First glimpse of Ramada hotel

This is the new landmark on the skyline for drivers passing through the region on the M6 Toll.

Scaffolding is starting to come down on the 12-storey glass tower block which will become the Ramada Hotel.

The first guests, who will check in next month, will be treated to a bird's eye view of the motorway. On a good day they will be able to see as far as the Malverns and Welsh Hills.

The impressive glass structure at Churchbridge, which has slowly become a feature on Bridgtown's landscape, is another development by developer Fred Pritchard.

Mr Pritchard, chairman and chief executive of developers Pritchard Holdings Plc, said: "I'm really pleased with it.

"Now all that awful scaffolding is being removed, people can see the true beauty of what lies beneath.

"The scaffolding had to be there because you can't make an omelette without cracking the eggs.

"A lot of work has gone into it and this project has only taken 10 months from the start to where it is now. It will really show what the new Cannock Chase is all about."

Final touches are being put to the 100-bedroom hotel which includes a coffee shop that has an Aston Martin car in it that was raced in Le Mans in 1983.

A self-playing piano has been hoisted into place in the sky room at the top of the development, which boasts 360-degree views.

The hotel, run by worldwide chain Ramada International, is set to open next month and will be called Ramada Birmingham North - Cannock Chase.

A time capsule has been put in place at the top of the building to ensure the area's past is remembered by future generations.

It has been left at the highest point of the building and features items tracking Bridgtown's past, aerial photographs from the building and press releases issued during the development's construction.