Living in Walsall/Walsall in History
Part of the Black Country, famous for its enterprising and industrial past, Walsall is reinventing itself to become a progressive modern community. The borough is centred around the major town of Walsall, but also includes five smaller and distinctive district centres (Bloxwich, Aldridge, Willenhall, Darlaston and Brownhills), together with numerous villages.
Walsall Council is located to the north of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton; and extends over 40 square miles. Although some of the borough is densely populated, over a third of the area is open park and farmland - a surprising fact for those who think of Walsall as being simply a suburb of Birmingham.
We are accessible from a wide area, with the M5, M6, M6 Toll and M42 Motorways all close by. The West Coast rail link opens up travel to all UK cities and Birmingham's international airport, close by offers an array of worldwide destinations.
A series of innovative regeneration programmes are starting to transform the borough, with work already completed in Walsall Town Centre – a symbol of what is to come. This features award winning public spaces, Walsall Waterfront which is home to the iconic £22m world class art gallery. Our museums celebrate the area's leather and canal heritage.
Shopping and leisure areas are being revitalised in the town centre, through major investment. A major project of public space enhancement, the 'Quality Streets Programme', is being delivered and is being complemented by a programme of conservation area enhancement, to both improve the appeal of the town and to capitalise on our heritage assets.
The magnificent canal network, which was once at the heart of the nation's prosperity, is attracting visitors for short leisure breaks as well as being a corridor for investment. An ambitious Waterfront scheme, which is being developed by one of the UK's leading developers Urban Splash is making huge progress and will become the showcase for a range of world class contemporary architects and is probably our single most important site within the borough in terms of defining the new Walsall.
More unusually, Walsall's Arboretum, full of unusual trees and shrubs, is visited by more than 1 million people per year, particularly in the autumn, when it is host to the country's largest inland illuminations. Walsall as a borough boasts a surprisingly extensive range of diverse greenspaces, which does not necessarily reflect the external perception of the borough.
As a place to live, Walsall offers a wide range of urban or country living, at affordable prices. Large semi-detached or detached Victorian houses are to be found in tree-lined avenues, as well as many country style houses in our villages and rural areas within the borough's boundaries. In the last few years there has been significant developments of both stylish, new contemporary apartments and conversions within Walsall Town Centre. The surrounding area offers a choice of market towns and villages, whilst the thriving regional capital Birmingham is a mere 20 minute drive from Walsall's centre. This offers everything you could expect from a world class city; with excellent shopping, first class theatres and venues - together with a host of sporting events.