Ned Williams Website, Black Country Author

It was while working at Wulfrun College that book production began. "By Rail to Wombourn", published in 1969, grew out of work that began as a research project with his students. To publish the book Ned had to create the "Uralia Press", and many of Ned's books were presented with this imprint, plus the occasional work by others.

The name "Uralia Press" came about because one of Ned's first Black Country trips was to the top of Sedgley Beacon. From the Beacon, it is possible, on a clear day to stare eastwards and discern the outline of the Urals - the mountains that form the Russian frontier between Europe and Asia. The legend states the domes of the Kremlin can just be seen glinting in the sunshine somewhere in the foreground of the Urals. Inspired by this, Ned resolved to write about an imaginary world in the Urals where the locals gazed westwards to glimpse their Black Country counterparts. Instead of writing about "Uralia", Ned found himself writing about the Black Country and its people!