Halesowen

Town in the West Midlands metropolitan county, England, 11 km/7 mi west of Birmingham; population (2001) 23,800. Halesowen lies on the fringe of the former industrial area known as the Black Country, but is close to the Clent Hills and other beauty spots. There are extensive iron, steel, and welded-tube works, together with factories producing chains, buttons, prams, and agricultural implements.

The church at Halesowen dates from the 12th century. The town was the birthplace of the 18th-century poet and essayist William Shenstone. To the southwest are the ruins of a 13th-century abbey.