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Walsall: Walsall Town
built 235 days ago
Walsall is the administrative headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 170,994 with the surrounding borough having a population of 253,500. Neighbouring towns in the borough include Willenhall, Bloxwich and Aldridge.
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation, and is sometimes described as part of the Black Country.
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Walsall has many attractions to distract the unwary visitor. They vary from the absurd to the even more absurd. Many a pleasant week can be spent exploring the town’s cultural and touristic delights if you have the odd afternoon to spare and can’t get your car fixed quickly enough.
At any rate in the early 13th century Walsall turned into a small market town. From 1220 Walsall had a weekly market. It ... had an annual fair. In the Middle Ages fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year. Buyers and sellers would come from all over the West Midlands to attend a Walsall fair. After 1339 Walsall had 2 fairs.
Much of Walsall's international fame stems from the 'Walsall Illuminations', a secret town event of which only Walsall inhabitants are aware. At this special time of the year, usually between 1 and 2 o' clock on a Sunday afternoon, the tramps of Walsall are rounded up, covered in birdseed, and attacked and eaten alive by the local pigeons. The fat, bloated pigeons are subsequently set alight and thrown at foreigners passing through the town. The event was dubbed 'The Walsall Illuminations' in 1976 by a German traveller who was the main target of that year's pigeons. This was because, when said with a local accent, 'Walsall' sounds like 'Blackpool'.
Walsall is well placed in terms of a base from which to operate in the West Midlands. Junction 10 of the M6 motorway and the new Black Country route ensure that it has easy access to main road network. Walsall has recently attracted some well known national operators to the town. Examples of these include Rentokil, Blakemore Food Service and Poundlands European Headquarters. In fact recently over 50 companies have moved into the Walsall boundries.
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