Pictures of The Black Country Living Museum

a Museum in the town of Dudley, in the county of West Midlands

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About The Black Country Living Museum

This is a delightful outdoor museum developed with flair and imagination to celebrate all that is best of the rich social and industrial history and heritage of what is known as the Black Country in the heart of the West Midlands.

Here on a site tucked beneath the stout walls of Dudley Castle (C.13th century) an entire Victorian village is re-created. The site is filled with authentic buildings, taken down from other parts of the Black Country and rebuilt to give the visitor a fascinating insight into a way of life that for good or ill, has long since disappeared. The museum is a living tribute to the stout hearted people of the Midlands who witnessed the advancement of the Industrial Revolution which brought new machinery for glass and metal working factories, the railways, coalmines, the canals and the hard won Victorian schoolroom bringing free education as every child's right.

The story of it all is here in one spell-binding exhibition which will enthral and amaze you, for at the dawn of the Victorian era it was not unheard of for children to be working in all sorts of places ranging from domestic service in grand houses, to below ground in the mines.

One of the most delightful parts of the museum covers the heritage of the canal people who throughout the 18th and 19th centuries developed their own colourful lifestyle and traditions. Often whole families worked long, painful hours hauling coal and other goods along the network of canals throughout the Midlands. The landscape occupied by the museum is bounded on three sides by waterways, the Dudley Tunnel Branch of the Birmingham Canal and two arms, one leading to old lime kilns and the other to a working boat-dock, such as you would have seen a century or so ago.

Colourful traditional Narrowboats are moved around the village and you can see the horse-drawn Joey boats that were once a common sight on the Birmingham canal. Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the steamboat President, but mostly this is out on regular journey's around the English canal waterways.

The traditional fairground of a century or so ago is the greatest thrill, it has a collection of rides and amusements typical of the travelling fairs that set up in the towns of the region, bringing a few days of fun for one and all. It has nostalgic stalls, swingboats, and Helter-Skelter, and since its creation in 1983 the fairground at the museum has been operated by the third and fourth generation of the Jones family. This family, from Cradley Heath in the Midlands, have travelled with fairs since the early part of the 20th century.

Another great pleasure is the Stable Block, for this is where you will find the horses who so epitomise the workings of agriculture, the mines and the pulling of drays delivering beer. William is a beautiful Shire Horse and Benji is a delightful Shetland Cross, similar to the ponies that worked in the pits, although Benji has never been below ground in his life!

With all of this, plus three fabulous exhibition halls, trams and trolley buses to ride on, an authentic Victorian pub and fish n' chips, it is hardly surprising to find that this is the one of the West Midlands most visited attractions. The museum is a wonderfully friendly place, full of old-world charm and atmosphere, it really does have something for everyone, no matter how young or how old!
Please see below for other recommended attractions and towns to visit near The Black Country Living Museum.

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Distances and directions shown below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near The Black Country Living Museum

Dudley Zoo	(0.1 miles, 0.1 km)	Pictures
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Highgate Common Country Park	(6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction W)	Pictures

All attractions in West Midlands
Complete A to Z of attractions in England

Recommended towns near The Black Country Living Museum

Dudley, in the county of West Midlands (0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Dudley is a market town, it was granted its market charter in the 13th century, since then the lively outdoor market has been a focal point which has drawn regular visitors to the town.
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Halesowen, in the county of West Midlands (5.1 miles, 8.1 km, direction S)
For several centuries Halesowen was a farming region and despite the spread of urban sprawl the region still has nearby open beauty spots.
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Wolverhampton, in the county of West Midlands (5.1 miles, 8.2 km, direction NW)
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Stourbridge, in the county of West Midlands (5.4 miles, 8.7 km, direction SW)
Within the vast urban sprawl that surrounds Birmingham, otherwise known as the City of a Thousand Trades, lies the once great centre for crystal glassware, Stourbridge.
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Swindon, in the county of Staffordshire (5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction W)
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Edgbaston, in the county of West Midlands (7.9 miles, 12.8 km, direction SE)
Edgbaston is a district of wide leafy roads lined with elegant houses, lately these have become interspersed with more modern buildings, yet the suburb has somehow managed to retain much of its 19th and early 20th century charm.
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Birmingham, a Historic City in the county of West Midlands (8.2 miles, 13.1 km, direction E)
Birmingham, Britain's second city, known as the city of a thousand trades, has long been recognised as one of the World's most important manufacturing and commercial centres.
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Claverley, in the county of Shropshire (9.8 miles, 15.8 km, direction W)
Claverley is surrounded by agricultural land, a short distance from delightful Bridgenorth, a picturesque town on the banks of the River Severn.
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Wolverley, in the county of Worcestershire (10.9 miles, 17.5 km, direction SW)
Wolverley is a charming village at the heart of rural Worcestershire. It was mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, but it is believed a settlement was there long before that.
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Cannock, in the county of Staffordshire (11.6 miles, 18.7 km, direction N)
Think of Cannock and nearly always there springs to life a vision of the wonderful landscape of Cannock Chase, originally a giant "Royal Forest" gradually reduced in size and grazed by numerous flocks of sheep until the turn of the 20th century.
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Nearby travel help

Tipton Station	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Dudley Port Station	(1.1 miles, 1.8 km, direction E)
M5 Junction 2	(3.2 miles, 5.1 km, direction SE)
M5 Junction 1	(4.3 miles, 7.0 km, direction E)
Birmingham International Airport	(15.0 miles, 24.2 km, direction E)
East Midlands Airport	(37.9 miles, 61.0 km, direction NE)
The Black Country Living Museum to London	(108.7 miles, 174.9 km, direction SE)

Accommodation & Hotels near The Black Country Living Museum

Hotel Name
Station Hotel	(0.6 miles, 0.9 km)
Village Hotel Dudley	(0.6 miles, 1.0 km)
Quality Hotel Dudley	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Express By Holiday Inn Birmingham Oldbury M5, Jct.2	(2.9 miles, 4.7 km, direction SE)
Copthorne Hotel Merry Hill Dudley	(3.0 miles, 4.8 km, direction SW)
West Bromwich Central Premier Travel Inn	(3.5 miles, 5.6 km, direction E)
Ramada Park Hall Hotel Wolverhampton	(3.6 miles, 5.7 km, direction NW)
Park Inn West Bromwich/ Birmingham	(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction E)
Himley Country Hotel	(4.4 miles, 7.1 km, direction W)
Quality Hotel Wolverhampton	(4.5 miles, 7.2 km, direction NW)
All of our hotels are available to book online & with special discounts