WolverhamptonWolverhampton (ˌwʊlvərˈhæmptən) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. The population was 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians". The city is located north-west of Birmingham. Historically in Staffordshire, the city grew as a market town specialising in the wool trade. In the Industrial Revolution, it became a major centre for coal mining, steel production, lock making, and the manufacture of cars and motorcycles.
UttoxeterUttoxeter (juːˈtɒksᵻtər , ˈʊtʃᵻtə ) is a market town and civil parish in East Staffordshire, England, near to the Derbyshire county border. The town is from Burton upon Trent via the A50 and the A38, from Stafford via the A518, from Stoke-on-Trent via the A50, and from Derby via the A50 and the A38, and north-east of Rugeley via the A518 and the B5013. The population was 14,014 at the 2021 Census. The town's literary connections include Samuel Johnson and Mary Howitt.
Burton upon TrentBurton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The demonym for residents of the town is Burtonian. Burton is located south-west of Derby, north-west of Leicester, west-south-west of Nottingham and south of the southern entrance to the Peak District National Park. Burton is known for its brewing. The town grew up around Burton Abbey.
West Coast Main LineThe West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for and was opened from 1837 to 1869.
Borough status in the United KingdomBorough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, similarly chartered communities were known as royal burghs, although the status is no longer granted. Ancient borough Until the local government reforms of 1973 and 1974, boroughs were towns possessing charters of incorporation conferring considerable powers, and were governed by a municipal corporation headed by a mayor.
Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme (RP: ˈnjuːkɑːsəl , ˈnjuːkæsəl ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. In 2011 the population was 75,082. Newcastle grew up in the twelfth century around the castle which gave the town its name, and received its first charter in 1173. The town's early industries included millinery, silk weaving, and coal mining, but despite its proximity to the Potteries it did not develop a ceramics trade.
RugeleyRugeley (ˈruːdʒli or ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, north-east of Hednesford and south-west of Uttoxeter. At the 2021 Census, the population was 24,386. Rugeley is twinned with Western Springs, Illinois and, in July 1962, both towns made telephone history on national television when the chairman of Rugeley Urban District Council made the first telephone call via the new Telstar satellite to the mayor of Western Springs.
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement in Staffordshire and is surrounded by the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Alsager, Kidsgrove and Biddulph, which form a conurbation around the city. The city is polycentric, formed from the federation of six towns in 1910. It took its name from Stoke-upon-Trent where the main centre of government and the principal railway station in the district were located.
LichfieldLichfield (ˈlɪtʃfiːld) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of Burton Upon Trent. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population was 34,738 and the population of the wider Lichfield District was 106,400. Notable for its three-spired medieval cathedral, Lichfield was the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, the writer of the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language.
MidlandsThe Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England, Southern England and the North Sea. The Midlands were important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. They are split into the West Midlands and East Midlands. The region's biggest city, Birmingham - often considered the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands, - is the second-largest city and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom.