Wolverhampton in the West Midlands was granted city status in 2000 but its origins lie in Anglo Saxon England. During the Middle Ages Wolverhampton was a prosperous Staffordshire market town and a centre for the wool trade. Its coal and iron deposits enabled it to grow rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, when it became one of the most heavily industrialised areas of the country, specialising in coal mining, iron and steel production, engineering and manufacturing. The wealth brought into the town is seen today by the many civic buildings in Wolverhampton from that era, and large areas of social housing were built in the 20th century to accommodate the population. Much has changed in Wolverhampton in recent decades, following the large scale urban planning schemes of the 1960s and 1970s and later, and regeneration schemes for the city centre rebuilding old shopping centres and reflecting a change in working practices from industry and manufacturing to more service-based employment
