West Bromwich

West Bromwich is a town in the West Midlands, England, which in 1991 had a population of 146,386. The town is sometimes considered a part of the Black Country. Since 1974, it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, and so is administered by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

West Bromwich is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located west of Birmingham. The town is most famous for its football team West Bromwich Albion.

Engineering and chemicals are important to the town's economy. A technical college is located there.

It is served by the Midland Metro light rail (tram) system, on the trackbed of the former Great Western Railway line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The nearest main- line railway station is now "Sandwell And Dudley", on the other, LMS route between those towns.

History

West Bromwich was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1066. A Benedictine priory existed in West Bromwich from the 12th century around which much of the town grew. The town became a stop on the coaching road between London and Shrewsbury in the 17th century, and the town's population began to grow, reaching 15,000 by 1831.

The discovery of coal deposits in the 19th century ensured that the town grew rapidly as an industrial centre.

West Bromwich's population had reached 65,000 by 1901 and 89,000 by 1950.