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Wolverhampton - The High Town

Excellently located for access to the rest of the country, (Birmingham International Airport is less than 25 miles away) surrounded by beautiful countryside, a stones throw from Birmingham, yet still a lively and vibrant city in it's own right. Wolverhampton, home also to the fifth largest university in the country, is a great place to live and study.

Wolverhampton the “High Town” or Town on the Hill” is a town of great character with over a thousand years of recorded history. Though this may not be immediately obvious its past is ever present in spirit. One of the four boroughs that form the area known as the Black Country, the town has a rich industrial heritage much of which has been rejuvenated to create new leisure facilities in the area.

So when you've found your feet, made new friends and are raring to get out what can Wolverhampton offer you in the way of entertainment? Well there's obviously the famous Wolves football club, for all of you who may miss your hometown team, why not adopt them for the duration of your stay.

For the film buffs among you there is a Cineworld, a 14 screen multiplex cinema showing all the latest releases as well as Bollywood films. The Lighthouse Media Centre is an independent cinema, showing both retrospective and contemporary films and also hosts' photography exhibitions, talks and other special events.

The Grand Theatre built in 1893-4, a grade 11 listed building, has a diverse programme of entertainment ranging from plays, musicals, famous bands, tribute bands to opera, ballet and pantomime. Some of the biggest stars in the country have performed here. Something to suit everyone; in plush surroundings where you can relax and forget that you haven't finished work due in to your toughest tutor tomorrow.

Of course there are some of you who would rather eat glass than watch the ballet or listen to opera (come on, it can be a wonderful experience, try it!).  Not too worry, Wolverhampton has something for you. The Civic and Wulfrun Halls are the major concert venue for the Black Country hosting some of the best-known bands in the business. The Hives, The Bravery and James Brown are  among the acts that you can see here.

It's estimated that up to 25,000 people come into the city at the weekend for Wolverhampton's thriving pub and club scene. The university’s 24,000 students have contributed to the development of a nightlife scene rivalling that of the major cities in the UK. There is now a vast and expanding array of pubs and clubs to suit all music tastes and people of all ages.

If you're looking for something rather quieter then perhaps a visit to some of the historic places of interest in and around Wolverhampton is for you. Wightwick Manor, three miles west of the town is dubbed an “arts and crafts” masterpiece. The 19th century manor house boasts one of the finest examples of the work of poet William Morris and features paintings, wallpapers and tapestries by leading Pre-Raphaelites. Or why not visit Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Museum, which has an excellent reputation for its temporary exhibitions and a large collection of contemporary art with the emphasis on making the collections available to all which means, most important to a student budget, it's free!

The countryside surrounding the town is also free and its beauty, if you are not familiar with this part of the world, will astonish you. There are loads of interesting places to visit in the black country,  some relating to it's history such as The Black Country Living Museum in which you can discover what coal mining was really like or just laze away the time reading a book in peaceful surroundings.

Transport is good with the Metro trams getting you into Birmingham within 30 minutes. The transport links in and around the city are pretty reliable and needn't cost a fortune. There are also plenty of cycle lanes to encourage you to keep fit and save the all-important money for serious things like food.

The area is served by a variety of housing associations and private developers offering a wide range of houses to rent at reasonable rents for struggling students. The university website www.wlv.ac.uk can give you help on this and also important advice on safety issues relating to renting property. Do visit the site as you will need all the help and advice you can get particularly if you don't know the area.

Finally shopping, well it has everything you'd expect from a modern city i.e.  2  shopping malls, pedestrianised streets and all the major stores but in addition to this you have an award winning market, on most days, which dates back to the 13th century.

So Wolverhampton really does have something to offer everyone, check out the university’s open days in our open day feature and go and find out for yourself.