The Black Country Living Museum is an award winning open-air museum. It is located 16 kilometres north-west of Birmingham between Dudley and Tipton in the Midlands region of England. Step back to the 1850s to 1950s to explore how locals used to live, visit their homes and shop in their local stores. Discover the mines of the Black Country, see the first steam train designs and observe craftsmen at work. It’s a fun-packed, educational experience for all.
The Black Country Living Museum is an open-air museum, offering curious travellers a trip down memory lane. Explore quaint canalside villages, museums, Victorian sweet shops or see a movie in a 1930s cinema. Take a trip down 1930s street where inquisitive visitors can enjoy a lesson at the local school or head to Hobbs and Son’s for a fish and chip supper. All staff are dressed in full period costume, welcoming visitors into Gregory’s General Store, Emile Doo’s chemist shop and collier worker’s homes. Explore the canal side village and venture into Dudley Tunnel to see the limestone mines and caverns by canal barge. If time permits, head deep into one of the two preserved colliery mineshafts or see sparks fly at the chain making forge. This fascinating day out brings the history of the Industrial Revolution to life for all to see.
The Black Country Living Museum is easy to reach by car from the M5 and M6 motorways. There are ample car parking facilities for a reasonable daily rate. If arriving by rail, disembark at Tipton Railway Station. Regular trains operate from Birmingham New Street. If travelling via public bus, there are several leaving from Birmingham, Wolverhampton and other towns in the West Midlands. The museum is also on the national cycle network route for energetic travellers. Visitors staying in Dudley can walk to the museum in just over 35 minutes.
The Black Country emerged in the 1830s, creating the world’s first industrial landscape. The innovation and manufacturing skills of local craftsmen put the region on the map. It became known for its distinctive structural ironwork, chains, locks and keys. The idea for the Black Country Living Museum was established following an interest by local individuals keen to preserve the area’s heritage. Today, it is one of the most popular museums in the UK.