City in West Midlands, England
Wolverhampton
Wolves helped inspire the European Cup, its factories built a car that hit 200mph, and a Saxon noblewoman gave the city its name.
Key information
- County
- West Midlands
- Nation
- England
- Population
- about 264,000, 2021 Census
- Known for
- Wolves, Sunbeam cars and motorcycles, locks, Banks's bitter
- What locals are called
- Wulfrunians
- Famous people
- Beverley Knight, Sir Henry Newbolt, Billy Wright (Wolves captain)
- Football clubs
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves)
About Wolverhampton
The Saxon noblewoman who named a city
Wolverhampton is named after a woman. In 985, King Æthelred II granted land to Lady Wulfrun. In 994 she endowed the church on the hill that became St Peter's Collegiate Church, which still stands there. Her name became Wulfrun's Hampton, then, after centuries of wear, Wolverhampton. It's also why locals are called Wulfrunians. The name is a bit of a mouthful, so most people just say they're from Wolves, which also happens to be the football club. The church's tall tower dominates the centre, and a Saxon-era carved stone pillar in the churchyard is among the oldest things in the city.
Wool money, locks and a 200mph car
Medieval Wolverhampton grew rich on wool. One of its sons, Sir Stephen Jenyns, a merchant tailor who became Lord Mayor of London, founded the town's grammar school in 1512. Later the town turned to metal. Its workshops made locks, keys, tinplate and japanned ware, a glossy black lacquered finish. Chubb locks were made here, and John Marston's Sunbeam company made bicycles and later motorcycles at Sunbeamland in Paul Street, while Sunbeam motorcars were built at the Moorfield works in Blakenhall. In 1927 Henry Segrave drove a Sunbeam to a land speed record of over 203mph at Daytona Beach. Villiers made engines for motorbikes, and Boulton Paul Aircraft built the Defiant fighter at Pendeford during the Second World War. In 1927, Princes Square also got some of Britain's first automatic traffic lights.
The night Wolves were 'champions of the world'
Wolverhampton Wanderers began as a school team from St Luke's, Blakenhall, in 1877, and were founder members of the Football League in 1888. Their gold and black shirts and their home at Molineux are known across the country. The golden age came under manager Stan Cullis in the 1950s. Wolves won the league title in 1954, 1958 and 1959, plus FA Cups in 1949 and 1960. The most famous night was a floodlit friendly in December 1954, when Wolves beat the Hungarian side Honvéd 3-2. Newspapers hailed Wolves as champions of the world, and the French journalist Gabriel Hanot of L'Équipe responded by pushing for a proper European club competition. The European Cup followed in 1955. Captain Billy Wright, who spent his entire career at Wolves, became the first player in the world to win 100 international caps, in 1959. Both he and Cullis have statues at Molineux: Wright's outside the Billy Wright Stand, Cullis's outside the Stan Cullis Stand.
Where the Black Country begins
Wolverhampton sits on the edge of the Black Country, and the accent and humour are unmistakable. Black Country classics such as grey peas and bacon, faggots and peas, and pork scratchings are part of local life, traditionally washed down with a pint of Banks's bitter, which was brewed at Wolverhampton's Park Brewery for generations. The city's canal heritage is clear at the Wolverhampton Locks, where the Staffordshire and Worcestershire and the Birmingham Canal Navigations meet. The locks lift boats up through a flight of 21 locks. It isn't all industry. West Park is a Victorian park with a lake and bandstand, and the Grand Theatre has been entertaining audiences since 1894. Just outside the centre, Wightwick Manor is an Arts and Crafts house packed with William Morris wallpapers and textiles.
Sport, music and famous Wulfrunians
Wolverhampton does sport at speed. Monmore Green hosts greyhound racing, and Dunstall Park offers floodlit horse racing on an all-weather surface. The city also gave the world the poet Sir Henry Newbolt, born in Bilston in 1862, who wrote 'Drake's Drum' and 'Vitaï Lampada', with its famous line 'Play up! play up! and play the game!' Soul singer Beverley Knight is a Wolverhampton native, and the Wulfrun Hall has hosted generations of touring bands. The city became an official city in 2000, as part of the Millennium celebrations. Its university, with roots in the Victorian Wolverhampton Mechanics' Institute and later polytechnic, now sits close to the heart of the city, bringing in students and new energy.