The Midlands | |
|---|---|
 The Midlands region shown in England | |
| Sovereign state |  United Kingdom |
| Constituent country |  England |
| Major cities | Birmingham Coventry Derby Leicester Lincoln Nottingham Stoke Wolverhampton Worcester |
| Principal settlements | A'Metro' cities BOther 'cities'
|
| Area | |
• Total | 11,053 sq mi (28,627 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 2,308 ft (703 m) |
| Population (2021 census) | |
• Total | 10,831,000 |
| • Density | 979.92/sq mi (378.35/km2) |
| Demonym(s) | Midlander, Mercian |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
TheMidlands is the central part ofEngland, to the south ofNorthern England, to the north ofsouthern England, to the east ofWales, and to the west of theNorth Sea. The Midlands comprises theceremonial counties ofDerbyshire,Herefordshire,Leicestershire,Lincolnshire,Northamptonshire,Nottinghamshire,Rutland,Shropshire,Staffordshire,Warwickshire,West Midlands andWorcestershire.[1] For statistical purposes, the Midlands is divided into twostatistical regions: theWest Midlands andEast Midlands. These had a combined population of 10.9 million at the2021 census,[2] and an area of 28,622 km2 (11,051 square miles). The northern part of Lincolnshire is part of theYorkshire and the Humber statistical region, and not part of the Midlands.
The modern borders of the Midlands also correspond broadly to the early-medieval kingdom ofMercia. The region became important in theIndustrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, which led to one of its parts being named as theBlack Country. Culturally, the Midlands is distinct, but contains elements from both Northern and Southern England in theNorth-South divide.[3] The Midlands' largest city,Birmingham, is the second-largest city in theUnited Kingdom. Other cities includeCoventry,Derby,Leicester,Lincoln,Nottingham,Stoke-on-Trent,Wolverhampton, andWorcester.
There is no single definition for the Midlands. If defined as being made up of thestatistical regions ofEast Midlands andWest Midlands,[4] it includes thecounties ofDerbyshire,Herefordshire,Leicestershire, most ofLincolnshire (with the exception ofNorth andNorth East Lincolnshire),Northamptonshire,Nottinghamshire,Rutland,Shropshire,Staffordshire,Warwickshire,Worcestershire and the West Midlands metropolitan boroughs.
Other definitions include a slightly larger area and the 1911Encyclopædia Britannica describesGloucestershire as "West Midland",Bedfordshire as "South Midland", andHuntingdonshire as "East Midland" counties respectively.Cheshire is also occasionally recognised as being in the Midlands, while a lot of what was historically part of southern Mercia (Gloucestershire,Oxfordshire,Buckinghamshire,Bedfordshire,Hertfordshire,Huntingdonshire, andCambridgeshire) is often labelled as "Central England", typically used interchangeably with "the Midlands".
Additionally, there are two informal regions known as theSouth Midlands andNorth Midlands, which are notNUTS statistical regions of the United Kingdom and their definition varies by using organisation. The former includes the southern parts of the East Midlands and northern parts ofSouthern England.[5] The latter covers the northern parts of the West and East Midlands, along with some southern parts ofNorthern England.[6][7][8]
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Due to being neitherNorthern England orSouthern England, the Midlands have had cultural elements from both sides in theNorth–South divide. In a binary choice, theWatford Gap in Northamptonshire is often considered the dividing point between the north and south of England, with most of the Midlands population sitting above this point. It has been suggested that due to being neither North or South, the Midlands have had an "image problem" and lack of "identity".[9]
Different areas of the Midlands have their own distinctive character, giving rise to many local history and industrial heritage groups.Nottingham played a notable part in theEnglish Civil War, which is commemorated in a number of place names (Parliament Terrace, Parliament Street, Standard Hill). Areas such as Derbyshire'sAmber Valley andErewash combine attractive countryside with industrial heritage and are home to historic canals and sites associated with the mining industry. TheBlack Country, broadly the boroughs ofDudley,Sandwell,Wolverhampton andWalsall, played an important part in theIndustrial Revolution.[citation needed]
Various parts of the Midlands, particularly Warwickshire and Leicestershire, are on occasion referred to as the Heart of England, especially in tourist literature given that the geographic centre of England is generally considered to lie within this arc.
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Asaltire (diagonal cross) may have been used as a symbol ofMercia as early as the reign ofOffa.[11][better source needed] By the 13th century, the saltire had become theattributed arms of the Kingdom of Mercia.[12] Thearms areblazonedAzure, a saltire Or, meaning a gold (or yellow) saltire on a blue field. The saltire is used as both a flag and a coat of arms. As a flag, it is flown fromTamworth Castle, the ancient seat of theMercian kings.[11]
The flag also appears on street signs welcoming people toTamworth, the "ancient capital of Mercia". It was also flown outsideBirmingham Council House during 2009 while theStaffordshire Hoard was on display in the city before being taken to theBritish Museum in London. The cross has been incorporated into a number ofcoats of arms of Midlands towns, includingTamworth,Leek andBlaby. It was recognised as the Mercian flag by theFlag Institute in 2014.[10]
Dialect is one of the fields where the Midlands may have mixed influences.[3] A study has shown that some Midlands areas have traditionally had a dialect closer to"northern" but now more influenced by "southern".[13]West Midlands English andEast Midlands English are generalised groups of dialects spoken in the Midlands. The former notably includes theBrummie andBlack Country dialects.
William Shakespeare, one of the most famous English poets in history, was fromWarwickshire in the Midlands.[14]
Thebakewell tart,Staffordshire oatcake,Melton Mowbray pork pie, and Coventry godcake, as well asStilton cheese andhaslet, are among some of the foods that have originated in the Midlands.[15] The city of Birminghamhas also been influential in dishes, notably the local version of Asianbalti curry.[16]Worcestershire sauce, as well asWalkers crisps andCadbury chocolate are some of the most famous names to have come out of the Midlands.[14]
Numerous famous bands and artists have originated in the Midlands. Birmingham'sBlack Sabbath is considered to be pioneers ofheavy metal music, while another bandGodflesh have been named pioneers of industrial metal. The city has also been influential inbhangra music.[17] The city ofCoventry gave rise to theska scene in the 1970s and bands such asThe Specials.[18]Discharge ofStoke-on-Trent have been highly influential in the punk music scene. More recently, the duoSleaford Mods have been known for making use of a strong local East Midland accent.[19]
The area is predominantly low-lying and flat apart from isolated hills such asTurners Hill within the Black Country conurbation at 271 m (889 ft) and theWrekin just south ofWellington near Telford at 407 m (1,335 ft). Upland areas lie in the west and north of the region with theShropshire Hills to the west, close to theEngland–Wales border and thePeak District area of the southernPennines in the north of the region. The Shropshire Hills reach a height of 540 m (1,771 ft) atBrown Clee Hill and includes theLong Mynd,Clee Hills andStiperstones ridge.Wenlock Edge, running through the middle of the Shropshire HillsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), is a long, low ridge, which extends for over 15 miles (24 km).[20] The Peak District reaches heights of between 300 m (1,000 ft) and 600 m (2,000 ft);Kinder Scout is the highest point at 636 m (2,086 ft).[21] Further south, the Welsh border reaches over 700 m (2,000 ft) high, atTwyn Llech (Black Mountain), which at 703 m (2,306 ft) is thus the highest point inHerefordshire.
ThePrecambrianMalverns are formed of some of the oldest rock in England (dating from theCryogenian period, at around 680 million years old) and extend for 8 miles (13 km) through twoWest Midlands counties (Worcestershire andHerefordshire) as well as northernGloucestershire in thesouthwest. The highest point of the hills is theWorcestershire Beacon at 425 m (1,394 ft) above sea level (OS Grid reference SO768452).[22][23]
TheCotswolds – designated an AONB in 1966.[24] – extend for over 90 miles (140 km) throughOxfordshire,Gloucestershire,Wiltshire,Somerset,Warwickshire, andWorcestershire. They reach a highest point of 330 m (1,082 ft) atCleeve Hill.
Areas of lower hills, in the range 200 m (600 ft) – 300 m (1000 ft), includeCharnwood Forest inLeicestershire,Cannock Chase inStaffordshire, and theLincolnshire Wolds (100 m (300 ft) – 200 m (600 ft)); the latter having some prominence despite their modest altitude given their location in typically low-lyingLincolnshire near to the east coast.
Lincolnshire is the only coastal county in the Midlands as the region is bordered byWales to the west. It is also where the Midlands' lowest points can be found as some places fall below sea level, with the lowest points being nearThorpe Tilney inNorth Kesteven andStickford inEast Lindsey.[25]
The Midlands has a temperatemaritime climate, with cold, cloudy, wet winters and comfortable, mostly dry, mostly sunny summers.[26] The temperature usually ranges from −0.4 °C (31.3 °F) during winter nights to 24.1 °C (75.4 °F) during summer days. Due to its geographical location, which is furthest away from the coast than anywhere else in England, it typically receives mostly light winds, with warm days and cold nights. Sometimes the Midlands can have very cold nights such as a minimum of −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) inPershore on 20 December 2010. The previous day had a maximum of only −8.2 °C (17.2 °F), also in Pershore. Hot days are also possible, such as a maximum of 34 °C (93 °F) in Pershore on 19 July 2006. There can also be very mild winters nights, such as inBidford-on-Avon when the temperature at 6 pm was as high as 15.2 °C (59.4 °F) on 9 January 2015. At 8 am the following morning the temperature was still at 13 °C (55 °F).[27][28][29] Both the highest and lowest temperature ever recorded in England were in the Midlands, the former on19 July 2022 aroundConingsby in Lincolnshire where it reached a maximum temperature of 40.3 °C (104.5 °F),[30] and the latter on10 January 1982 aroundNewport in Shropshire where it dropped to a minimum of −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F).
| Climate data for Midlands | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) | 7 (45) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.5 (54.5) | 15.9 (60.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.8 (69.4) | 17.8 (64.0) | 13.7 (56.7) | 9.6 (49.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 13.4 (56.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1 (34) | 0.8 (33.4) | 2.4 (36.3) | 3.7 (38.7) | 6.5 (43.7) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.5 (52.7) | 11.3 (52.3) | 9.3 (48.7) | 6.5 (43.7) | 3.5 (38.3) | 1.3 (34.3) | 5.6 (42.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 74 (2.9) | 54 (2.1) | 58.8 (2.31) | 59.1 (2.33) | 58.5 (2.30) | 62.3 (2.45) | 60.8 (2.39) | 66.9 (2.63) | 66.2 (2.61) | 82 (3.2) | 77.1 (3.04) | 78.7 (3.10) | 798.4 (31.36) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1 mm) | 12.9 | 10.2 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 9.4 | 10 | 9.7 | 12.2 | 12.5 | 12.4 | 131.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 52.1 | 71.4 | 104.8 | 147 | 183.2 | 174.7 | 189.6 | 177.6 | 132.2 | 99.4 | 61.2 | 45 | 1,438.2 |
| Source: Met Office[31] | |||||||||||||
| Rank | Counties | Pop. | Rank | Counties | Pop. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | West Midlands | 1,121,375 | 11 | Worcester | Worcestershire | 105,465 | ||
| 2 | Leicester | Leicestershire | 406,580 | 12 | Lincoln | Lincolnshire | 104,555 | ||
| 3 | Coventry | West Midlands | 344,285 | 13 | West Bromwich | West Midlands | 103,110 | ||
| 4 | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 299,790 | 14 | Royal Sutton Coldfield | West Midlands | 93,375 | ||
| 5 | Derby | Derbyshire | 275,575 | 15 | Nuneaton | Warwickshire | 88,815 | ||
| 6 | Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | 260,560 | 16 | Redditch | Worcestershire | 81,635 | ||
| 7 | Northampton | Northamptonshire | 243,520 | 17 | Rugby | Warwickshire | 78,120 | ||
| 8 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 234,025 | 18 | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Staffordshire | 76,505 | ||
| 9 | Telford | Shropshire | 156,910 | 19 | Chesterfield | Derbyshire | 76,420 | ||
| 10 | Solihull | West Midlands | 107,735 | 20 | Burton upon Trent | Staffordshire | 76,255 | ||
The table below shows the urban areas in the region with a population of at least 250,000.
| Rank | Area | Population | Area(km2) | Density(People/km2) | Primary settlements[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Midlands | 2,440,986 | 598.9 | 4,076 | Birmingham,Wolverhampton,Solihull,Sutton Coldfield,Dudley,West Bromwich,Walsall,Stourbridge,Halesowen,Willenhall,Kingswinford,Smethwick,Bloxwich,Tipton |
| 2 | Nottingham | 729,977 | 176.4 | 4,139 | Nottingham,Beeston,Carlton,West Bridgford,Ilkeston,Arnold,Long Eaton,Hucknall |
| 3 | Leicester | 508,916 | 109.4 | 4,953 | Leicester,Wigston,Oadby,Blaby/Whetstone,Birstall |
| 4 | Stoke-on-Trent | 372,775 | 103.9 | 3,588 | Stoke-on-Trent,Newcastle-under-Lyme,Kidsgrove |
| 5 | Coventry | 359,262 | 81.3 | 4,420 | Coventry,Bedworth |
| 6 | Derby | 270,468 | 64.1 | 4,219 | Derby,Borrowash,Duffield |
TheWest Midlands andEast Midlands regions areNUTS 1 statistical regions and were formerlyconstituencies of theEuropean Parliament. Local government in the Midlands is as follows:
The unitary authorities ofNorth Lincolnshire andNorth East Lincolnshire (not shown), while classed as part of the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, actually come under theYorkshire and the Humber region and are therefore not in the officially recognised East Midlands region.
The two regions of the Midlands have a combined population of 10,350,697 (2014 mid-year estimate),[34] and an area of 11,053 sq mi (28,630 km2).
The largest Midlandsconurbation, which includes the cities ofBirmingham andWolverhampton, is roughly covered by themetropolitan county of theWest Midlands (which also includes the city ofCoventry); with the relatedCity Region extending into neighbouring areas ofShropshire,Staffordshire,Warwickshire andWorcestershire.
The historic counties ceased to be used for any administrative purpose in 1899. However, they remain important to some people, notably forcounty cricket.
The "midland" name has been used for:
Sources relating to the historic counties of Derbyshire, Hereford, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire."
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)East Midlands 4,637,413 West Midlands 5,713,284
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