Industrial revolution - Heart of England
The Heart of England can rightly claim to be the birthplace of the industrial revolution with Ironbridge (www.ironbridge.org.uk/), the Black Country (www.blackcountrytourism.co.uk/), and the extensive canal network that helped distribute the Heart of England’s goods all over the world.
Ironbridge in Shropshire is a World Heritage Site, recognised as the birthplace of the industrial revolution and home to the world’s first iron bridge, constructed in 1779 by Darby and which is still in use today. The site contains ten museums including Blists Hill, a real Victorian town where you can step back in time and learn how the Victorians lived with the help of actors and shillings. All this industry created the extensive canal network in the Heart of England that is now used by boat enthusiasts and tourists to cover the length and breadth of the region by narrowboat.
The Black Country was described this way because the air was thick with smoke from the many furnaces that ran 24 hours a day to produce the iron that was essential for the industrial revolution. The iron was to make locks and the region has a long and illustrious lock industry tradition. Household names such as Chubb, Yale and Union, all have their roots in Walsall.
The glass industry in the Black Country dates back to the 17th century when glass makers moved from Lorraine because of religious persecution and settled in Stourbridge, attracted by an abundant supply of coal and clay. In the 18th century following the invention of lead glass they began producing the tableware and ornamental glass for which the region is now world famous. Of particular interest at Stuart Crystal is the Red House Cone Glassworks Experience where the 100ft Cone is one of only four remaining in the country and the only one open to the public.
It was not until the second half of the 19th century that the leather trade began to expand dramatically in Walsall. The peak of the industry was around 1900, when about 10,000 people were engaged in producing leather and making saddlery and harness, much of it for export. Saddles for the Royal Household have been made in Walsall for centuries, and today's modern markets see Walsall leather as quality throughout the World. There are now about sixty-five saddlery firms in the Borough, probably the greatest concentration of saddlers anywhere in the world. Walsall Leather Museum (www.walsall.gov.uk/leathermuseum/) tells the story of the Walsall trades, and feature splendid examples of local craftsmanship both past and present.