An almost entirely urban county. Very limited detecting land. The rural fringe near Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and the Staffordshire border offers some opportunities.
FROM THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME
Selected archaeological finds from the PAS records for West Midlands.
NEOLITHICA knapped flint tool and possible scraper (length: 55.7mm; width: 45.8mm; thickness: 45.9mm; weight: 38.14g).
Explore this findPhoto: 0013FBB8DAA012C4 / Birmingham Museums Trust · CC-BY-SA
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
MEDIEVALThe harness pendant is made of cast copper alloy. The pendant has the mount portion attached to the actual pendant. In total length the…
Explore this findPhoto: Angie Bolton / Birmingham Museums Trust · CC-BY-SA
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
Coal Measures and urban development cover almost all the county. River Tame and Rea valley alluvium in the urban core.
Rural fringe farmland in Solihull, northern fringe near Sutton Coldfield, Staffordshire border fields
Post-medieval material, limited medieval finds near rural fringe manor sites
The West Midlands metro area covers almost all productive farmland. Finds from the pre-urban landscape are occasionally surfaced during development groundworks.
Do not prioritise this county. Base yourself in adjoining Staffordshire, Warwickshire or Worcestershire for productive detecting.
You can detect on private land in West Midlands with the landowner’s permission. You must avoid scheduled monuments, SSSIs and other protected sites. Joining a local club is the easiest way to reach permissioned land.
Yes. Metal detecting is legal in West Midlands on land where you have the landowner’s permission, as long as you avoid protected sites and follow the law on reporting treasure and recording finds.
West Midlands is covered by a Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer who records finds made by the public. See the FLO section on this page for contact details, or search finds.org.uk.
PAS lists 1,024 database records representing 1,566 recorded objects for West Midlands, checked 2 November 2026. These are recorded entries rather than a count of every find made. The period and object-type categories shown in the PAS section are selected, incomplete lists.
Solihull prohibits detecting in its parks and green spaces. Ask other West Midlands councils about the current conditions for their own sites.
PAS data from finds.org.uk. Last checked 2 November 2026.
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