Walsall Through Time

Walsall is a town with a long and rich history. By the late fourteenth century the town was a borough with its own mayor and town council. Walsall became famed for the skills of its metal and leather-workers, and expanded to become a major industrial centre. Today it is best known as Europe's leading centre for saddlery manufacture, for its football team (affectionately known as the Saddlers), and for its splendid Arboretum, one of the finest urban parks in the Midlands. In Walsall Through Time, local historian Michael Glasson looks at how this long history is reflected in the buildings and streets of the town. 'Then and now' images illustrate the massive changes that have taken place in the fabric of the town centre, prompting us to mourn the loss of so many streets and buildings, and at the same time consider the benefits of modern-day urban regeneration.