West Midlands advances to the next level

From the first traffic lights and the oldest digital computer, to Silicon Spa and our 5G testbed. The West Midlands continues to boast a thriving creative and digital sector.
 

Green light

Wolverhampton was the first place in the UK to pioneer automated traffic lights in 1927. In easing congestion at the junction of Lichfield Street and Princess Street in Princes Square, Wulfrunians brought us one of the most recognised – and widely used – global traffic systems.

The next level of gaming

Warwickshire’s globally significant video game development cluster – known as Silicon Spa – has more than 10% of the total UK games development workforce. It’s home to over 130 of the country’s best gaming companies, including Playground Games, creators of the acclaimed Forza series.

As well as the hours of fun created in households across the globe, Silicon Spa creates 3,000 to 3,500 full-time employees and generates an estimated £224 million in GVA each year.

Jewel in the crown

Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter produces 40% of the country's jewellery, alongside boxing belts, the FIFA World Player of the Year awards and 12 million items at Europe's largest Assay Office.

Located in the heart of the famous quarter, Birmingham City University's School of Jewellery is the largest in Europe, with graduates going on to work for prestigious brands including Tiffany's, Tag Heuer and Cartier. Unique courses include Jewellery, Horology and Gemmology.

Region makes ITs mark

Birmingham-born mathematician and computer scientist Conway Berners-Lee was part of the team which, in 1951, unveiled the Ferranti Mark 1, the world’s first ever commercially-available electronic computer.

The world's oldest original digital computer is the WITCH (Wolverhampton Instrument for Teaching Computing from Harwell), which was used at the University of Wolverhampton in the 1950s.

Today, the West Midlands continues its innovation at the forefront of technology through the region’s new 5G testbed plans.

Going in for the kiln

Carol McNicoll, a studio potter from Solihull, is credited with helping to transform the British ceramics scene in the late 1970s. McNicoll creates eccentric ceramics that also serve a domestic function, be it a teapot, plate or a vessel and often fetch four-figure prices.

Who?

Coventry-born Delia Derbyshire created the original theme tune to Doctor Who in 1963. A pioneer of electronic music, Delia’s recording was created before the availability of commercial synthesizers. Each note was individually created by cutting, splicing, speeding up and slowing down segments of analogue tape.

The tape containing recordings of a single plucked string, white noise, and the simple harmonic waveforms of test-tone oscillators, which were usually used for calibrating equipment and rooms.

Keeping the digital work secure

In an increasingly uncertain world, West Midlands universities are innovating to address issues of systems security, including in transport, healthcare and connected infrastructure.

The University of Wolverhampton's Cyber Research Institute is vital to the sector through its collaboration and innovative research, while experts from Coventry University’s Centre for Mobility and Transport are developing unique early warning systems for cyber security threats.

Box-office Birmingham

Born in Birmingham in 1813, Alexander Parkes invented celluloid, used across the globe in cinematic film. Its development is heralded as the birth of the Hollywood film industry. Birmingham businessman Oscar Deutsch, who - along with Birmingham-born film pioneers Michael Balcon and Victor Saville - was instrumental in starting the UK's film industry, founded the Odeon chain of cinemas in 1930.

Today, the city centre is a popular filming location, with Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One visiting several Birmingham sites including the Jewellery Quarter. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has announced plans to boost Birmingham's film industry by building a new studio complex in 2020.

Discover great places to visit, our leading business sectors, and all the information you need about holding your next conference or event in the region. Find out more about our successful Universities of the West Midlands and how to travel comfortably and easily around the region by West Midlands Railway.