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All about Birmingham - fascinating facts

Simply fascinating! Things you never knew and never particularly wanted to know until you opened this page ... happy reading.

Over 60% of all Land Rover vehicles ever made since production started in Solihull in 1948 are estimated still to be in use around the world.	If all the Cadbury creme eggs made by Bourneville-based Cadbury were stacked on top of each other, they would be 900 times higher than Mount Everest.	The West Midlands is the centre of motor vehicle production in the UK with 1/3 of all employment in the UK's automotive industry based here.
Telford in Shropshire has more Japanese manufacturing companies than any other town in the UK.		One third of the jewellery made in the UK is produced within one mile of Birmingham city centre.
The world's first police whistle was made by J Hudson Whistles of Birmingham. Today they produce 4 million whistles a year and export to 130 countries.		Birmingham Assay Office, the largest in the world, has been existence since 1773 and now hallmarks between 40,000 and 70,000 precious metal items each working day.
The Black Country is noted for its metal forming and glass making skills. The anchor and chain for the Titanic was made in Netherton, and the glass for the original Crystal Palace in Smethwick.		Birmingham is home to the Balti with 100 Balti houses attracting over 20,000 visitors per week. Many of these are in the Moseley "Balti Triangle"
More than 75,000 people in the West Midlands are directly employed in the motor industry, with an estimated 20% of the total working population employed in automotive related industries.	Birmingham is the manufacturing capital of Europe, with output outstripping that of Munich, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Turin, Milan, Strasbourg and Barcelona.	The annual production of carpet firm Brintons Ltd, based in Kidderminster, is equivalent to 700 football pitches. The company uses the fleece from one in every eight sheep in the UK.