Wolverhampton

Understand

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 automotive manufacturing. The economy of the city is still based on engineering, including a large aerospace industry, as well as the service sector.

Get around

The suburbs of Wolverhampton are easily accessible by an excellent network of buses and, south of the city centre, by Midland Metro trams.

Buy

While Wolverhampton's shopping facilities are more limited than the Bull Ring in nearby Birmingham and the enormous Merry Hill Centre, the newly refurbished Wulfrun and Mander shopping centers are home to all of the usual high street chains and the enormous Beatties department store is unrivalled in the region.

There is also delightful independent boutique The Sheila Cooke Foundation, where all the stock is made on the premises, or by equally lovely UK based companies. A must for anyone with an eye for detail and the unusual!

Eat

A visit to Wolverhampton wouldn't be complete without trying a curry from one of the many Indian restaurants located in and around the city center. Of particular note is the award-winning Bilash Tandoori on Cheapside.

Other well-known restaurants include Bella in Chapel Ash (Upmarket Italian cuisine) Memsahib in Compton (Indian cuisine) and The Ship in the town center (it's the only place in West Midlands that does a beef chilly fry!) Other popular eateries just outside Wolverhampton include: The Red Cow at Ackleton (on the way to Bridgnorth), The Cowshed in Pattingham and the Thornescroft Restaurant (once again on the way to Bridgnorth).

Drink

In addition to a wide choice of bars and clubs, centred around Lichfield Street and Queen Street, its live music scene is unrivalled by many larger cities in the UK. The main music venues include the Wulfrun Hall and Slade Rooms on North Street in the city centre, and the Robin 2 (near Bilston Central metro station)

For Real Ale, one might consider visiting one of Wolverhampton's CAMRA pubs such as the "Combermere Arms" on the Tettenhall Road in Chapel Ash, "The Newhampton" on Riches St off Newhampton Road in Whitmore Reans or "The Great Western" in Sun Street at the back of the railway station. "The Station" in Codsall (also a CAMRA pub) is known for its real ale; it is outside Wolverhampton.