page_title: Brownhills
section_title: Attractions and landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Brownhills / Culture / Attractions and landmarks
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of the "Bronwhills Miner" statue in Brownhills, West Mids created by John McKenna (sculptor)
context_page_description: Brownhills is a town and former administrative centre situated in the Walsall Borough, West Midlands, England. Located a few miles from Cannock Chase near the large canal reserviour Chasewater, it is 6 miles north-east of Walsall and a similar distance south-west of Lichfield. The town is located 13 miles north-west of Birmingham. It is part of the Aldridge-Brownhills parliamentary constituency and neighbours the villages of Pelsall and Walsall Wood. Before boundary changes in 1974, it was in the county of Staffordshire.
  The town lies close to the route of the ancient Watling Street but is not recorded before the 17th century, although Ogley Hay, which in modern times is a district of the town, is recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book. Brownhills quickly grew around the coal mining industry, especially after it became linked to the canal and railway networks in the mid-19th century, and by the end of the century had grown from a hamlet of only 300 inhabitants to a town with a population of over 13,000, of whom the vast majority were employed in the coal industry.
context_section_description: One of Brownhills' most prominent landmarks is a 46 feet (14 m) stainless steel sculpture of a coal miner, erected in May 2006 on a roundabout at one end of the High Street, where the A4124 Pelsall Road and High Street A452 cross. The colossal sculpture, by John McKenna ARBS, commemorates the town's mining tradition. A competition was organised to choose an official nickname for the statue. The winning name was Jigger after Jack "Jigger" Taylor who died when the roof of Walsall Wood pit collapsed in 1951.
  Chasewater in Staffordshire lies on the edge of Brownhills, with the area surrounding it, which is designated as a country park, officially falling within the Brownhills postal area. The reservoir supports a variety of activities including water-skiing, sailing, angling and bird watching. The Chasewater Railway, operates a heritage rail service on the line of the former mineral railway around Chasewater between Brownhills and Chasetown, north of the former Brownhills Watling Street station. The railway's main station is designated Brownhills West.
  On the opposite side of the A5, Brownhills Common, where a wide variety of birds can be observed, is a designated nature reserve, as is Shire Oak Park, approximately 0.9 miles (1.4 km) from the town centre. Holland Park, on the edge of the Common, has a skate park and multi-sports area, which were created as part of a £95,000 environmental regeneration project and opened in 2002. The final stage of the project will see the building of a new "youth shelter".
  The town is home to what is reputed to be the oldest fingerpost in the United Kingdom.
  In recent years the town has become a hub for street art, with various art appearing over the town.
caption: The Brownhills Miner statue by sculptor John McKenna ARBS
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