Lost Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton in the West Midlands was granted city status in 2000 but its origins lie in Anglo Saxon England. During the Middle Ages Wolverhampton was a prosperous Staffordshire market town and a centre for the wool trade. Its coal and iron deposits enabled it to grow rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, when it became one of the most heavily industrialised areas of the country, specialising in coal mining, iron and steel production, engineering and manufacturing. The wealth brought into the town is seen today by the many civic buildings in Wolverhampton from that era, and large areas of social housing were built in the 20th century to accommodate the population. Much has changed in Wolverhampton in recent decades, following the large scale urban planning schemes of the 1960s and 1970s and later, and regeneration schemes for the city centre rebuilding old shopping centres and reflecting a change in working practices from industry and manufacturing to more service-based employment, but Wolverhampton has still retained its distinctive identity. Lost Wolverhampton presents a portrait of this corner of the West Midlands over the last century to recent decades that has radically changed or disappeared today, showing not only the industries and buildings that have gone but also the people and street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Wolverhampton will appeal to all those who live in the area or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.

Alec Brew is curator of the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre in Wolverhampton. He also writes for the Wolverhampton Chronicle.