The home of England's second city - Birmingham - and one of the largest conurbations in the British Isles, the history of the West Midlands will be forever linked to the Industrial Revolution, especially in and around the Black Country, where the Living Museum allows you to relive the region's past. Whether it be producing Chocolate at Cadbury's factory, custard at Bird's, crockery in the Potteries, cars at Longbridge, Ryton or Solihull, or needles and fishhooks in Redditch, the West Midlands was the powerhouse of the mass production of just about everything. Great entrepreneurs and industrialists such as Wedgwood, Cadbury, Morgan, Mitchell, Austin, Darby, Lyons, Watt, Brunel, Brindley or Boulton, all plied their trade in the industrial heartland that encompasses huge factories, land speed record setting cars, the home of the Spitfire, the inventor of radio and more canals than Venice...

But there is also great beauty to be found in the West Midlands too. From Shakespeare's Stratford to the Malvern Hills, Cannock Chase to Birmingham's Symphony Hall tourists flock to see the views, listen to the music and watch the shows. Crammed with incredible Stately Homes such as Harvington Hall, Coughton Court and of course Shakespeare's Birthplace, as well as museums such as ThinkTank and the Back-to-Backs in Birmingham or the Potteries Museum in Stoke or the Jaguar Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon there is something for everyone in this rich and varied part of the country.

Find out more about the areas within this region by selecting them in the menu.