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	Placing Walsall
	Walsall is not the capital of Poland. WALSALL THEN Waulleshal a litle Market Toune in Stafordshir a mile by north from Weddesbyri. Ther be many Smithes and Bytte Makers yn the Towne. It longgith now to the King, and there is a Parke of that name scant half a mile from the Towne yn the way to Wolverhampton. At Walleshaul be Pittes of Se Coles, Pittes of Lyme that serve also South Toun 4 miles of. (Itinerary of John Leyland 1769) Walsall lies on a triangle of limestone formed 400 million years ago in Silurian times. The Romans used this lime for building and to construct Watling Street, the main arterial road linking the north of England with the south. Walsall's Limestone provides the footing for the foundations of The New Art Gallery. Limestone was essential for the leather industry and leather-working was long a mainstay of the town's economy. Walsall developed a growing reputation for saddlery and a thriving associated lorinery trade (bits, spurs and other small metal objects). In England, throughout the 18th century, the agricultural and burgeoning industrial revolutions led to an explosion in production and population. The cost of transport was a key factor in urban development for towns like Walsall in the Industrial Revolution. While coal at Birmingham Coal Fields cost 8 shillings per ton a further 6 shillings was needed to transport it 20 miles to Burslem. But then came the canals, which opened up Walsall to the wider world. The New Art Gallery is built on the edge of the Town Wharf, actually a modern addition to the series of canal wharfs which linked Walsall to the larger Birmingham Canal Navigation, which in its heyday comprised 120 miles of waterway within an area 20 miles long by 12 miles wide. After the canals came  the railways. Production and population grew apace. Walsall's population doubled in the first half of the 19th century. There was money to be made, but with little regard for the welfare of those who created it. Disease thrived on dirt and deprivation. But the increasing number of epidemics, such as smallpox, were no respecter of wealth and privilege. By the 1860's and 70's public health had become an issue of national importance. In 1886 the people of Walsall erected the first statue in Britain dedicated to a non-royal woman. The statue to Sister Dora, paid for by public subscription, was a mark of gratitude to a woman who had dedicated her life to the creation of a hospital for those who no other recourse in times of illness or accident. In the late 19th Century Walsall's first Chief medical officer was appointed, Dr Garman whose father was also a doctor and had moved to nearby Wednesbury from London earlier in the century. It was Dr Garman's grand daughter, Kathleen Garman, the wife of Jacob Epstein, who bequeathed the Garman Ryan collection to the town. WALSALL NOW The total population for the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall was 259,488 at the time of the last census in 1991, although the area covered by the census is wider than the old Victorian town. The ethnic origins of the population in percentage terms were as follows: * White 90.4% * Black 1.3% * Asian 7.6% * Chinese/other 0.7% The unemployment rates for each of these groups was as follows: * White 10.7% * Black 23.1% * Asian 20.7% * Chinese/other 14.3% Walsall is located in the Heart of England at the junction of Europe's busiest stretch of motorways. Walsall's football team Walsall Town FC (nicknamed The Saddlers) has recently won promotion to Division One of the English football league. Walsall Wobblies: In a recent survey conducted by the Health Education Authority, Walsall was identified as having the highest rate of obesity in the UK. A local speciality is the pork scratching - Britain's only snack with real hair! Walsall is the home town of Slade's Noddy Holder, writer Jerome K Jerome, Coronation Street's Audrey Roberts and comedian Meera Syal. Walsall has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe. Walsall is the largest manufacturer of builders wheelbarrows in the UK. Walsall is the centre of the British fine leather goods industry. 250,000 people visit the Walsall Illuminations each year - the UK's biggest inland, outdoor light show. Walsall's street markets date from the 11th Century and are some of the most lively and popular in the Midlands. References and Bibliography: LEWIS, MARILYN and WOODS, DAVID, The Book of Walsall, Barracuda Books Ltd, 1987 JENKINSON, PETER, The New Art Gallery Director, Interview, May 1999
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