Wolverhampton : Britain

Wolverhampton : Britain
Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. In 2002 the city had a population of 239,358.
The city was named after Lady Wulfruna, who founded the town in 985. The name literally comes from Wulfruna’s town on the hill (heaneton meaning town on the hill). It is often abbreviated to “W’ton� or “Wolves�. The city council’s motto is “Out of darkness, cometh light�.
The United Kingdom government announced on December 18, 2000 that Wolverhampton would be granted city status, making it one of three “Millennium Cities�.
Music and arts
The rock group Slade and the one hit wonder Babylon Zoo came from Wolverhampton, as do soul/ R&B singer Beverley Knight and Drum n Bass guru Goldie. Wolverhampton has a number of live music venues: the biggest is technically the football ground, the Molineux stadium, but the biggest indoor venue is the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, with a standing capacity of 3,000. Second to that is the Wulfrun Hall which has a standing capacity of just over 1,100 and is part of the same complex as the Civic Hall; both are owned and run by the city council. There are also a number of smaller venues with capacities between 100 and 250: the Little Civic and the Wolverhampton Varsity being the most longstanding of these. The city is also home to Regent Records, a choral and organ music recording company.
The Grand Theatre and the Arena Theatre are located in the city centre, with a multiplex Cineworld cinema located at Bentley Bridge, Wednesfield, and a smaller cinema, The Lighthouse, housed in the old Chubb Buildings in the city centre. While Cineworld caters mainly for popular tastes, showing Hollywood films and other big-budget films as well as some Bollywood films, The Lighthouse shows a range of older and foreign language films as well as some new releases. The Lighthouse has also played host to art shows and incorporates a café and bar. For art, there is also the Wolverhampton Art Gallery, run by the council, which now houses Englands biggest Pop Art collection, and Eagleworks Studio in Chapel Ash, run by a small artist group, which has periodic exhibitions and group shows.