Tamworth is a historic town and local government district in Staffordshire England, located 17 miles (25 km) north-east from the city of Birmingham. The town gained its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker. In 2002 the town had a population of 74,581.
Tamworth is the home of the historic Tamworth Castle, and has a minorly successful non-league football team by the name of Tamworth FC. It is also home to the Snowdome, the first indoor ski slope in the UK and Drayton Manor Theme Park.The towns main industries include distribution, engineering, clothing, brick, tile and paper manufacture. It was also home to the Reliant car company.
Tamworth has existed since Saxon times, it was sacked by Danes in the 9th century. Defences in the form of a castle were constructed against Danish invaders by Ethelfleda Queen of the kingdom of Mercia.
The Victorian Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel served as the town's MP from 1830 until his death in 1850. It was in Tamworth that Robert Peel unveiled his Tamworth Manifesto in 1834 which created what is now the modern Conservative Party.Tamworth has grown rapidly in the post-war years due to overspill population from the West Midlands. Its population has tripled since the 1940s.
Tamworth has several bars the most popular being 'Yates', 'Weatherspoons' and 'B79'. The most popular nightclubs with locals are 'Kube' and 'The Embassy' (the latter known by locals as "The Embo"). Recently an indie sub-culture has developed, although this is nearly twenty years after the emergence of indie music as a distinct genre of popular music in the UK. Venues such as 'Bonds' and 'The Robert Peel' have started to play "alternative" music. Alternative club nights such as the quarterly 'Slackers' and 'Skull Club' nights attract many people as there are very few alternative music venues. As is often the case with provincial English towns, trends in Tamworth popular culture lag behind those of London and other major cities.
