Oldbury, West Midlands

Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands of England. It is located west of Birmingham and the Black Country is home to the boroughs of Sandwell.

Until the late 19th century Oldbury was a parish in the county of Shropshire, until it became an independent city- district and incorporated to Worcestershire.

1966 Oldbury merged with the east, an area neighboring Smethwick and Rowley Regis to the south-eastern County Borough of Warley. The population of Oldbury - Smethwick is 139 529 (2006).

Oldbury in 1974 became part of the new Metropolitan Boroughs Sandwell (formed from the merger of the county boroughs of West Bromwich and Warley ); Today is Oldbury in the West Midlands Metropolitan County.

By Oldbury leads the M5 motorway. The city also lies on the railway line Birmingham - Wolverhampton.

From Oldbury the comedian Frank Skinner and the radio play spokeswoman and singer Marjorie Westbury derived, known as Steve Temple in the English radio plays for the detective Paul Temple by Francis Durbridge.