Community Identity

Tipton is a town at the centre of the Black Country. The Black Country can roughly be defined by the three Metropolitan Boroughs of Sandwell (of which Tipton forms a part), Walsall and Dudley, plus the City of Wolverhampton. There is some dispute over its exact extent. There is no dispute, however, that it does not include Birmingham. No Black Country person will let you confuse them with a “Brummie”! Tipton originates from the Anglo-Saxon family name of Tibbi and the word Tun, which means farm. Tipton was originally a collection of rural hamlets, until the march of the Victorian Industrial Revolution and the discovery of huge coal seams in neighbouring Dudley turned the skies black with smog and the once sleepy hamlets became a quintessential Black Country working town. 

As with many other industrialised and manufacturing areas, Tipton’s fortunes and status have waned in recent years. Factories closed and the coal pits have long been filled in and reclaimed by nature. Despite this, the small-town community feel that would have been prevalent in days gone by, does still cling to the town and most people are proud to be Tiptonians. This is illustrated by the ever-popular Canal Festival and annual Community Carnival that draws everyone together. The demise of the factories has, as already stated, led to an expansion of house building, many new estates have appeared, and new families have arrived in the area. To cater for the needs of a growing local population there is the Neptune Centre, a large and all-encompassing health facility, one of the first of its kind to be built in the country. There are three major Hospitals that serve the area, Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, Sandwell General Hospital and the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, all between 10 and 20 minutes drive away. A new Tesco superstore on the edge of Tipton, coupled with a large Asda Walmart superstore locally provide grocery shopping and of course Tipton has its own shops and market. There is also a large out of town shopping area at Merry Hill Centre, Brierley Hill.

Tipton has it’s own Railway station which runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street. In the near future we will have a new tram line from Wolverhampton, to Dudley through Wednesbury and West Bromwich and onwards to Edgbaston Village via Birmingham City Centre, with a station within walking distance of the church.

Community Identity

Tipton is a town at the centre of the Black Country. The Black Country can roughly be defined by the three Metropolitan Boroughs of Sandwell (of which Tipton forms a part), Walsall and Dudley, plus the City of Wolverhampton. There is some dispute over its exact extent. There is no dispute, however, that it does not include Birmingham. No Black Country person will let you confuse them with a “Brummie”! Tipton originates from the Anglo-Saxon family name of Tibbi and the word Tun, which means farm. Tipton was originally a collection of rural hamlets, until the march of the Victorian Industrial Revolution and the discovery of huge coal seams in neighbouring Dudley turned the skies black with smog and the once sleepy hamlets became a quintessential Black Country working town. 

As with many other industrialised and manufacturing areas, Tipton’s fortunes and status have waned in recent years. Factories closed and the coal pits have long been filled in and reclaimed by nature. Despite this, the small-town community feel that would have been prevalent in days gone by, does still cling to the town and most people are proud to be Tiptonians. This is illustrated by the ever-popular Canal Festival and annual Community Carnival that draws everyone together. The demise of the factories has, as already stated, led to an expansion of house building, many new estates have appeared, and new families have arrived in the area. To cater for the needs of a growing local population there is the Neptune Centre, a large and all-encompassing health facility, one of the first of its kind to be built in the country. There are three major Hospitals that serve the area, Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, Sandwell General Hospital and the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, all between 10 and 20 minutes drive away. A new Tesco superstore on the edge of Tipton, coupled with a large Asda Walmart superstore locally provide grocery shopping and of course Tipton has its own shops and market. There is also a large out of town shopping area at Merry Hill Centre, Brierley Hill.

Tipton has it’s own Railway station which runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street. In the near future we will have a new tram line from Wolverhampton, to Dudley through Wednesbury and West Bromwich and onwards to Edgbaston Village via Birmingham City Centre, with a station within walking distance of the church.