In the West Midlands of England, our Circuit represents just a small part of The Black Country region . The Black Country is often seen of a collection of 20 or so towns falling within the four Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

While no one quite agrees on the exact boundaries of the region, there is one thing we know for certain: Black Country folk changed the world. They built world’s first successful steam engine; put the first steam train (the Stourbridge Lion) on US soil; fuelled the introduction of the first minimum wage; produced the anchor for the Titanic; practically built the Crystal Palace and so much more.

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From the early 20th century onwards, the Black Country region became one of the most industrialised parts of the UK with coal mines, iron foundries, glass factories, brick works and more dominating the landscape. The sheer intensity of industry earned the Black Country a worldwide reputation and its goods were shipped around the globe. But industry at such scale came at a huge cost, and the landscape was turned inside out for its resources. In 1862 the American Consul to Birmingham Elihu Burritt famously described the region as “black by day and red by night” because of the ubiquitous black smog by day and the fiery glow of the furnaces by night.