The Black Country in the West Midlands currently covers the

four metropolitan boroughs of Dudley. Wolverhampton. Walsall

and Sandwell. The area became famous as a centre of manufacturing

following the birth of the Industrial Revolution but there is much

more to the area than its industrial heritage, although that has

undoubtedly played a strong part in forging the shared history and

identity of the area. 50 Gems of the Black Country takes the reader

on a fascinating journey through the highlights of the area, which has

many diverse attractions from its pre-Industrial Revolution history,

through the legacy of coal mining and other mineral extraction, iron

and steel works and other heavy manufacturing and the canals that

aided these industries, to more recent attractions. Author John Shipley

explores the many places, and their history, that make this part of

the West Midlands so distinctive.