The County of Warwickshire & West Midlands

The Heart of England has more emotional appeal than ‘the geographical centre’ and because Meriden has long claimed to be the latter, this part of Warwickshire thinks of itself as the former and the fine, lush, countryside gives substance to this notion. The great Forest of Arden originally covered most of the county and touched the river Avon at Stratford where Shakespeare was born on St George’s Day 1564 and where he died, apparently on his birthday, in 1616. He is still the county’s biggest attraction, drawing upwards of 750,000 visitors to the five houses annually, of whom about half are from overseas. When over 300,000 theatregoers are taken into account the bard attracts well over one million people a year to Stratford-upon-Avon. The theatre we picture opens in 2010 and with over 1,000 seats will be the largest with a ‘tiered thrust stage’ in the world. Meanwhile the Courtyard Theatre is a good temporary home.

Upstream lies Warwick with its most majestic castle, now impressively well run by Merlin Entertainments (No. 2 to Disney worldwide) as one of the great family attractions of Europe. It is matched in splendour by the church of St Mary with a tower rebuilt in the 17th century that can be seen from all over the town. Inside, the magnificence of the Beauchamp Chapel, with a tomb suitable to this colossus of the late Middle Ages, still has few peers in the realm.

Birmingham, famously the ‘city of a thousand trades’ has de-industrialised less than the northern textile-based regions – a great many of those trades still appear healthy as it remains the centre of British engineering. It has two art galleries that could only exist in a great city and a symphony orchestra with a worldwide reputation. The region’s engineering heritage provides joys for boys of all ages – the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon is home to the largest collection of historic British cars in the world, and the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull is recognised as the largest and finest such collection in the world.

The thriving canal scene in Birmingham is a product of early industrialisation. Whatever claims are made for these canals, they are not Venice but are now buffed up to a point that would make them unrecognisable to an earlier generation.

Some would argue that in matters of houses, churches and gardens the region, though well endowed, is not exceptional. However, I would draw your attention to the ‘family attractions’ category because it is exceptional. The region’s role in the birth of the Industrial Revolution, the only revolution that incontestably changed the history of the world, leaves much to explore. Even the Black Country is more interesting than the name suggests, not least the Black Country Living Museum – 26 canal-side acres of life as lived in 1900.

Leamington Spa only really got going about 200 years ago and has left a legacy of elegant houses and some fine streets. You can still sip the waters but no longer can you bathe in them. Coventry suffered massive damage during World War II and led in post-war reconstruction. On the ruins of the old cathedral the new St Michael’s opened in 1962. Designed by Sir Basil Spence, it is adorned with works by Sutherland and Piper, whose great tapestry is said to be the biggest in the world. When the history of the 20th century is written I think this building will have a place.

Rugby for some is a public school made more famous by the book ‘Tom Brown’s Schooldays’ based on Dr Arnold, its reforming 19th century headmaster, but for a great many more people Rugby is a peerless ball game that has its origins at that school. The story has it that in 1823, one William Webb Ellis cheated by picking up the ball and running with it, and so by steps a new game was born. The school buildings are imposing and there is a plaque to the famous cheat.

Warwickshire & The West Midlands happily embraces the extremes of English life and culture: on the one hand is some of the softest, most aristocratic countryside and on the other is the evidence of the first industrial age beside the ever shinier new. These days they live in greater harmony than in the past and have a rich tally of offerings for anyone seeking diversion and pleasure.

Ross Harvey