Black Country Museum Honors Industrial Past
Site Recreates 1930s Coal Mining Village in Britain’s West Midlands
Jun 16, 2009
The Birmingham area, with its abundance of coal, was involved in the Industrial Revolution early on. Coal mines, and factories which consumed the coal, dotted the landscape. So numerous were the mines that a family might operate one under their home.
Black Country Got Name from Coal Mining Operations
The Black Country Museum is located in Dudley, just outside of Birmingham, but the area considers itself to be separate from Birmingham. The communities of Wolverhampton, Sandsall and Walsall also make up the Black Country, which received its name in the 19th century from the smoke and coal dust which covered the area.
The museum’s website says buildings from throughout the area were moved to the museum to create an authentic experience for people who have only read about the Industrial Revolution and its impact on the modern world. The museum covers 26 acres with homes and shops, atransport museum, old-fashioned carnival, canals and coal barging operations, and a coal mine. Employees wear period costumes to further add to the flavor of this 1930s village.
Black Country Museum Features Coal Mine Tour, Fairgrounds
The coal mine is a recreation of a typical underground mine around 1850, the website notes, adding it is safer than the real thing would have been.
But not all was black and bleak during the Black Country’s heyday. Traveling carnivals passed through the area. A fairgrounds is included as part of the museum heritage. It has various rides, including a merry-go-round, and games. Even cotton candy. The fairgrounds are operated by descendents of the Jones family which began traveling with carnivals in the early 1900s.
The grounds are easily walkable, but those who don’t want to hoof it can take an electric tramcar or trolley bus from one end to the other. For an extra fee, visitors can take a canal boat ride through limestone caves.
Museum Recreates 1930s English Coal-Mining Village
The main area mixes businesses with residential housing, even a stable with horses. This is a good area to see demonstrations such as glass-making or a man teaching children how to roll the hoops of yesteryear. And don’t be put off by the name of the sweetshop: Veal Chocolate. Veal Chocolate is not a new kind of candy; rather George Veal was the shop’s proprietor. Buy a bag of broken treats for 50p (US75-cents) while waiting for the bus back to the entrance. Visitors with larger appetites can try one of the restaurants, including a 1930s fried fish shop.
The Black Country Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March through October. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the rest of the year. Admission is £12.95 (US$19.50) for adults and £6.95 (US$11) for children. Senior citizen discounts and family tickets are available.
The museum is located on Tipton Road about a mile north of the Dudley town center. Take the number 126 bus to get there from Birmingham. This is a flag stop so ask the driver to stop there.
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