Ian Jelf's Walking Tours for Groups
The Black Country
Dudley - the first 320 million years!
At the heart of the Industrial Black Country, this is a really ambitious tour, spanning as it does some 320 million years of history! Normally visited for its famous Zoo or the superb Black Country Museum, we instead go wandering around some of the smaller streets which reveal tales of a mediaeval settlement which grew rich on the deposits which lay buried for centuries beneath its streets.
En route we'll hear about lords, footballers, grave robbers and even a "smellie" mayoress!
Wolverhampton - A Wander through one of Britain's Newest Cities
Recently elevated to the status of a City, Wolverhampton's history goes back to a Saxon princess more than a thousand years ago. In the ensuing years it's seen everything from Britain's first traffic lights to a letter which went around the world by mistake! Find out more on a walk through streets which have echoed to the sounds of everyone from Saxons to Slade!
Penn - A Suburban Stroll
Penn is in many ways the archetypal English suburb. It began life as a village but the onset of "civilization" eventually meant that it was swallowed up by Wolverhampton. However, history has left behind a surprising number of reminders of Penn's past, including two of the City's three Scheduled Historic Monuments! And just what is a "Penn Nib"?!
Tettenhall - From Vikings to Volvos!
Tettenhall has long been thought of as an exclusive area of Wolverhampton, yet it has a history going back many centuries and has a long history of being quite "separate" from its big neighbour. Away from the bustle of traffic on the A41, this walk allows us to find traces of Viking battles, thousand year old trees and mediaeval farms, as well as some more recent items of interest.
Walsall - Something in Leather!
The Industrial Town of Walsall has been famed for centuries as a centre of the leather trade. A walk through this surprisingly interesting town reveals much more, though. An award-winning new art gallery (home to an internationally acclaimed collection), a pioneering nurse, tales of Black Magic and a Zeppelin raid have all featured in Walsall's colourful past.
Tipton - Industry Power and People!
An industrialised landscape, criss-crossed by canals and railways where men (and women) have sweated and toiled through the centuries to build up Britain's industrial might. That's Tipton and a walk around the town reveals a great deal about its past: fist fighters, canal workers, steam ships are perhaps to be expected. But what connection would Tipton have with Georgian architecture, the English Civil War or missionaries? Come and find out!
Bilston - Once the largest village in England (yes, really!)
One of the most unlikely venues for a walking tour, lying at the heart of the Industrial Black Country, Bilston is in fact steeped in history and interest. A stroll around the town reveals a famous poet, plague and riots, as well as some thought-provoking modern art.
Wednesbury -A Saxon Fortress in the Heart of the Black Country
Another unlikely venue for a tour, but as ever on an Ian Walk, there's a great deal of interest to those with minds open enough to see.
In a commanding hill top position overlooking the Black Country Wednesbury can survey a past ranging from Saxon Queens to mediaeval miners, from forgotten churches to Methodist Preachers. They've all been here. (Not to mention Ian's ancestors!)
Halesowen - behind the façade
Behind its façade as a commuter town, Halesowen has an absorbing past, steeped in history and interest, with tales of a dead poet, a Welsh rebel and a community of monks.
Our walk goes in search of what remains of the town's distant past and includes the chance to discover hidden timber buildings, cottages and even a vanished canal, all among the 20th century sprawl.
Stourbridge - Crystal Clear
Stourbridge is famed the world over for its crystal glass but has a history stretching back many centuries. A walk uncovers some little-known facts about the town including trains that weren't wanted, trains that were sent to America and trains that didn't stop when they should have done! Add to that an historic school, a hidden river and some historic buildings and you have the recipe for an unusual town tour.
Return to Main Walking
Tours for Groups page
Return to Ian Jelf's Home Page
© Ian Jelf. This site was last updated on 20 November 2003
.