Tipton has been described as the quintessence of the Black Country. In the early nineteenth century its coal mines were said to be 'inexhaustible' & its ironworks 'on a most extensive scale' all served by a dense network of canals. By the end of the 1800s mining & iron making were in decline but manufacturing output continued to grow with a myriad of iron & steel working trades & engineering activities many related to the automotive & electrical industries. All this industrial activity left a scarred landscape with almost a quarter of Tipton's surface being classified as derelict in the late 1940s. Since that time there has been a gradual process of regeneration but the pace increased rapidly in the 1980s when many of the traditional industries closed & their sites were redeveloped for residential use. Tipton Through Time shows how the town has evolved into a new green post industrial landscape.