Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England

'The settlement of Wolverhampton was established in 985 when King Æthelred granted lands there to a Lady Wulfrun. Henry II granted a charter to hold a market in 1258 and the town prospered from the wool trade until the 16th century, when its trade declined with the growth of woollen cloth production in Yorkshire.' 'Iron has been smelted, and coal found, in the Wolverhampton area as early as 1272. The Civil War boosted demand for iron, as it did for secrecy, something which the town's craftsmen lockmakers quickly responded to. Both trades flourished, and by 1750 the town's oldest surviving detailed map shows 1,440 dwellings there, home to 7,454 people. About then a new trade entered the town; the manufacture of tinplate and japanned wares: iron, tin or papier mâché tea trays, tea caddies etc, sealed in lacquer and lavishly painted. Much of this went for export, boosting both the town's prosperity and population… By 1850, Wolverhampton had become a specialist centre for most items of ironmongery and almost all other goods made of iron, steel, brass or tin. In addition, there were several large iron foundries, corn mills, about 20 malt kilns, two tanneries, and two extensive chemical works: William Baileys's, which made acids, and Mander, Weaver & Co., which produced paint, varnishes and medicines. There was also the largest artificial manure works in the country!'

'Industrial development of this scale brought many problems in its wake. The livelihood of so many was put at the mercy of the vicissitudes of the Napoleonic Wars, by1817 nearly half of Wolverhampton's iron smelting furnaces were blown out. Many faced near starvation, and hard times endured until demand for iron was rekindled by railway construction in the 1833-1846 period.

'Overcrowding fostered unsanitary conditions, and many became dissatisfied with the Town Commissioners' ability to deal with these, despite the provision of improvements such as gas lighting (1821), and waterworks (1844). Accordingly, some of the town's leading ratepayers petitioned Queen Victoria to grant it a Charter of Incorporation as a Borough, which she did on 15 March 1848. A year later, 193 died of cholera. The new Town Council commissioned reports and embodied its plans in an Improvement Act which was passed in 1853. Much was remedied, but as a reporter from 'The Builder' noted on a visit to Wolverhampton in 1860: 'In 10 years, with rapidly increasing population, overlooked trifles grow into monster evils'.

'A deep drainage and sewage scheme was implemented from 1861, and a plan was conceived to drive brand new streets through the worst areas to eradiate them and to replace the slum housing with new ones built elsewhere. Powers were obtained under the Artisans Dwellings and Street Improvements Act (1876); the new streets adding to Wolverhampton's already impressive building stock, the work of its leading architects who included Edward Banks, George Bidlake and George T Robinson.

'By 1900, the town's face had changed, as had its industry. Engineering firms had proliferated, and some of these had embraced motor cycle and car manufacture. Up to 1930, Wolverhampton rivalled Coventry and Birmingham as a centre for these trades; its famous makes including AJS motorcycles, Briton, Clyno, Guy, Star, Sunbeam and Turner cars; and Villiers motorcycle engines. The 1920s saw the biggest growth in their production, when nearly 31,000 was added to the population; and 1927 was the greatest year, when the Clyno was the third best selling car in Britain and Henry Seagrave became the first man to drive at over 200 mph, in a Sunbeam. Despite this, within 5 years most of the town's car production had ceased, victim of the massive investment in plant made by Austin, Morris and by Fords.

'Car production gave way to heavy industry in the 1930s, which saw the establishment of major companies in Wolverhampton, including Courtaulds, The Boulton Paul Aircraft Co., Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Co., Electric Construction Co and Star Aluminium to augment more established concerns like Chubb & Sons Lock & Safe Co and Mander Brothers. These firms' continued success ensured a steady surplus of employment in the town; which fared better than most until the economic recession hit the West Midlands hard in the late 1970s.'

Collins, Paul 'Rail Centres: Wolverhampton' (1990) Ian Allan Ltd, page 7-8