S. Timmins 
Birmingham and Midland Hardware District [PDF ebook] 

First Published in 1967. This is a series of reports on the resources, various products and industrial history of Birmingham and its Midland hardware district. They were collected by the local Industry Committee of the British Association in 1865. The volume gives an idea if not full details, of the extent and variety of the local trades within the radius of thirty miles of Birmingham. The coal and iron of Staffordshire, the chemical products, glass and alkalis and soap of Smethwick, the metal works from the costliest plate and jewellery down to common gilt toys, the engines and machinery exported to all parts of the world to name a few.