dudley

The Black Country Living Museum

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A photo of a street scene inside the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley

Following our trip to Dudley Zoo and Castle, we went to the other major tourist attraction in Dudley: the Black Country Living Museum.

Those of us living in the North of England may be familiar with Beamish, which is a large, outdoor museum showing what life was like in the North East during various time periods. The Black Country Living Museum is very similar, but based in the Black Country. This is the area around Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, and probably gets its name from the mining and/or burning of coal.

Visitors can walk around various buildings that have been transplanted or recreated from the area. These include an array of shops – some of which sell things to buy – as well as a couple of pubs and fish and chip shops. There’s also a school where you can have a ‘lesson’ as if it were the 1950s, and a fairground. The museum also backs onto the Dudley Canal, and a cut from the canal goes through the museum.

Trolleybus

Transport

It’s quite a large site, and so there are transport options to get you from the visitor centre at the entrance into the recreated town. On the day we went, this was a classic diesel bus, but there’s also an electrically-powered trolleybus that was parked up. There’s a tram line as well, but this is currently out of use.

Mines

As mentioned, coal probably inspired the name of the Black Country, and so there are two mines on site. One is a deep mine, The Racecourse Colliery, and the other is a ‘drift mine’ which can be entered on foot. The latter is open for tours, although it’s a realistic simulation rather than a real mine. It does mean that it’s unlikely to collapse, but you’ll need to wear a hard hat as it includes low ceilings that would be typical in this type of mine.

There’s plenty to see, and I would advise going at a weekend when more events take place as we did. Like many attractions, your tickets are valid for one year after your visit, so we may go back another time to see some of the other demonstrations. As you would expect, the museum is also frequently used for filming shows such as Peaky Blinders.

As usual, you can view several more photos on Flickr.

Accessibility

The site is on a slope, and some powered wheelchairs may struggle in some places. Some buildings have narrow entranceways or steps, and the drift mine is uneven under foot. There is an accessible bus available if booked in advance. Some of the industrial exhibits may produce loud and unexpected noises.

Dudley Zoo and Castle

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A photo of Dudley Castle, inside the grounds of Dudley Zoo

For my 40th birthday last weekend, we had a couple of days in Dudley. Which might seem like an odd choice for a short break, but it meant that we could visit Dudley Zoo and Castle, and the Black Country Living Museum (which I’ll blog about separately soon).

This was my third visit to Dudley Zoo; all three of us visited in 2019 on the way down to Portsmouth to go on holiday, and I had been as a child (probably 1992 as I seem to remember it being the 29th February). It’s a medium-sized zoo; it doesn’t have any really big animals like elephants and rhinos, but is home to some quite big animals like sealions, lions, tigers and giraffes. You’ll need a full day to see everything, but unlike Chester Zoo you will be able to see everything in one day.

Dudley Castle

Before the zoo, there was the castle. There’s been a castle on this site since Norman times, as it’s a strategic lookout position. The current castle is a ruin – it was damaged quite a bit during the English Civil War in the 17th century and suffered a fire in the 18th century. You can go up the keep, which is the oldest bit of the castle, and there’s a newer indoor part which is home to nocturnal animals, as well as offering a history of the castle.

The ruined castle offered a focal point for what was originally known as Dudley Zoological Gardens, and several animals including the penguins and sealions now live in what was the castle’s moat.

Tectons

When the zoo opened in the 1930s, a number of concrete buildings were built by the Tecton architectural group, with all but one surviving. They’re now all Grade II or II* listed, although a number are no longer fit for their original purpose. They were all restored recently and still look quite futuristic, almost 90 years after they were built. These include the main entrance gates, which I gather are now only used on really busy summer weekends. Entry is now via what was originally known as the Station Café, which is now a gift shop. Incidentally, there’s no longer a railway station nearby, but there will soon be a stop on the West Midlands Metro once the Dudley extension opens – hopefully later this year.

A photo of a tiger licking its mouth at Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo highlights

The highlight for us was the Lorikeet Lookout; provided that you go in between 11am and 3pm, you can buy a pot of nectar to feed the lorikeets. They’ll happily sit on your hand/arm/shoulder whilst doing this. We also got to see a female tiger playing around in the water, and a weaver bird making its nest. As usual, I’ve uploaded a full set of photos to Flickr.

They also have red pandas; we saw one but it was high up in the trees and so I couldn’t get a photo. We also didn’t see the otters this time.

Accessibility

Like most zoos, Dudley Zoo is open every day (except Christmas Day). As mentioned, it’s on a hill, which is great if you’re building a castle, but not so great if you’re in a wheelchair. Whilst there is a marked out route with gentler slopes, some powered wheelchairs may struggle. If your wheelchair folds, you can use the land train to get between the bottom and top levels of the site.

There’s a detailed guide for people with sensory issues available to download, and there are sensory signs on just about every enclosure warning of possible loud noises or strong smells.