Walmley 'may become new centre of Great Britain'

Walmley in the West Midlands will become the centre of Great Britain if Scotland goes independent

Walmley in the West Midlands could become the new centre of Britain if Scotland votes to go independent.

The news could put the town, seven miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, on the map.

Currently its main claim to fame is to have the oldest inhabited moated house in Britain at New Hall Manor hotel.

Julie Smith, marketing manager at the hotel, said: "We really will be in the middle of the country.

"I think it will be good for the region and hopefully bring some more people up here. Instead of Stratford, people hopefully would gravitate up this way to look at the new centre".

Alan Cleaver, duty manager of the Fox pub in Walmley, said the area's residents would be more than happy to take on the title.

"I am pretty sure that would go down well here especially for local businesses, and for us. I'm not sure whether we'd be renamed but it would be great marketing for the rest of the area."

Tourists have definitely flocked to Haltwistle in Northumberland, among many towns claiming to be the current centre of Great Britain. The town has a Centre of Britain laundrette, a Centre of Britain gallery and a Centre of Britain Hotel.

However the official centre, according to Ordnance Survey, is actually Dunsop Bridge in Lancashire.

"We use the gravitational method, which is used by Nasa and also goes back to Captain Cook times, but different methods get different results hence a number of areas making the claim to be the current centre," a spokesman for OS said.

The method finds the point at which a cardboard cut-out of Great Britain and its 401 associated islands would theoretically balance on a pinhead.

So how would Dunsop Bridge fair if it loses its title? Currently its only monument is a payphone installed by British Telecom in 1992. A plaque reads: "You are calling from the BT payphone that marks the centre of Great Britain."

One local B&B owner, who did not want to be named, said the area's beauty would ensure it remained a popular destination for visitors.

"It would be a shame to lose the title but I don't particularly get guests staying just because it's the centre of Great Britain.

"They're usually here for functions. It's the walkers who use maps that are in the know but I think they would still come here because its just such a beautiful area."