We visited the Black Country town where scenic walks, rich heritage and good vibes have people smiling all year round
A strong sense of heritage and community spirit is at the very core of Brownhills - and we adore it.
Brownhills, a historic mining town in the borough of Walsall, is the focus of this week's Love Your Neighbourhood, and with good reason, as it's one of the most heritage-focused towns we have ever visited.
As we walked through the street, dozens of people were taking a chance to enjoy the good weather and go for walks, grab coffees in the cafes and visit the locally renown 'The Jack 'Jigger' Taylor' pub.
Historically, Brownhills is a market and mining town, in fact, the mining trade is so deeply embedded in this community core that every person we talked to had some family history of working in one of the town's dozens of now-disused mines.
It is so important to them in fact, that one of the town's most proud structures, the 'Jigger' statue, a tribute to miner Jack 'Jigger' Taylor, who sadly died when the roof to the Walsall Wood pit collapsed in 1951.
The town was home to the famous Brownhills Market, an outdoor market that saw thousands of eager shoppers travel from all over to get household goods, food and pretty much anything you could ever want.
Travelling through the town, we asked residents what they loved about their little corner of the world the most.
Skye Bagley, a café worker at Brownhills Café and Grill, said it's the community that keeps people coming back.
"I think it's just great here. The people are lovely, there are really good charity shops, it's got a strong history too. It's lovely," said the 38-year-old.
"I'm from Aldridge. I think they are both quite similar, Aldridge has a few more charity shops, but there are lovely walks around here. Definitely worth a visit."
The local high-street pub for many is The Jack 'Jigger' Taylor, named after the miner who died in a fatal incident in 1951.
Pub licensee, Jamie Smith, from Brownhills, said it's the people that make Brownhills the best around.
He said: "It's a town that has a real community vibe. Everyone goes out of their way to help each other out.
"The pub itself, you really get a community feel in here too. The local people are really salt of the earth, they're good old-fashioned people who have a good community spirit."
Even recent movers to the town think the area is great, with Sarah Jones, who originally moved to the town three years ago saying she 'loves the people'.
She said: "It's really brilliant here. I live just above the canal and it can be so pretty most days.
"The people around here area really lovely too. The Jigger is fantastic, I think it's just a genuinely lovely place to live."
So, there have it, Brownhills - A fantastic place to live with an even more amazing heritage.
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