City Guide 7 min read

Things to Do in Wolverhampton

Published Feb 3rd 2023

Wolverhampton is one of the country’s most beloved cities and has a long and rich history. The city is also one of the most popular cities in the UK for students to study in.

In this guide, we will show you the various things to do in Wolverhampton.

Location

Located in the West Midlands, we have the city of Wolverhampton, which boasts a rough population figure of 252,000 The city specialises in the woollen trade and has for some time and is now remembered for it. The city even dates back as far as 1381 according to some historical documents.

Things to do in Wolverhampton

Part of going to university is going and enjoying the incredible nightlife that the city in question has to offer. There are a lot of places to go to in Wolverhampton, and we’d recommend them all if we could! But we have compiled a list of three places that we think would be perfect for you if you’re looking for somewhere to go.

First up we have Gorgeous Nightclub, which is one of the biggest and best nightclubs in Wolverhampton, with everyone coming from around the city to come and enjoy the awesome atmosphere inside. The club has live music, DJ sets, alcohol and professional photography too, so you’ll love it here! Secondly, we have Popworld, which has appeared in some our city guides. The main reason people love Popworld is the huge amount of diversity regarding what you can find there, their world famous cocktails (poptails as they’re affectionately referred to in the club) and the fantastic atmosphere the club has too! Thirdly and finally we have Fixxion Warehouse Project, which plays some of the old school bangers that you’re used to, whether it be Garage, RnB or Hip-Hop, the club has got you covered! We recommend that you make your way here and enjoy one of the most fun nights out possible.

The city of Wolverhampton is particularly proud of its history and have immortalised its history in some museums, with all said museums being accessible and affordable for all members of the public including; Bantock House, Wolves Museum and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

The world of cinema is still very much kept alive in the city as well with Wolverhampton offering a number of cinemas for you to watch the latest and greatest movies right now. You can make your way to the Cineworld if you so wish, which has tiered seating, however, if you’re looking for more independent releases then we recommend you join one of the city’s many film societies.

The city has a number of ways that the community comes together, one of which is the festival known as WV1Fest, a tribute concert to some of the biggest and best in rock music, and what’s more, it’s completely free of charge to go to, and we cannot recommend it highly enough for you.

Transport

The city’s transportation routes are all very well efficient with bus services, cycle paths and train services too.

There are a number of bus service operators in the city, though the largest one is National Express West Midlands. National Express also offers national services to other cities as well. The city’s main bus station is operated by Transport for West Midlands.

Wolverhampton is one of the best connected train lines in the country, as it has excellent transportation routes across England and across Wales as well. The city’s main railway station is Wolverhampton Railway Station with a number of local stations littered around the city as well, such as Dunstall Park, Bushbury, Tettenhall and Compton. The city also has a metro line, which is connected through the Midland Metro.

There is an airport in the city, Wolverhampton Airport, however, the airport is more for private flights, for commercial, international and regional flights, the closest airport is located in Birmingham at the Birmingham Airport.

Universities in the City

There is only one university in the city, the University of Wolverhampton, which was established in 1899 as the Science, Technical and Commercial School. The school received university status in 1992 and re-branded as the University of Wolverhampton.

The student body is represented by the University of Wolverhampton Students' Union (UWSU). Though it is still a student union, it is also registered as a charity. The union covers over 60 different societies and clubs and also collaborates regularly with the university Athletics’ Union.

The university also operates a graduate placement programme called the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) and is also spearheading the Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education West Midlands (SPEED WM) project. The university also works with the Erasmus Programme in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs scheme.

Things to do with family in Wolverhampton

History and Culture

Wolverhampton’s history can be traced back as far as 659 AD, when King Wulfhere of Mercia founded the abbey of St Mary in the town.

In 1086, Wolverhampton was recorded in the Domesday Book as being a part of the county of Staffordshire, even though the town was only home to around fifty households. Around the time of 1180, the town became a market town, although the town did not have a Royal Charter that allowed them to do so until 1258, when Henry III granted one.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was thought that Wolverhampton was one of the primary towns in the country for the trade of wool, with a woolpacker being used on the city’s main coat of arms. By the time of the 16th century, Wolverhampton had started to branch out into the metal industry and began making keys and locks as well as iron and brass working.

In 1837, the first railways were built in the city, with the very first station being built at Wednesfield Heath (now Heath Town) and by 1849, the Wolverhampton Railway Works were established, which created a good source of imports and connected to major cities, such as Shrewsbury and Birmingham.

After this, Wolverhampton became well-known for its somewhat prolific bicycle industry, with the town boasting an impressive two-hundred different bicycle manufacturing companies. One of the most well-known companies was Viking Cycles Ltd, who totally dominated the UK racing scene in the 1950s.

Wolverhampton became a city in 2000.

Sport

Wolverhampton has a small but very passionate sporting culture.

Wolverhampton’s main football club is Wolverhampton Wanderers, who play in the Premier League after receiving promotion from the Championship in 2018. The football club’s escapades abroad led to the introduction of the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League). Wolves’ main rivals are West Bromwich Albion, who play in West Bromwich, nearly twelve miles away. They also share a rivalry with Aston Villa and Birmingham City in Birmingham. Walsall FC are also close by, however, the two rarely compete.

The Wolverhampton Wheelers are the city’s oldest cycling club/ The city’s proud tradition with regards to cycling has meant that the city emphasises the sport greatly and has seen such legends as Hugh Porter, who won four World Championship titles in his career.

With regards to motor sports, the Wolverhampton Wolves are the city’s main speedway club and also one of the country’s leading competitors in the sport, playing in the Elite League at Monmore Green. In fact, the Wolverhampton Speedway is one of the world’s oldest speedway tracks that is still being used.