West Bromwich

Situated in the centre of the High Street, West Bromwich Town Hall is a Grade II listed building. It was built between 1874 and 1875 in brick and stone to an Italian Gothic design, and its interior reflects the Victorian interest in Gothic and Medieval architecture. Its Grand Organ, built in 1862, is considered to be of historic importance for its musical and technical qualities.

Built by the de Marnham family in the late 13th century as the centre of their agricultural estate in West Bromwich only the Great Hall survives of the original complex of living quarters, agricultural barns, sheds and ponds. Successive occupants modernised and extended the Manor House until it was described in 1790 as “a large pile of irregular half-timbered buildings, black and white, and surrounded with numerous out-houses and lofty walls.” The Manor House was saved from demolition in the 1950s by West Bromwich Corporation which carried out an extensive and sympathetic restoration of this nationally important building.

Dartmouth Park sits between West Bromwich Town Centre and Sandwell Valley Country Park. A £6-million restoration project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and BIG Lottery was completed in 2014. There are plenty of activities for all visitors at this Grade II listed park including a fantastic play area, lakes for fishing, outstanding views across Sandwell Valley, floral displays, sensory garden and a pavilion. Other features and attractions include: Adizone outdoor gym equipment, football, climbing wall and basketball, lakes for fishing, walking and jogging routes and the town's war memorial.

Farley Clock Tower is a Grade II listed building. This tower was erected in recognition of the public services of Alderman Reuben Farley. On three sides there are relief panels of the Town Hall, Oak House and Reuben Farley. On the east side there is a doorway with round head and moulded decoration. The upper stages of the tower have clasping buttresses terminating in octagonal pinnacles. Above the clock stage and below a cornice are three open arches on each side. The tower is surmounted by an openwork dome with finial and weather vane The tower is light up at night with large lights beaming up on each side.

Oak House in West Bromwich is a delightful half timbered yeoman's house built between 1590 and 1630. The original owners of Oak House are not known, but the family most closely associated with it are the Turtons who were living there by 1634. The house is thought to have taken its name from an oak which stood on the green in front of it and was burnt down around 1800, though it could have been named after the oak woodland that once surrounded the house. Alderman Reuben Farley was one of the towns greatest benefactors. He purchased the Oak House with the intention of making it his private residence, but resolved to present it to the town as a museum. The leading architects in West Bromwich, Messrs. Wood and Kendrick, were employed with the task of restoring the house. Skilled craftsmanship ensured the outstanding quality of the restoration and the museum was formally opened on 25 July 1898; gardens and a bowling green were also laid out. To mark the 50th anniversary of the gift, the corporation decided to convert the Oak House into a period house with antique furnishings; the formal reopening took place in 1951.

Nature reserve run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, to the north of West Bromwich. Adjacent to, and shares its main lake with, Sandwell Valley Country Park.

Features include rare breeds, walled kitchen garden and tea rooms, plus museum-style exhibits. Own car park (fees apply).

Boyhood home of Francis Asbury (1745 – 1816), one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church (now The United Methodist Church) in the United States. Now a museum in his memory. No parking, no visitor facilities, and no disabled access (access via steps).