Halesowen

Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It lies on the southwestern edge of the Black Country, about eight miles southwest of central Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town became part of the West Midlands metropolitan county in 1974 and is administered as part of Dudley Council.

The town’s history includes Halesowen Abbey, a medieval monastic house founded in the 13th century; its ruins remain a local landmark. The Leasowes, an 18th-century landscape garden created by the poet William Shenstone nearby, is associated with the area. During the Industrial Revolution the surrounding countryside developed as part of the Black Country’s coal, iron and quarrying trades, contributing to the town’s growth and housing expansion.

Today Halesowen is a residential and shopping center with a town centre that provides services, markets and green spaces. It is linked to Birmingham and other towns by road and bus networks, with access to the M5 and surrounding motorways enabling regional travel. The surrounding suburbs and countryside include green spaces and local heritage sites.

Education and culture: The town has several primary and secondary schools and hosts local events reflecting its historical roots, including links to the Leasowes landscape garden and the abbey ruins.