St James' Church, Brownhills

Brownhills is a town and former administrative centre in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. A few miles south of Cannock Chase and close to the large Chasewater reservoir, it is 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Walsall, a similar distance southwest of Lichfield and 13 miles (20.9 km) miles north-northwest of Birmingham. It is part of the Aldridge-Brownhills parliamentary constituency and neighbours the large suburban villages of Pelsall and Walsall Wood. It lies within the boundaries of the historic county of Staffordshire. The town lies close to the route of the ancient Watling Street, and although there is no record of its existence before the 17th century, Ogley Hay – a district of the town today – is recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book. Brownhills quickly grew around the coal-mining industry, especially after the town became linked to the canal and railway networks in the mid-19th century. By the end of the century, Brownhills had grown from a hamlet of only 300 inhabitants to a town of more than 13,000, of whom the vast majority were employed in the coal industry. Mining remained the town's principal industry until the 1950s; the subsequent closure of the pits led to a severe economic decline that has continued until the present. The local authority instituted a regeneration programme in 2007, which was hoped would revive the town's fortunes, but there has been little subsequent development.

Catshill Junction (grid reference SK048048) is a canal junction at the northern limit of the Daw End Branch Canal where it meets the Wyrley and Essington Canal main line, near Brownhills, in West Midlands, England.

Brownhills railway station is a disused railway station that served the town of Brownhills and the village of Clayhanger in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands. It was on the South Staffordshire Line between Walsall and Lichfield.

The Council House is a former municipal building in Chester Road North, Brownhills, West Midlands, England. The building, which is now used as a health centre, is a locally listed building.

Brownhills Ormiston Academy is a co-educational secondary school located in Brownhills in the West Midlands of England.Originally known as Brownhills Comprehensive School, it has subsequently been renamed Brownhills Community School, Brownhills Community Technology College, Brownhills Sports College and Brownhills School over the years. As of 1 April 2020, it is an academy sponsored by Ormiston Academies Trust. Brownhills Ormiston Academy offers GCSEs and BTECs as programmes of study for pupils.

Ogley Junction (grid reference SK056060), on the Staffordshire county border near Brownhills, West Midlands, England, is a historic canal junction on the Wyrley and Essington Canal where the Anglesey Branch left the main line (which led to the Coventry Canal at Huddlesford Junction, near Lichfield).

The Shire Oak Academy (formerly Shire Oak School and Shire Oak Grammar School) is a coeducational academy school (age range 11–18) in Walsall Wood, West Midlands, England. More recently, the name was changed to Shire Oak Academy.[1] Originally a leading grammar school, along with many other secondary schools in the West Midlands Shire Oak became a comprehensive school in 1970, merging at the time with Walsall Wood Secondary Modern School.

Walsall Wood Football Club is an association football club based in Walsall Wood, near Walsall in the West Midlands, England. The club's first team compete in the Midland League Premier Division, which sits at level 9 of the English football league system. The team play their home games at Oak Park and are nicknamed "The Wood".

Brownhills Watling Street railway station was a station on the Midland Railway in England. It was opened in 1884, closed in March 1930 for passenger use and the track was closed in 1960.It opened as simply Brownhills railway station, which was also the name of the other station within the town, which was operated by the London and North Western Railway on the South Staffordshire Line. The station was renamed in 1924.The branch line that the station was situated on was planned to access the colliery traffic in the Cannock area and to link to the Cannock Chase and Wolverhampton Railway, and passenger traffic was a secondary consideration. The station was the terminus of passenger services on the line but freight traffic continued northwards to serve the collieries in the area. The line to the north of the station is now in use as part of the Chasewater Railway.

Walsall Wood railway station was a station on the Midland Railway in England. It was opened in 1884, closed in March 1930 for passenger use although the odd DMU would serve the station from Birmingham New Street and Walsall. The line from Walsall Wood to Brownhills Watling Street closed first along in 1960 and the section from Walsall Wood to Aldridge closed five years later in 1965 at the same time as Aldridge railway station closed. The station building was later demolished after falling into derelict condition. The trackbed from Walsall Wood to Aldridge has since become a landfill site although the original road bridges near Coppice Road and Queen Street/Vigo Road are still in place and take the roads over the old trackbed. The section towards Brownhills Watling Street has become a housing estate. Oak Park also occupy sections of the old trackbed for leisure use and the original station is now a playground.

Walsall Wood is a large village located in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. Located between Aldridge and Brownhills.

The Forest of Mercia lies within the northernmost boundary of the more ancient and well-known Forest of Arden which covered the area when it formed part of the Kingdom of Mercia, and is one of twelve community forests established close to major towns and cities across England. It covers an area of 92 square miles (23,000 hectares), and is focused around the town of Cannock in South Staffordshire.