Hard to imagine now, but Tamworth was once the thriving centre of the Kingdom of Mercia, and home to royals in 8th to 11th century.
Mercia was one of the seven Saxon Kingdoms, and stretched from Hertfordshire to Cheshire. King Offa used Tamworth as his base and his palace was situated on what is today Tamworth Castle.
Mercia comes from the Old English word for border people, and it seems that the name is fitting. King Offa is probably most famous for Offa’s Dyke, a defensive earthwork along the border with Wales.
Although, it was not the Welsh who led to the downfall of Mercia, but the Vikings who invaded in the 8th and 9th Centuries and established Danelaw in the area.
You can often see Tamworth appearing in TV shows set in the period, such as Vikings and The Last Kingdom
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