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| The
Black Country Living museum occupies a twenty six acre urban heritage park
in the shadow of Dudley Castle in the centre of the Black Country. Electric
tramcars and trolleybuses transport visitors from the entrance in a recreated
factory to the village area with thirty buildings situated by the canal
basin. Coal mine displays include underground workings, colliery surface
buildings and a replica of the 1712 Newcomen steam engine. In all, forty
two separate displays have been re-erected. |
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| The Dudley Tunnel (click here
for more Midland
canal tunnels) |
Right:The
museum village. In many of these buildings, craftsmen and demonstrators
recreate the activities of a time when the Black Country was the heart
of indutrial Britain. |
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| Above
Left: The Dudley Tunnel Branch Canal. After seven long years of
back breaking labour, the Dudley tunnel was finally opened in June 1792
and is 3154 yards in length 9 feet wide and between 6 to 9 feet above the
water level. leggers were employed for 3s 6d to leg the 3 hour journey from
start to finish. Because of the millions of tons of coal been transported
on the canals it was deemed necessary to build a second canal. This of course
is the Netherton tunnel. Work commenced in 1855, this tunnel was to be wider
than its predecessor (27 feet ) with towpaths on either side.The canal runs
parallel to the Dudley tunnel with a distance of 1 1/4 miles between them.
The Netherton
tunnel was opened to traffic on the 25th March 1858. The Dudley No1
canal uses this tunnel and pleasure trips operate regular from the museum.
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Kildare
(butty) |
Right:Racecourse
Colliery. The pitframe here is typical of those used around the Black
Country. |
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| Above:
Kildare is one of a number of narrow boats and butty's which are moored
around the boat yard here. The Black Country Museum is also the home of
"President" , a steamed powered narrow boat which is currently
undergoing restoration at Dadfords Wharf Stourbridge. |
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Above
Left: The Bottle
and Glass pub once stood along side the Stourbridge
Sixteen (flight of sixteen locks on the Stourbridge canal)on the Briely
Hill Road. A map of 1822 shows this pub as been called the Bush but by
1840 it was the Bottle & Glass.
Above Right:
A Dudley & Stourbridge No.5 tram sits at the terminus. Next to it
is a tram shed which houses a number of vehicles of this era. More BCM
photographs -next |
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Tour nearby Lord
Wards Arm, Windmill
End or
Park Head Junction |
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