From foundries to fashion - 10 historic companies that have forged a place in the West Midlands
We take a look at some of those old firms in Shropshire and the Black Country which are still doing business today.
From centuries-old inns, to a melting pot of foundries and manufacturing plants, Shropshire and the Black Country have a rich history of historic companies which are still in business today.
Here, we take a look at ten of those which have risen and grown from humble beginnings and in some cases are still run by descendants of those original founders all those decades ago.
Balfours
Balfours is an estate agency with bases across Shropshire whose origins can be traced back two centuries.
The company celebrated a landmark anniversary in 2025, marking 200 years since surveyor and valuer Timotheus Burd of Cardeston won his first management instruction, appointed agent for the land of a college at University of Oxford.
His sons Henry and Lawrence joined him in the business which then became Burd & Sons in 1859.
In 1920, James Cooke and Thomas Balfour set up Balfour & Cooke to cover Staffordshire and Shropshire and then in 1998 Balfour & Cooke merged with Burd & Evans, eventually becoming Balfours in 2001.
Today, the firm offers sales, letting and estate management services and has offices in Ludlow, Hereford and London alongside its Shrewsbury HQ.
Bodenhams
Bodenhams is an institution in Ludlow and has been in business since 1860.
The family-run company is one of the oldest department stores in Britain, stocking men's and women's clothing, lingerie and homeware.
It is itself housed in one of the county's oldest buildings in Broad Street which dates back to 1405 and was put up for sale in 2024, marking the first time it had gone on the market in centuries.
William Bodenham acquired the shop in 1860 and he and his wife Emma started their own business which has been passed down through generations of the Bodenham family and is currently owned by Roger Curry and his wife Monika.
Craven Dunnill Jackfield
Craven Dunnill Jackfield has been handcrafting decorative wall and floor tiles since being founded by Henry Dunnill in 1872.
It is still based at its original Jackfield Tile Works site in Ironbridge Gorge and is now run by managing director Simon Howells.
He is the fifth generation of his family to work for the company after Frederick Charles Howells joined as a trainee draughtsman before taking on the business in 1916.
