Black Country

The first question people usually ask is “Where is the Black Country?” You won’t find it marked on any map, that’s for sure! Generally speaking, it’s an area to the north west of Birmingham that includes the towns of West Bromwich, Dudley, Walsall and the city of Wolverhampton.

The next question is inevitably “Why’s it called the Black Country?” Locally it gained its name due to the thick coal seam which made the land black but in the mid-nineteenth Century when the thick smoke from thousands of ironworking foundries and forges hung in the air, it became known everywhere as the Black Country and was described as ‘Black by day and red by night’ by Elihu Burritt, the American Consul to Birmingham in 1862.

The region’s industrial heritage is celebrated at the fascinating Black Country Living Museum – a 26-acre ‘living museum’. Discover history bought to life as you explore original buildings, ride a tramcar, experience an underground coalmine, chat to working craftsmen and much more. While you’re there, don’t miss a trip on the narrow boat into the famous Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone Mines or venture around the corner to Dudley Zoological Gardens, proudly standing in the grounds of the 11th Century Dudley Castle.

You can learn about the Black Country’s rich tradition of glassmaking at Broadfield House Glass Museum – the only museum in the UK dedicated to glass and the remarkable Red House Glass Cone in Stourbridge. There’s also a chance to find out how Walsall became the British leathergoods capital at the Walsall Leather Museum. Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the New Art Gallery in Walsall are both home to a number of significant collections. Then move into the modern with the incredible works of art on display at The Public, the region’s most inspirational modern art gallery in West Bromwich.

If you prefer to soak up some history in these spectacular settings, pay a visit to the National Trust’s Wightwick Manor filled with original William Morris paintings, or Bantock House also in Wolverhampton. Also Bishop Asbury’s Cottage in West Bromwich shouldn’t be missed.

For further information on the Black Country click here