placehistory
An atlas of the West Midlands

Every place
has a story.

Follow the rivers, roads and remembered names.
Discover the local history that connects us
to the places around us.

Start somewhere: Shrewsbury · Hereford · Coventry

Watercolour and fine ink illustration of the Iron Bridge over the River Severn.
4,428 settlementsSix county groups across the West MidlandsOriginal histories · visible sourcesIllustration after Colin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · adapted
Find your corner

Explore by county

Six ways into the region, from the Welsh border to the heart of England.

These groups cover the West Midlands region, including Telford and Wrekin and Stoke-on-Trent. They are browsing groups, distinct from historic counties and current councils.

HerefordshireShropshireStaffordshireWarwickshireWest MidlandsWorcestershire
A few places to begin

Stories in the landscape

Cited local histories, from familiar towns to quieter corners.

Explore the directory ↗
Look a little closer

The past is
close to home.

A market square, a river crossing, a ruined wall. Begin with a place and follow what the sources can tell us.

How we research each story ↗
01

Sources you can follow

Published evidence accompanies each historical account.

02

A growing regional atlas

Places retain their own identities, names and geographic context.