Tamworth

When the Romans left England in 409 AD, it split into 7 Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Mercia was the strongest of these and began to absorb the others, and in so far as Anglo-Saxon rulers had fixed capitals, that of Mercia was Tomworðig, "the open meadow by the River Tame". When the Normans arrived they converted Tamworth's wooden royal stronghold into a stone castle which still stands, or at least teeters. The town thereafter was a quiet provincial place, occasionally enlivened by fire, plague, civil war and any other Riders of the Apocalypse, until the 18th century Industrial Revolution. Coal was mined hereabouts, and canals were constructed to take this and other heavy goods to where they would earn a profit. The Peel family became wealthy in the textile trade and Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850) was the local MP and twice Prime Minister: his "Tamworth Manifesto" founded the UK Conservative Party, and he reformed the police service.

Tamworth grew further from the 1950s as overspill housing for Birmingham, and as an industrial centre. "Reliant" cars were made here until 1998, including the three-wheeled Robin.

By plane:

Birmingham Airport (BHX IATA) 17 miles south has a good range of flights within Europe. Take the train from the airport to Birmingham New Street and change for the Cross Country train to Tamworth. By road take M42 north to Junction 10.

East Midlands Airport (EMA IATA) 27 miles northeast has budget flights to the Med and a few other popular destinations. Join A42 southbound onto M42 to Junction 10.

Manchester Airport (MAN IATA) has an excellent range of medium and long-haul flights. Take the train to Manchester Piccadilly then south via Crewe.

By train:

1 Tamworth station has two lines criss-crossing. The lower level is on the West Coast Main Line, with hourly trains from London Euston taking 90 min via Milton Keynes, Rugby, Nuneaton and Atherstone. These continue north to Lichfield, Rugeley, Stafford and Crewe (another 45 min) - change there for Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales and Preston.

The upper level is on the Cross Country Main Line. Trains run hourly from Penzance via Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol and Birmingham, continuing north to Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh. Trains also run from Cardiff every hour or two, via Newport, Chepstow, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa and Birmingham. Trains between Birmingham and Tamworth are four times an hour, taking 20 min, and you can reach Tamworth from London in two hours by changing there.

The station is north side of town centre. It has a ticket office and machines, and toilets, but the waiting room is closed ufn. There is normally step-free access to all platforms, but the lift to Platform 3 (towards Derby and Sheffield) is out of action ufn.

Wilncote is a platform halt two miles south of Tamworth station. It has hourly trains from Birmingham heading to Derby and Nottingham.

By road:

From Birmingham head north on M42, leave at Jcn 10 and follow A5 into town.

By bus:

Long-distance coaches don't visit Tamworth, change in Birmingham for the local bus.