Warley was a county borough formed in 1966 by the combination of the existing county borough of Smethwick with the towns of Oldbury and Rowley Regis. The Tividale area of Tipton and a tiny fragment of Dudley also became part of Warley. Smethwick and Rowley Regis are traditionally in Staffordshire, while Oldbury is traditionally in Worcestershire. For ceremonial purposes the new county borough was placed in Worcestershire. Warley took its name from Warley Woods, an area straddling the Smethwick/Oldbury boundary.

On the formation of the West Midlands metropolitan county in 1974, the county borough of Warley merged with the county borough of West Bromwich to form the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, although the Warley postal district was retained.

Famous people from Warley include the comedian Frank Skinner, the actress Julie Walters and Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie.

History of the West Midlands