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.
