independent urban districts of Bilston (a borough itself after 1933), Tettenhall and Wednesfield were added to the borough in 1966,Vision of Britain URL accessed 15 July 2007 along with part of the urban district of Coseley and small parts from Sedgley and Willenhall. At the same time Wolverhampton Borough Police was disestablished and the larger West Midlands Constabulary, which covered not only Wolverhampton but the County Boroughs of Walsall, Dudley, West Bromwich and Warley took over its duties and was headquartered in the city.

Wolverhampton was one of only two County Boroughs (the other being Liverpool) to have no changes made to the boundary during the 1974 reorganisation of local government, the borough already having a population larger than the 250,000 required for education authorities. This contrasted with both the Redcliffe-Maud Report, and the initial White Paper for the 1974 reformsHMSO. Local Government in England: Government Proposals for Reorganisation. Cmnd. 4584 where large areas of the present South Staffordshire district were to be added to the borough. During the 1974 reforms it was placed within the West Midlands Metropolitan County.

Wolverhampton was also a Royal Peculiar covering a large area.

Wards of the City Council

There are 20 wards of Wolverhampton City Council:

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Wards of Wolverhampton City Council
Bilston East Â· Bilston North Â· Blakenhall Â· Bushbury North Â· Bushbury South and Low Hill Â· East Park Â· Ettingshall Â· Fallings Park Â· Graiseley Â· Heath Town Â· Merry Hill Â· Oxley Â· Park Â· Penn Â· St Peter's Â· Spring Vale Â· Tettenhall Regis Â· Tettenhall Wightwick Â· Wednesfield North Â· Wednesfield South

A map showing the ward boundaries is available here.

Geography

Wolverhampton lies northwest of its larger near-neighbour Birmingham, and forms the second largest part of the West Midlands conurbation. To the north and west lies the Staffordshire and Shropshire countryside.

Wolverhampton city centre falls outside of the area traditionally known as the Black Country, although some districts such as Bilston and Heath Town fall within the Black Country coalfields, leading to confusion as to whether the entire city falls within the region. Modern usage has tended towards using the term to refer to the western part of the West Midlands county, excluding Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry. Examples would be UK Government regional bodies such as "The Black Country Development Corporation", under whose remit the city fell.

The city lies upon the Midland Plateau at approximately 120m above sea level.House of Commons Hansard Debates There are no major rivers within the city, although the River Penk and River Tame (tributaries of the River Trent) rise in the city, as does Smestow Brook, a tributary of the River Stour, and thence the River Severn. This means that the city lies astride one of the major drainage divides of England.

The geology of the city is complex, with a combination of Triassic and Carboniferous geology; specifically Bunter and Keuper sandstone, and Upper and Middle Coal measures. There is also an area of dolerite deposits.The West Midland Group (1948). Conurbation: A Survey of Birmingham and the Black Country. London: The Architectural Press, 41.

Climate

Wolverhampton's climate is quite temperate with average maximum temperatures in July being around 21 Â°C (70 Â°F) with the minimum daytime temperature in January being around 6.5 Â°C (43.7 Â°F).

The Met Office's nearest observation station is at Penkridge, about 5 miles (8 km) north of the city.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average max. temperature Â°C (Â°F)	6.5	6.9	9.5	12.0	15.7	18.4	21.1	20.8	17.5	13.5	9.5	7.4	13.3
Average min. temperature Â°C (Â°F)	1.0	1.0	2.5	3.5	6.2	8.9	11.1	10.9	9.0	6.4	3.3	1.8	5.5
Rainfall mm (inches)	62.7	44.4	51.2	48.5	52.7	59.3	46.7	57.7	63.6	60.5	62.0	66.8	676
Source: Met Office

Areas of the city

Localities in the City of Wolverhampton include:

Notes: â€ –Partial Urban Districts added to Wolverhampton County Borough in 1966. These Urban Districts were split between Wolverhampton and other County Boroughs. Those parts within the present City of Wolverhampton local authority area are considered by the ONS to be part of the Wolverhampton Urban Sub-Area.; â€ â€ –Areas within the Wolverhampton Urban Sub-Area but administered by South Staffordshire District Council.

Nearby places

Cities

Towns

Commuter villages

See also: The Black Country.

Demography

Ethnicity	Percentage of populationWolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007
White
British	75.4%
Irish	1.0%
Other White	1.4%
Mixed
White and Black Caribbean	1.8%
White and Black African	0.1%
White and Asian	0.5%
Other mixed	0.4%
Asian or Asian British
Indian	12.3%
Pakistani	1.2%
Bangladeshi	0.1%
Other Asian	0.7%
Black or Black British
Black Caribbean	3.9%
Black African	0.3%
Other Black	0.5%
Chinese or other
Chinese	0.4%
Other Ethnicity	0.2%

Religion	Percentage of populationWolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007
Christian	66.5%
No religion	11.4%
Not stated	8.4%
Sikh	7.6%
Hindu	3.9%
Muslim	1.7%
Buddhist	0.3%
Jewish	less than 0.1%
Other	0.2%

Total population

The 2001 census gives the Wolverhampton urban sub-area as the second largest in the West Midlands conurbation.

The figure given for Wolverhampton is 251,462, which also includes areas outside the borough (236,582). By this reckoning it is the 13th largest city in England.

Age and gender

Wolverhampton has a relatively old population, with the proportion of the population aged 60 and over being larger than the proportion of children aged 15 or under. The proportion of young people in the city has decreased between the 1991 Census and the 2001 Census by 7.4%, compared with an England and Wales average increase of 1.7%.

The proportion of females within the city (51%) is slightly higher than that of males (49%).

Of adults aged over 16, 31.3% were single, 43.4% were married for the first time, 7.7% divorced and 9.6% were widowed.Wolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007

Ethnicity

Wolverhampton is an ethnically diverse city, with nearly a quarter (24.6%) of the population being of black or minority ethnic (BME) origin and 22.2% of residents classifying themselves as non-white in the 2001 Census, with the largest non-white category being Indian at 12.3%, which compares with a West Midlands average of 6.2% and an England and Wales average of 2.1%.

Religion

Wolverhamptonâ€™s multi-cultural nature is reflected in an aboveâ€“average level of non-Christian religions (13.6% of people, compared with 5.5% for England and Wales), with Sikhs accounting for 7.6% of Wolverhamptonâ€™s population, the fourth largest Sikh community in England and Wales. The number of Hindus is also higher than the England and Wales average (Wolverhampton 3.9%, England and Wales 1.1%), while the proportion of people following Judaism and Islam was below the average for England and Wales. The figure for Buddhism is in line with the England and Wales average.

Economic activity and qualifications

According to the 2001 Census, 62.2% of the population of the city between the ages of 16 and 75 are considered to be economically active, with 37.5% holding full time employment, 11.3% part time employment, 5.4% self-employed and 2.6% being full-time students with other employment. The rate of unemployment was 5.3%, above the national average of 3.4%.

Of those who are economically inactive, 14.4% were retired, 7.1& were looking after homes or families, whilst 5.1% were full-time students without other employment.Wolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007

Degree-level qualifications (or above) were held by 13.6% of the population (compared with 19.8% in England and Wales), while 40.7% possessed no qualifications (compared with 29.1& across England and Wales).Wolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007

Transport

Wolverhampton is within the top 11% of local authority areas in England and Wales (excluding London Boroughs) for public transport use for travelling to work at 16% of the total. 63% used private transport, either as a driver or passenger, 13% cycled or travelled on foot, whilst 8% worked from home.Wolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007

Car ownership is lower than the average for England and Wales with 35.2% of households not owning a car, compared with 26.8% nationally. Single car ownership is in line with national averages (Wolverhampton 42.9%, England and Wales 43.8%), while the proportion of households owning more than one car is lower than the national average.Wolverhampton City Council 2001 Census information URL accessed 15 July 2007

Economy

The Chubb Building, Fryer Street

Traditionally, Wolverhampton's economy has been dominated by engineering and manufacturing industries. However, today the economy is dominated by the service sector, with 79.6% of the city's employment being in this area. The major subcomponents of this sector are in public administration, education and health (32% of the total employment), while distribution, hotels and restaurants take up 25.3%, and finance and IT takes up 13.9%. The largest non-service industry is that of manufacturing (15.5%). Perhaps surprisingly, 6.2% of the total employment is related to the tourism industry.Local Authority Profile: Wolverhampton - Office for National Statistics, Nomis Official Labour Market Statistics (Annual Business Inquiry Employee Analysis 2004)

The largest single employer within the city is Wolverhampton City Council.City of Wolverhampton College: About Us which has over 12,000 staffWolverhampton City Council Jobs and Careers Other large employers within the city include:

Banking: Birmingham Midshires (which is headquartered within the city) and Portman Building Society
Education: University of Wolverhampton and City of Wolverhampton College
Construction: Carillion (headquarters)
Brewing: Marston's, formerly Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries
Aerospace: H S Marston, Smiths Aerospace and Goodrich Corporation
Retail: Beatties (now owned by House of Fraser
Manufacturing: Chubb Locks
the National Health Service

Wolverhampton is one of the major retail centres in the West Midlands Region, being placed at 5th largest in 2005, with an annual turnover of Â£380 million.Comparison Expenditure - CACI Retail Footprint 2005

Many of the traditional industries in the city have closed or dramatically downsized. Famous companies once based in the city include:

Vehicle manufacturers: AJS, Clyno, Guy Motors, Kieft Cars, Norton-Villiers, Sunbeam Car Company, Sunbeam Motorcycles
Aerospace: Boulton Paul Aircraft
Tyres: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Paint, varnish, printing inks and property: Mander Brothers

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Unemployment within the City Council area at November 2007 was 4.7%,Wolverhampton City Council Latest Unemployment Information which varied across wards, with three wards having rates of over 7% (being Ettingshall, St Peter's and Heath Town), and three wards with rates less than 3% (Penn, Tettenhall Wightwick and Tettenhall Regis).

Transport

Road

Wolverhampton is near to several motorways, with the following being within 7 miles of the city centre:

M6 linking the city with the north-west of England (including Manchester and Liverpool, Scotland and London via the M1. This section opened between 1966 and 1970.The Motorway Archive The section of M6 motorway nearest to the city is one of the busiest within the UK.Traffic Master
M5 connecting with the south-west of England, and London via the M40 (opened 1970The Motorway Archive)
M6 Toll which bypasses the busiest section of the M6 near the city (opened 2003The Motorway Archive)
M54 linking the city with Telford, Shrewsbury and Wales (opened 1983The Motorway Archive)

Wolverhampton Inner Ring Road

There have also been several motorways proposed near to the city that have not been constructed, or have been constructed to a lower standard:

Western Orbital or Wolverhampton Western Bypass. First proposed in the 1970s, and cancelled in the 1990sPathetic Motorways: Western Orbital
Bilston Link Motorway. First proposed in 1960s, built in the 1990s as the Black Country RoutePathetic Motorways: Bilston Link Motorway
M54 to M6 / M6 (Toll) Link Road. Proposed in 2000s to relieve the overloaded section of A460 near the cityhttp://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/11814.aspx Highways Agency]

The main roads radiating from the city centre meet the city's Ring Road, which is acts to keep through traffic out of the city centre itself.

Other major roads passing through the city include:

A41 between London and Birkenhead
A449 between South Wales and Stafford
A454 between Bridgnorth and Sutton Coldfield
A4123 between Wolverhampton and Birmingham. Constructed in 1927,Sedgleymanor Photo Gallery it was the first purpose built inter-city road in the United Kingdom within the twentieth century.SABRE Roads

Rail

Wolverhampton railway station

Main article: Wolverhampton railway station

See also: Category:Disused railway stations in Wolverhampton

The city's railway station is served by the West Coast Main Line. It has regular rail services to London, Birmingham and Manchester, as well as many other major cities in the UK. The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway is due to start services to the city in 2008.

The railway station is due for redevelopment, with the main station buildings being demolished in a project called Wolverhampton Interchange. It is due to open in 2012.Express and Star newspaper

There are many local services, including those on the Cambrian Line, the Walsall to Wolverhampton Line, the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line and the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line.

There are also many closed stations within the city, including Wolverhampton Low Level, the most northerly broad gauge station on the Great Western network.

Bus

The city's bus station is situated adjacent to the railway station, providing an interchange between the two modes of transport.

Buses in the city are regulated by Centro, and the largest provider of services is National Express West Midlands.

Metro

Main article: Midland Metro

Midland Metro terminus

The Midland Metro, a light-rail tram system, currently connects Wolverhampton St. George's to Birmingham Snow Hill via West Bromwich and Wednesbury, mostly following the former Birmingham Snow Hill-Wolverhampton Low Level Line. There are plans for further lines within the city, with both a city centre loop and a line to Walsall via Wednesfield and Willenhall, mostly following the route of the closed Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway.Centro 5Ws Metro Route

Air

Wolverhampton's original airport was at Pendeford, opened in 1938 and closed on 31 December 1970.Wolverhampton History and Heritage Society The current Wolverhampton Airport, renamed from Halfpenny Green, is a small general aviation airfield located 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of the city. Expansion of the airport has been suggested, but this has been successfully resisted by local residents.

The nearest major airport is Birmingham International Airport, approximately 25 miles (40.2 km) away. The airport is easy to reach by train, with a direct express service to it. By car, it can actually sometimes be quicker to reach Manchester Airport instead, due to traffic delays on the M6 eastbound motorway towards Birmingham International.

Water

There are no navigable rivers within the city, but there are many miles of canal network: the Birmingham Main Line Canal, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal and the Wyrley & Essington Canal are all to be found.

Cycling

Most places in the borough and some of the neighbouring villages in South Staffordshire are within easy reach by pedal cycle of the city centre and terrain is moderately hilly. Climbs tend to be of two to three minutes duration. Cycling benefits from the 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) city centre within the Ring Road and a number of routes that use quieter roads and paths to avoid the ten 'A' roads that radiate from the Ring Road. Wolverhampton is on the Smethwick to Telford section of Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 81. This follows the Birmingham Main Line Canal towpath from Smethwick to Broad Street Basin, Wolverhampton where the route splits in two. The choice here is between riding the 21 locks section of the Birmingham Main Line Canal to Aldersley Junction or taking the Cross-City route braid in order to visit the city centre, West Park or Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve before returning to Aldersley Junction . NCN81 continues to Autherley Junction along the towpath of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and then along the east bank towpath of the Shropshire Union Canal as far as Pendeford Mill Lane before turning to Bilbrook in Staffordshire. The lanes of nearby South Staffordshire and east Shropshire provide ideal cycle touring conditions.

Culture

Music

Slade

The Mighty Lemon Drops

Wolverhampton has a number of live music venues; the biggest is technically the football ground, Molineux stadium, which was used for a Bon Jovi concert in 2003BBC Black Country music. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-11-03., but the biggest indoor venue is Wolverhampton Civic Hall, with a standing capacity of 3,000. Second to that is Wulfrun Hall (part of the same complex as the Civic Hall, which is owned and operated by the City Council) which has a standing capacity of just over 1,100. There are also a number of smaller venues with capacities between 100 and 250: the Little Civic and the Wolverhampton Varsity being the most long-standing of these. The 18th century church of St John's-in-the-Square is a popular venue for smaller scale classical concerts. The city is also home to Regent Records, a choral and organ music recording company.

The city's main choral groups include the City of Wolverhampton Choir (a choral society founded as the Wolverhampton Civic Choir in 1947) and St Peter's Collegiate Church Choir, who perform cathedral style church services each week during term time.

Arts and museums

Wolverhampton Art Gallery

The Grand Theatre on Lichfield Street is Wolverhampton's largest theatre, opening on 10th December 1894. It was designed by C. J. Phipps and completed within six months. Included amongst the people to have appeared at the theatre are Henry Irving, Charlie Chaplin and Sean Connery. It was also used by politicians including Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. The theatre was closed between 1980 and 1982.Grand Theatre History. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.

The Arena Theatre on Wulfruna Street, within the University of Wolverhampton is the secondary theatre, seating 150. It hosts both professional and amateur performances.About the Arena Theatre. University of Wolverhampton. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.

Cinema is catered for by a multiplex Cineworld located at Bentley Bridge, Wednesfield, and a smaller cinema, The Light House, housed in the former Chubb Buildings on Fryer Street. Cineworld caters mainly for popular tastes, showing

Contents

History

Governance

Civic history

Wards of the City Council

Geography

Climate

Areas of the city

Nearby places

Demography

Total population

Age and gender

Ethnicity

Religion

Economic activity and qualifications

Transport

Economy

Transport

Road

Rail

Bus

Metro

Air

Water

Cycling

Culture

Music

Arts and museums