I visited a bustling town which straddles Smethwick and Edgbaston but has an identity all of its own

 But Bearwood in Sandwell very much has its own identity and attracts people to live there due to cheap housing, rents and a reasonable cost of living compared to its big neighbour in Birmingham.

It also is an historic area with landmarks such as Thimblemill Baths, although now demolished to make way for Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Lightwoods Park and Warley Woods Golf Course, as well as St Mary's Church which dates back over 130 years.

We met and spoke with diners in the pub and also spoke to people on the high street - named Bearwood Road - which is dominated partly by an Aldi store and features stores ranging from food to furniture and electrical goods - all you could want to do your weekly shopping or if you are buying larger items.

Melvin Haynes said he had lived in Bearwood all his life and very rarely went into Birmingham, though the transport network serving the area means it is easily accessible, as is Wolverhampton and smaller towns such as Halesowen, Stourbridge and Cradley Heath.

He said; "I find Bearwod very compact, centred around but not exclusively so around Bearwood Road where you can find takeaways, pubs and restaurants, shops and supermarkets all within five minutes of each other.

"There are roads off here as well with businesses such as dentists. a grocery store and a bike shop, it is generally a good place to explore and tends to be fairly safe as well."

The original name of the high street was Bearwood Hill which ran from Smethwick Council House to Windmill Land. Parts of Bearwood are designated in Edgbaston, with as a general rule, the border being at Shireland Brook and Portland Road, close to the former Mitchells & Butlers Brewery.

Julie Shaughnessy has lived and worked in Bearwood since the early 1980s and said she is 'proud to be from the Black Country,;

She said: "I always say I am from Bearwood if people ask although maybe if I am abroad I say from near Birmingham but I certainly love living in this area.

"There is a good community feel, some nice places to visit for lunch and a high street which is very busy and has a good variety of shops - probably everything you could need in one area.

"The library at Thimblemill Road is a great asset, there is a lot going on there from exhibitions to art to concerts, I sometimes thing those facilities are taken for granted but we have a really good venue there which serves the whole community." 

Wendy Nicholls worked at Thimblemill Library from 1991 until recently and said she loved the job and the community it served.

She said: "The library is the hub and I really enjoyed working there, I met some good friends apart from anything else and a whole range of people would drop in every day.

"Now I am retired I am enjoying relaxing, going out for lunches and using time in the day which wasn't always there before but it is mainly centred around Bearwood, I don't have to travel to far to meet people."

Bob Adams, aged 85, was visiting Bearwood from where he lives in Langley and is a regular visitor.

He said: "I used to come here to go to Bearwood Chapel just down the road which is kind of when I discovered the area and I like the atmosphere here. Langley has more of a village feel to it but Bearwood is very busy and I always call it the posh end of Smethwick - I like coming here on a regular weekly basis and the bus drops me off right on the high street.

Bob was with friend Nigel Goodwin who describes himself as a "Black Country lad born and bred". He had come over from Old Hill to Bearwood where he used to play golf at Warley Woods on a regular basis.

He said: "I gave it up I was no good at it, now I play computer golf but it was a nice course and there is a lot of green areas around Bearwood for a supposedly built up area of the Black Country.

"Prices on the high street are good, you can get a good meal for £6 in the pub or in cafes so I like to meet Bob regularly and through that have met other people as well who have become friends."

The Bear Pub where Bob and Nigel were enjoying a meal has attracted many comedians down the year who have gone on to national acclaim such as Frank Skinner, Ed Byrne and Sean Hughes.

Other notable people to have been born or lived in Bearwood include Julie Walters and Christin McVie from Fleetwood Mac.