Last weekend, I took a trip, with the family to The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.
I can totally see why it is but describing this incredible place a museum does not do it the justice it deserves…it’s more like an experience! What a day it turned out to be!
I have to admit that before last weekend, I had never heard of this place and I’m embarrassed to say that.
Considering I own a classic car restoration company and I pretty much live my life looking at and working with ‘history’, I should have heard of it and certainly shouldn’t have waiting to the ripe ol’ age of 40 to have visited it.
Even before stepping in to the grand entrance of the newly built reception I was greeted by a collection of vintage buses, trams, cars and a classic car and bike showroom. This place was right up my street.
It was as if I’d been dropped into another era. There were cobbled streets, chimneys puffing smoke, even the staff and guides were in period clothing; a friendly local police officer, a couple happily riding around on a horse drawn carriage, a wife knitting in her living room waiting for her husband to arrive home from the mines.
My First Stop: The Mines!
The short wait in line was well worth it as I got to experience, first hand, what it was like for the miners to head deep down into the mines for their day of work.
As I made my way down the 5ft shafts, banging my head on almost all of the low beams and trying to train my eyes to get used to see down the dark, candle lit corridors.
The feel and the smell felt very real. I’m sure being down there in the 40’s, breathing in the fumes and the dust was far harder than my enjoyable experience but never the less, it gave me a sense of what it must have been like for the workers and the boys, some as young as 5 years old.
After a day in the mines, a beer is obviously the next stop.
A relatively new addition to the ever growing site is the Elephant and Castle where we stopped for a quick drink before making a beeline for the old-fashioned sweet shop.
Glass jars lined the shelves, full of colourful treats. My boy watched in awe as sweets were being made right there in front of him and yes, we bought a couple of little bags to share as we wandered around.
We strolled through the recreated high street, peeking into the bakery, the coop, the 1930’s pub, and even a trip to the cinema.
Every building was full of fascinating little details, old posters on the walls, wandering through the different generations from the 30’s all the way through to the 60’s and 70s.
Real coal fires burning, coal lining the streets and even old fashioned street games, it honestly felt like time travel.
There was so much to do and see. On the journey back I quizzed my family on what really stood out for them:
Charlie’s yard from Peaker Blinders. A lot of the series was filmed at The Black Country Living Museum and as we were big fans of the show, it was amazing to be able to stand where a lot of the cast were standing.
The Victorian schoolroom and the vintage film playing in the local cinema.
The underground mine. Of course, this was absolutely one of the highlights. A little spooky but a real eye-opener to how tough mining life was.
The fairground was amazing. Beautifully presented and perfectly classic. Turns out, the fairground has been part of the Carter family for many years. We are very familiar with Joby Carter, the exceptionally talented signwriter who personally painted our 1905 Riley 9HP.
My plan is now for Bridge Classic Cars to revisit The Black Country Living Museum. Rilee must see for himself the fairground, part of the family that helped bring him back to life!
There is so much there for us to share on our Bridge Classic Cars Kids platform and help raise the awareness of this wonderful experience.