A visit to the English West Midlands is a visit to the birthplace of Shakespeare, Elgar, ELO and Cadbury’s chocolate. Confusingly, the West Midlands of England includes a county called the West Midlands, as well as those of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The east of the region is dominated by Birmingham, Britain’s second city and home to Europe’s largest public library; the west of the region, bordering Wales, is more rural. Though famous as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution at Ironbridge, this is now a world heritage site with a network of worthwhile museums. There are charming villages tucked into rolling hills around Hereford, where you can follow a ‘black & white’ trail past half-timbered buildings. As well as Stratford upon Avon, old medieval towns like Warwick and Ludlow, both with famous castles, as well as Ledbury and Shrewsbury, should all be on the tourist itinerary.
Driving through Cannock Chase, a lovely area of heath and woodland in Staffordshire, I was surprised to see a sign pointing to the Katyn Memorial. Katyn Forest is about 1600 miles away, near Smolensk, in Russia. There, in 1940, more than 4,500 Polish nationals were murdered by the NKVD, the Soviet Union’s sinister security police […]
The Cross of Sacrifice instantly identifies a Commonwealth War Graves cemetery. Beautifully tended, as they all are, the information panel tells you that this one contains 383 burials from the First World War, 97 Commonwealth – mainly New Zealanders – and 286 Germans. There are also three burials from the Second World War. Shortly after
Cannock Chase War Cemetery Read More »
What might be called ‘the Royal Oak Incident’ took place when the future King Charles II hid in an oak tree after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. This was a real event, which might have had a very different outcome, and is a fascinating story. You can visit the spot where it happened, Boscobel
Why 467 pubs are called the Royal Oak Read More »
Almost 5,000 German and Austrian war dead, 2,143 from the First World War and 2,797 from the Second, lie in peace in Cannock Chase, an area of outstanding natural beauty in rural Staffordshire. Some died trying to kill our parents or grandparents from the skies; others were washed ashore from ships; and some were prisoners
Deutsche Soldatenfriedhof, Cannock Chase Read More »
You should visit Ironbridge. Advertised as ‘the birthplace of the industrial revolution’ (not technically true), there’s heaps to see – but it’s also very pleasant to simply wander round the attractive town, take in the atmosphere, indulge in a modest amount of retail therapy and have a tasty pork pie from one of the shops
Ironbridge – cradle of industrialisation? Read More »
Including the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Just to confuse the unwary, the English West Midlands is a region that also includes a county called the West Midlands. The West Midlands (county) is largely urban and includes Britain’s second city, Birmingham – so it’s in the West Midlands twice. Don’t
A bit about the West Midlands Read More »
