Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is an industrial and commercial city in the English West Midlands, formerly part of Staffordshire county. In 2003 the city has a population of 256,000. The city was named after the Lady Wulfruna.
The United Kingdom government announced on December 18 2000 that Wolverhampton would be granted city status, making it one of a few "Millennium Cities" [1].
Geography
Wolverhampton lies northwest of its larger, neighbouring city Birmingham, and forms the second largest part of the West Midlands conurbation. However, it also borders the Staffordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire countryside, making the countryside less than five miles away.
Music & arts
The rock group Slade and the one hit wonder Babylon Zoo came from Wolverhampton, as do soul/ R&B singer Beverley Knight and Drum n Bass guru Goldie. Wolverhampton has a number of live music venues: the biggest is technically the football ground, the Molineux stadium, but the biggest indoor venue is the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, with a capacity of 3,000. Second to that is the Wulfrun Hall which has a capacity of just over 1,100 and which sits on the same block as the Civic. There are also a number of smaller venues with capacities between 100 and 250: the Little Civic and the Wolverhampton Varsity being the most longstanding of these. The city is also home to Regent Records, a choral and organ music recording company.
The Grand Theatre and the Arena Theatre are located in the city centre.
Sport
Wolverhampton is represented in the English Premier League by Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
History
A monestary existed in Wolverhampton in Saxon times. By the 13th century Wolverhampton had grown to become a thriving market town.
From the 16th century onwards Wolverhampton became home to a number of metal industries including lock and key making and iron and brass working.
The area around the city is known as the Black Country because for a short period during Victorian times the output of the coal mines in the area was greater than that of the rest of the world combined. In 1866, a statue was erected in memory of Prince Albert, the unveiling of which brought Queen Victoria to Wolverhampton.[2] The statue stands in Queen Square, previously known as Market Square, and is referred to by many locals as simply "the Man on the Horse".
The world's first automatic traffic lights could be seen in Wolverhampton in 1927.
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. He was followed in more recent times by Conservative mavericks Enoch Powell and Nicholas Budgen.
Trivia
- A common abbreviation of the city's name is W'ton or Wolves
- Wolverhampton lends its name to the surrounding area's postcodes, which begin with WV.
- The following people were born in Wolverhampton (source: The Book of British Birthplaces, A.J. & Marilyn Mullay, 2002):
- Frances Barber
- Sir William Maddock Bayliss
- Alfred Noyes
- Tessa Sanderson - Gold medallist, javelin, 1984 Olympic Games
- Billy Wright - the Northern Irish "loyalist" terrorist leader (not the Wolves footballer of the same name!)
- Sir Charles Wheeler - sculptor and former president of the Royal Academy
- Sir Jack Hayward, OBE - Son of Wolverhampton factory owners. Self made millionaire. Great benefactor of many charities. Fighter pilot in the Second World War.
- Meera Syal - Star of stage and screen.
- David Wright - Former UK Ambassador to Japan
- Rachael Heyhoe-Flint - Captain of the England Women's World Cup for Cricket team 1973.
- Hugh Porter - Brilliant Olympic cyclist. Born Wolverhampton. Also broadcaster and media personality.
- Jonathan Wild - Self-penned Chief Thieftaker General of Great Britain and Ireland
- Sir Charles Villiers - Member of Parliament for sixty three years, Charles Pelham Villiers holds the record for being the longest serving MP in Parliamentary history.
External links
Referenced By
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