Walsall is a market town in the West Midlands, six miles north of Birmingham, that made its name and its money in leather. For two centuries it was one of the most important centres of the British saddlery and leatherwork trade, and while the industry has shrunk considerably, the town still has a handful of working leather workshops and a market that dates back to the 13th century.
The main reason most visitors come is the New Art Gallery Walsall, which houses the Garman Ryan Collection — a remarkably personal assembly of art donated by Lady Kathleen Garman, widow of the sculptor Jacob Epstein. It includes works by Monet, Van Gogh, Constable, and Degas alongside Epstein's own sculptures, and it sits in a handsome purpose-built gallery on the edge of Walsall Wharf. It's genuinely worth the detour from Birmingham.
The town centre is workday and unpretentious — a busy market, chain shops, and the Saddlers shopping centre. Don't expect grand architecture or much of a cafe scene. But the Walsall Leather Museum and the canal area around the wharf give you a sense of the industrial town this was, and the arboretum on the east side is a pleasant place to walk.