Visit Wolverhampton Places

Welcome to Visit Wolverhampton Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Wolverhampton

  

Wolverhampton Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Wolverhampton

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Wolverhampton history

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Wolverhampton is recorded as being the site of a decisive battle between the unified Mercian Angles and West Saxons against the raiding Danes in 910. In 985, King Ethelred the Unready granted lands at a place referred to as Heantun to Lady Wulfrun by royal charter, and hence founding the settlement. In 1179, there is mention of a market held in the town, and in 1204 it had come to the attention of King John that the town did not possess a Royal Charter for holding a market. In 1512, Sir Stephen Jenyns, a former Lord Mayor of London and a twice Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, who was born in the city

19th century

Wolverhampton grew to be a wealthy town mainly due to the abundance of coal and iron deposits in the area . The remains of this wealth can be seen in houses such as Wightwick Manor and The Mount . Queen Victoria visited the city in the 1830s and described it as “a large and dirty town”

20th century

Wolverhampton had a prolific bicycle industry from 1868 to 1975, during which time a total of more than 200 bicycle manufacturing companies existed there, but today none exist at all. These manufacturers included Viking, Marston, Sunbeam, Star, Wulfruna and Rudge. The last volume manufacturers of bicycles left Wolverhampton during the 1960s and 1970s – the largest and best-known of which was Viking Cycles Ltd, whose team dominated the UK racing scene in the 1950s (Viking’s production of hand-built lightweight racing and juvenile bicycles exceeded 20,000 units in 1965). Closures of other smaller cycle makers followed during the 1980s including such well-known hand-builders as Percy Stallard (the former professional cyclist) and Jack Hateley. 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, has since been redeveloped with much of the original station incorporated into a hotel. An Aldi store opened nearby in 2019. 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. Mass council housing development in Wolverhampton, to rehouse families from slum housing, began after the end of the World War I, with new estates at Parkfields (near the border with Coseley) and Birches Barn (near Bantock Park in the west of Wolverhampton) being built, giving the city some 550 new council houses by 1923, although this was a fraction of the number of new council houses required. The first large council housing development in Wolverhampton was the Low Hill estate to the north-east of the city, which consisted of more than 2,000 new council houses by 1927 and was one of the largest housing estates in Britain at the time. Mass council housing development in Wolverhampton continued into the 1930s, mostly in the north of the city in the Oxley and Wobaston areas and on the new Scotlands Estate in the north-east. However, council house building halted in 1940 following the outbreak of World War II in September the previous year. Wolverhampton St George’s (in the city centre) is now the northern terminus for the West Midlands Metro light rail system. An extension to the railway station is due to open in 2021, the opening being delayed until the new railway station is completed. 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 the Wolverhampton trolleybus system was the world’s largest trolleybus system. The last Wolverhampton trolleybus ran in 1967, just as the railway line through the High Level station was converted to electric operation. 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. Princes Square was also the location of the United Kingdom’s first pedestrian safety barriers, which were erected in 1934. On 2 November 1927, the A4123 New Road was opened by the then-Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) linking the city with Birmingham. The New Road was designed as an unemployment relief project and was the United Kingdom’s first purpose-built intercity highway of the twentieth 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. He was known as “the last of the Midland radicals”. More recent members have included the Conservative mavericks Enoch Powell and Nicholas Budgen. Powell was a member of Edward Heath’s Tory shadow cabinet from 1964, until he was dismissed in April 1968 following his controversial Rivers of Blood speech in which he warned of massive civil unrest if mass immigration of black and Asian commonwealth inhabitants continued. At the same period, Sikh bus drivers and conductors were demonstrating in Wolverhampton against the Transportation Committee’s regulations requiring uniform caps and thus prohibiting turbans. In 2005, former Bilston councillor and MP for Wolverhampton South East, Dennis Turner entered the House of Lords as Lord Bilston. After the end of World War II in 1945, the council erected 400 prefabricated bungalows across Wolverhampton, and built its first permanent postwar houses at the Underhill Estate near Bushbury in the late 1940s. The 1950s saw many new houses and flats built across Wolverhampton as the rehousing programme from the slums continued, as well as the local council agreeing deals with neighbouring authorities Wednesfield Urban District and Seisdon Rural District which saw families relocated to new estates in those areas. The 1960s saw the rehousing programme continue, with multi-storey blocks being built on a large scale across Wolverhampton at locations including Blakenhall, Whitmore Reans and Chetton Green. The later part of the decade saw the Heath Town district almost completely redeveloped with multi-story flats and maisonette blocks. By 1975, by which time Wolverhampton had also taken in the majority of the Borough of Bilston, the Urban Districts of Wednesfield and Tettenhall and parts of Willenhall, Sedgley and Coseley, almost a third of Wolverhampton’s population lived in council housing, but since that date social housing has been built on a minimal scale in the area, and some of the 1919–1975 developments have since been demolished. As well as the many new council estates which sprang up around Wolverhampton during the 20th century, several older parts of the town were redeveloped for new council housing during the 1960s and early 1970s. The most notable example is the Heath Town area, where almost all of the 19th century buildings were demolished during the 1960s and replaced by four tower blocks and several blocks of maisonettes. However, the state housing at Heath Town quickly became unpopular and by the 1980s the area was plagued with crime and unemployment. The first regeneration projects on the estate began during the 1990s, and in 2017 some of the maisonette blocks were demolished. A similar redevelopment took place around the same time in Blakenhall, where new shops and five tower blocks were built in a 1960s redevelopment area. However, all of these buildings were demolished between 2002 and 2011 and have since been replaced with new private and social housing. Large numbers of black and Asian immigrants settled in Wolverhampton in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, mostly settling in the Blakenhall, All Saints, Whitmore Reans and Heath Town areas. Wolverhampton is home to a large proportion of the Sikh community, who settled there during the period (1935–1975) from the Indian state of Punjab. Today, the Sikh community in Wolverhampton is roughly 9.1% of the city’s population. In 1974, as a result of local government reorganisation, Wolverhampton became a metropolitan borough, transferring from Staffordshire into the newly formed West Midlands county. The United Kingdom government announced on 18 December 2000 that Wolverhampton would be granted city status – an honour that had been unsuccessfully applied for in 1953, 1966, 1977, 1985 and 1992 – making it one of three “Millennium Cities”. Wolverhampton also made an unsuccessful application for a Lord Mayor in 2002. Many of the city centre’s buildings date from the early 20th century and before, the oldest buildings being St Peter’s Church (which was built in the 13th century but has been largely extended and refurbished since the 15th century, situated on Lichfield Street) and a framed timber 17th-century building on Victoria Street which is now one of just two remaining in the area which was heavily populated by them until the turn of the 20th century. This building was originally a residential property, but later became the Hand Inn public house. It was completely restored in 1981 after a two-year refurbishment project and has been used by various businesses since then including as a second-hand book shop. On 23 November 1981, an F1/T2 tornado touched down in Fordhouses to the north of Wolverhampton, and later moved over Wolverhampton city centre and surrounding suburbs, causing some damage. The Wolverhampton Ring Road circumnavigates the city centre linking the majority of the city’s radial routes. It was constructed in sections between 1960 and 1986, and carries the number A4150, although this is only marked on one road sign. The centre of Wolverhampton has been altered radically since the mid-1960s, with the Mander Centre (plans for which were unveiled on 15 April 1965) being opened in two phases, the first in 1968 and the second in 1971. Several refurbishments have taken place since. The Wulfrun Centre, an open shopping area, was opened alongside the Mander Centre’s first phase in 1968, but has been undercover since a roof was added in the late 1990s. Central Wolverhampton police station was built just south of the city centre on Birmingham Road during the 1960s, but operations there were cut back in the early 1990s when a new larger police station was built on Bilston Street on land which became vacant a decade earlier on the demolition of a factory. This was officially opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, on 31 July 1992. The city centre had several cinemas during the 20th century. The last of these was the ABC Cinema (formerly the Savoy), which closed in 1991 after 54 years. It was then converted into a nightclub, with part of the site being converted into the offices of a recruitment agency in 2005. The building was demolished in 2019 to make way for an extension to the Adult College next door. A modern landmark in the city centre is the Crown Court on Bilston Street, which opened in 1990 as the town’s first purpose-built crown court.

21st century

A few department store chains including Marks & Spencer and Next have stores in the centre of Wolverhampton . Debenhams opened a 3-floor department store in the Mander Centre in 2017, but has now closed . Rackhams had a store on Snow Hill for some 25 years until 1992 .

Art and culture

From the 18th century, Wolverhampton was well known for production of japanned ware and steel jewellery . The renowned 18th- and 19th-century artists Joseph Barney (1753–1832), Edward Bird (1772–1819), and George Wallis (1811–1891) were all born in Wolverhamptons . The School of Practical Art was opened in the 1850s and became a close associate of the Art Gallery .

Exhibitions

The Great Exhibition of 1851, at The Crystal Palace, had examples of locks, japanned ware, enamel ware and papier-mâché products all manufactured in Wolverhampton . On 11 May 1869 The Earl Granville opened the Exhibition of Staffordshire Arts and Industry in a temporary building in the grounds of Molineux House . The largest and most ambitious exhibition was the Arts and Industrial Exhibition which took place in 1902 .

Wolverhampton culture & places

Music

The rock groups Slade, Sahotas, Cornershop, The Mighty Lemon Drops and Babylon Zoo came from Wolverhampton . In 2010, Liam Payne came third in the British television music show The X Factor with his boy band One Direction . The city has a number of live music venues; the largest occasionally used being the football ground, Molineux Stadium .

Arts and museums

The Grand Theatre on Lichfield Street is Wolverhampton’s largest theatre, opening on 10 December 1894 . The Arena Theatre on Wulfruna Street is the secondary theatre, seating 150 . Cinema is catered for by a multiplex Cineworld located at Bentley Bridge, Wednesfield, and a smaller cinema, Light House Media Centre, housed in the former Chubb Buildings .

Libraries

Wolverhampton Central Library was designed by architect Henry T. Hare and opened in 1902 . It was originally commissioned to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee . The terracotta exterior has a tripartite theme of related, but distinct façades . The entrance façade is the architect’s centrepiece .

Media

Wolverhampton is home to the Express & Star newspaper, which boasts of having the largest circulation of any provincial daily evening newspaper in the UK . The city was originally home to four radio stations, 107.7 The Wolf which was absorbed into regional station Signal 107, now broadcasting as Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire . The fourth, and now the only radio station based in the city, is community radio station WCR FM .

Wolverhampton economy & business

Regeneration

Debenhams announced they would open an anchor store in a £35 million redevelopment of the Mander Centre . Summer Row was originally earmarked for 2008, with a completion date listed as 2010, but the 2008 recession put the project on hold . Wolverhampton Interchange Project is a major redevelopment of city’s east side area worth £120 million .

Wolverhampton geography / climate

Wolverhampton lies northwest of its larger near-neighbour Birmingham, and forms the second largest part of the West Midlands conurbation. The city lies upon the Midlands Plateau at 163 m (535 ft) above sea level. The geology of the city is complex with a combination of Triassic and Carboniferous geology.

Climate

Wolverhampton’s climate is oceanic (Köppen Cfb) and therefore temperate . Average maximum temperatures in July are around 21 °C (70 °F) Maximum daytime temperature in January is around 6.9 °C .

Areas of the city

The majority of areas in Wolverhampton have names that are of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) origin, with a few exceptions such as Penn (pre-English Brittonic place name) and Parkfields .

Nearby places

Cities Towns Villages

You can visit Wolverhampton places with Walkfo Wolverhampton to hear history at Wolverhampton’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Wolverhampton has 110 places to visit in our interactive Wolverhampton map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Wolverhampton, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Wolverhampton places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Wolverhampton & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 110 audio facts unique to Wolverhampton places in an interactive Wolverhampton map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Wolverhampton Places Map
110 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Wolverhampton historic spots	Wolverhampton tourist destinations	Wolverhampton plaques	Wolverhampton geographic features
Walkfo Wolverhampton tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Wolverhampton

  

Best Wolverhampton places to visit

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Wolverhampton has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Wolverhampton’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Wolverhampton’s information audio spots:

St Matthew’s Church, Wolverhampton St Matthew’s Church, Wolverhampton is a parish church in the Church of England . It was built in the 1930s and is located in Wolverhamptonshire . It is located on the outskirts of the city and is situated on the south coast of Wolverampton .

St Martin’s Church, Parkfields St Martin of Tours’ Church, Wolverhampton is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England . The church was built in the 1930s .

Wolverhampton power station Wolverhampton power station was built in 1895 to meet growing demand for electricity . It was redeveloped in several stages to meet demand for power in the area . The station was decommissioned in 1976 .

St George’s Church, Wolverhampton St George’s Church, Wolverhampton is a Grade II listed former parish church in the Church of England . It was built in the 1930s and is now on the site of a former parish . The church is located in Wolverhamptonshire and is situated in the city centre of Wolverampton .

St Luke’s Church, Blakenhall St Luke’s Church, Blakenhall is a Grade II* listed parish church in Wolverhampton . It was built in the 1930s and is now a Grade I listed church .

Wolverhampton Temporary railway station Wolverhampton Temporary railway station was a station was the eastern terminus of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway from 1849 to 1852 .

Holy Trinity Church, Heath Town Holy Trinity Church, Heath Town is a Grade II listed parish church in Wolverhampton. It was built in the 1930s and is now home to a number of churches in the area. The church is located in Heath Town, Wolverhamptonshire.

Christ Church, Wolverhampton Christ Church, Wolverhampton is a former parish church in the Church of England. It is located on the site of Christ Church. It was built in the 1930s and was a former church in Wolverhamptonshire.

St Thomas’ Church, Wednesfield The Church of St Thomas is located in Wednesfield in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. It was originally consecrated in August 1750, as a chapel of ease of St. Peter’s Collegiate Church. It became a separate parish in 1849. The church was almost completely destroyed by fire on 18 January 1902. The tower is the only remaining part of the original building.

Stafford Street drill hall, Wolverhampton Stafford Street drill hall is a former military installation in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. The Stafford Street Drill Hall is located on Stafford Street in the city’s Staffordshire.

Visit Wolverhampton plaques