Heritage

Wolverhampton has a proud history stretching from its foundation in 985 AD to the award of City status in 2001. The locality prospered as a wool producing area during the middle ages and grew rapidly as a light metals centre with the onset of the industrial revolution, hosting tin plate and lock making industries – notably through world-famous manufacturers, Chubb. As the nineteenth century progressed heavier industry developed, encouraged by the local availability of iron and coal and the town became a centre for vehicle manufacture – which prospered into the twentieth century.

The area was badly hit by the industrial depression of the 1980’s and is once again feeling the impact of the nationwide recession. The City is looking to the future and re-inventing itself as host to some of the newer industries, established around our Science Park, and becoming an important entertainment centre and base for our rapidly expanding university.

This said, Wolverhampton features among the 10% most deprived authorities in England. In the city areas of significant affluence sit alongside some of the most deprived areas in the country. Over the next few years the population will fall unless our ambitious plans succeed. Wolverhampton’s age and gender profile broadly mirrors the age structure of the UK, although we do have a lower proportion of people aged 40-59 than the UK average, and higher proportions of both young and old.

The City has a population of 236,000. 22% are from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities. The largest BME community is Indian at 12% and then Black Caribbean at 3.5%. Wolverhampton’s Sikh community at 7.6% is the fourth largest in England and Wales and there are over 60 languages spoken within the city. Wolverhampton is the fifth most diverse city in England outside London. The city has a proud record in promoting community cohesion and sees our diversity as a strength.