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Walsall Leasing

Did You Know?

Walsall's prosperity from an early date was based on local supplies of coal, iron ore, and limestone. It has been a metal-processing town since the 14th century, and leatherworking developed as well. By the 17th century Walsall had become an important industrial town, with saddlery, nail, and iron manufactures.

The place name of Walsall is now generally believed to derive from the Old English personal name 'Walh', thought to be from the Saxon term for a Briton or Welshman, and 'H(e)alh' meaning 'a sheltered place'.!

The population of Walsall increased dramatically during the 19th century, doubling and then tripling, as people came to work in the town's prospering industries. Much of the housing, built in haste to accommodate the influx of workers, was of a poor standard and has since been demolished. Unfortunately, redevelopment during the last 150 years has resulted in most of Walsall's historic buildings being lost - many fine buildings along with the slums.

Famous inhabitants of Walsall include Jerome K. Jerome, the author of 'Three Men in a Boat' who was born in Belsize House, Bradford Street in 1859. Sister Dora was born Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison in Yorkshire in 1832.

Walsall Museum featured local history objects primarily from the manufacturing trades and had a space for temporary exhibitions, while the leather museum displays a mixture of leather goods and has recreations of leatherworkers workshops.

At any rate, in the early 13th century Walsall turned into a small market town. From 1220 Walsall had a weekly market. It also 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. By the 14th century, it also had a mayor.

In the 20th century leather making flourished and Walsall was called the Leather capital of the world. The metalworking industry also prospered. Another important industry in Walsall was clothing. However, there were so many different industries in Walsall that it was called the town of 100 trades.

The first cinema in Walsall opened in 1908. In the 1920s Walsall council built its first council houses. More followed in the 1930s. Some of them were built to replace slums, which were demolished in that decade. Many more council houses were built in Walsall after 1945.

Walsall is the current centre of the English leatherworking industry. We will cover how it came to be that in a little while. The queen has worn leather handbags from Walsall! It started with the horse’s bits and metalworking and grew beyond belief.

Walsall is part of the ‘Black Country’ that is named so for a few reasons. It has black soil, mainly because it sits on a huge coal streak, and it was disastrously affected by the black death. Some areas saw as much as 100% mortality rates… and we think we have it bad.