The Capital of the Black Country…
The Black Country in England is a nickname sometimes used to refer to the Midlands. Dudley is situated in the West Midlands, somewhere near Wolverhampton and in the county of Worcestershire. Although the name sounds racist, we can promise it isn’t. The Black Country first got its name in the 14th-century plague outbreaks.
When the Black Death first came to England it spread north, fast. Out of the ports, it headed north, into the midlands. This area was mostly farmland and was largely made up of peasants, farmers, and people who owned ploughs. In some areas of the Midlands, there were death rates of a full 100% when the plague came. The Black Country might be an affectionate term now – but it definitely wasn’t back then.
Anyway… Dudley is the capital of that plague-ridden area and started life as a Saxon town. We took a more in-depth look into Dudley to find out all about it… the Five Minutes Spare way. So come along for a ride through the West Midlands as we take a whirl around Dudley. You never know, it might even be the town of your dreams.
Saxon Dudley
Nowadays, this town has more than 300,000 people living in it – but it wasn’t always this busy. In fact, legend has it that it used to belong to a Saxon thegn named Dudda. In Old English, it was known as Duddan Leah – which roughly translates to Dudda’s clearing in the woods. So someone found a clear patch of land in the trees, built a home, and never looked back. We sometimes forget that, at one point or another, the whole of the UK would have been covered in forests.
By 1086 – that’s after the Norman invasion but around the time when a great counting of the lands and landowners of the time took place, Dudley was recorded as having 16 households. At this time, it wasn’t even important enough to have its own hundred named after it. A hundred was a group of (you guessed it) 100 little settlements across the land (in this case Worcestershire). These settlements were broken down this way to make the royal rule easier. A thegn would rule over a hundred, or a lord, and they would report to the king.
Anyway, in 1086 when the Domesday Survey was completed, Dudley was recorded as having 16 households and only a single landowner. They fell into the hundreds of Clients and it belonged to William son of Ansculf. He owned 2 slaves and a smith, 10 smallholdings and 3 villagers. He also had ploughland, 11 plough teams, and 2 leagues of woodland. Willian son of Ansculf was an exceedingly rich man. The land made him 3 pounds per year.
Dudley castle was built in 1070 by William’s father, Ansculf of Picquigny. The Barony of Dudley went on to rule from this castle, and they had 11 counties to themselves. In 1138 the castle was under siege from King Stephen. Records are hazy but the King supported an Empress’s claim to the barony and attacked. This was one of the earlier civil wars in England and happened between 1130 and 1150.
The castle acted as a sort of base, as all castles of the time did. To this day you can still visit the ruins, even though the castle doesn’t have its courtyards and walls like it would have had back them. By the 13th century, the use of coal came into play and iron smelting began. Dudley was one of the earliest centres that used it, produced it, and had a market town to sell it. It is estimated that they provided iron in many of the counties in England.
Dudley was made into a borough sometime in the 13th century but the Baron of Dudley, who thereafter established a marketplace. Roger de Somery, it is thought, had a dramatic impact on the growth of the town.
Dudley would have suffered massively during the 1348/49 plague but there are few records of it left. It is thought that it would have wiped out around half of the population. You can read more about it on the business Live website.
The 16th Century onwards
When the 16th century rolled around, Dudley was known for ironmongering. In 1562 a grammar school opened. Slightly before this, the Dudley Estate had fallen into the hands of the Sutton family. They later sold it to pay off some of their debt and it went to John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland. Around the same time it is thought that it housed Queen Elizabeth for a night or two when she visited the town during a tour of England.
Later, Dudley cropped up in history after the turn of the 16th century. Some of the members of the Gunpowder Plot crew ended up hiding in a nearby village. Nothing ever stayed secret for long back then though. They were eventually captured, tried, and presumably killed for their crimes.
During the civil war the castle was besieged twice. The second time it was abandoned in a way supposed to make it uninhabitable for the Parliamentarians. When they eventually abandoned it if was burned, too, just to make sure nobody would live in it again. In the 16th and 17th centuries the town didn’t really recover from the war. It had a small market and an industry in making nails. By 1685 it earned the charter for two public fairs a year, which were technically like weeklong marketplaces.
The Industrial Revolution changed the whole town. It started with a glass-making industry and it rapidly grew into the 18th century. We’ll get to that in a moment. First, let’s talk fun stuff. What is there to have a laugh about in Dudley? We found out…
Fun Facts About Dudley
Dudley is known for being a pretty interesting place with a lot of history…. However, we put together our favourite facts you probably haven’t heard of. Here are our top fun facts about Dudley that you ought to know:
- The oldest condoms known in existence were excavated from the ruined Dudley Castle. Yep. Dudley nobles cared about contraception. It is believed they would have come from the late 16th century, when the castle was last in use. How disgusting.
- The Dudley Castle that is in the zoo? That’s the self-same castle that was ruined away back in medieval times[i]. It’s as good a way to keep a castle alive as any…
- The nickname ‘The Black Country’ was doubly reinforced in the 18th A huge coal seam ran under and through it, making much of the soil in the area black in colour. So as well as being left almost uninhabited after the Black Plague, the country was mined extensively for coal.
- Charles Dickens once wrote about Dudley, but he did not have nice things to say. One of his descriptions used the words “plague smoke”, which is never good.
- There is a local legend that the castle was built by a Saxon named ‘dud’. Not that far from the truth and, let’s be honest about this, that would tie in with the name of the town. It would put the original building of the castle in the 8th century, not the 11th[ii].
It’s a fascinating place. Maybe not as fun as we’d hoped… far too much-polluted soil for our liking. Anyway. The Industrial Revolution hit next and it didn’t make anything prettier either.
Industrial Dudley and Later
It was a mix of coal, iron and glass that put Industrial Dudley on the map. Canals were built at the start of the 18th century and this led to mass growth. Iron was taken into the town, turned into chains, nails, iron grates for drains – you name it. Since coal mining shortly experienced a similar boom in the area, Dudley would have made all manner of industrial tools.
Dudley became known as a place that made the things that made the Industrial Revolution possible. They made the picks that mined the coal, they shaped the iron that farmed the land, and they made the parts that powered the mills. In 1791 Dudley was given its own commission – a group of townsmen that were in charge of things. They saw the streets paved, then lit, and eventually cleaned. They appointed a scavenger – a person that was in charge of rubbish collection. By 1821 the town wasn’t looking as shabby as others were… but around this time would have marked the rapid growth of the town and the sewers hadn’t been built yet…
In both 1832 and 1848, Dudley suffered terribly from cholera outbreaks. This would have been before they put in the sewer system. Arguably, the invention of the sewer system would have reduced the number of cholera cases; but hindsight is a wonderful thing. People didn’t know now what they did then about germs and such. The introduction of sewer systems literally saved peoples lives… even though it isn’t something you think about nowadays.
All those deaths led to more than just sewer systems. A health board was formed, followed by a hospital, built in 1967. The fountain was added that same year and a statue of the Earl in ’88. By 1850 the trams were running, and they later converted to motor trams in 1920. After the 1920’s the government started slum clearing but then the next war broke out and everything ground to a halt until ’45.
While the rest of Britain struggled at the end of the Industrial Revolution, Dudley did OK. They still had ironmongering and glass was still an industry. Tourism and retail sprang up as it became the heart of the Black Country. The museum, shops and canal still draw visitors to this day.
During the War…
To finish up the history of Dudley, we wanted to mention their part in WWII. Dudley was bombed on more than one occasion. In 1940 a pub was even bombed – but there were no casualties. A landmine was dropped in Oakham and killed ten people. However, a year later another landmine was discovered when it killed four people. Apart from these few deaths, Dudley got off lightly during blitz times.
Famous People from Dudley!
There is a range of famous people that were born or lived in, Dudley. With such a long history it is only right that some of the best and brightest have hailed from this formerly Saxon town. Some of the Five Minutes Spare favourite famous folk out of Dudley include:
- Lenny Henry, the TV presenter and comedian, was born in Dudley.
- Robert Sawyers, formerly of the Wolverhampton Wanderers and of Barnet, is a Dudley man. However, Duncan Edwards, former England national team and Man U player was born here.
- Jas Mann, of Babylon Zoo, was a Dudley-born singer.
- Sue Lawley, the TV Presenter, was raised in Dudley although not born there. She went to Dudley Girls’ High School.
As you can see, there are celebrities from all across the range of famed vocations that hail from Dudley, or at least that call it home.
Attractions in Dudley
Dudley is packed full of tourist attractions and has successfully managed to make both retail and tourism the top two sectors in town. Let’s find out what sights you should see in Dudley if you don’t want to miss a thing…
Historic Attractions and Landmarks
The Dudley Museum and Art Gallery let’s you learn about the town but it isn’t the main attraction, by any means. People flock to Dudley every year for more than just being the capital of the Black Lands… they come here for the open-air museum that we all know and love: the Black Country Living Museum.
This place has a whole town, open to the air, restored to its former glory and preserved for the ages. It is one of the only outdoor, dedicated museum spaces in Europe – never mind just in the UK. It takes you back in time to the Industrial age, allowing you to relive some of the best-kept memories in England. It is definitely the top attraction in town. It’s almost like a movie set… you will love it.
People also flock to Dudley to experience the manor house at Himley Hall. There is a park attached for playing, picnic areas and plenty of opportunities to walk or enjoy the scenery. They have 180 acres and an 18th-century mansion for you to wander round. They also have a tearoom that serves high teas to die for. The house once entertained royalty and was also home to the Earl’s of Dudley… go see it, you will have a lovely day.
Stuff to do with Kids
Dudley Zoo (and castle) is just so unique that it needed a kid’s section all of its own. You can visit the castle and it shares a doorway with the zoo, combining two awesome experiences into one. The little ones love it plus they get to learn something. Best of all though, they get to see and experience life with all those animals, too.
Brockswood Animal Sanctuary is another great day out with the kids in Dudley. Go along and pet some animals, help feed them, groom them, or generally get to know them. Since it is a sanctuary, all of the money they take for tickets goes back into keeping the animals safe – so give them all your money!
Shopping and Retail
If you are looking for the best shopping in Dudley, head to Intu Merry Hill. Intu shopping has malls up and down the UK, and generally contain a good selection of shops. Even though they usually present a great range, it doesn’t stop there. Try the Aldridge Shopping Centre in Anchor Parade if you want more shops – although the town centre sports a featured few shops of its own. Finally, drop into the One Stop shopping Centre, which is a lot smaller but does let you in out of the rain… this is Britain, after all.
Nature and Outdoors
There is loads to do outside in leafy Dudley. At some point, while the town was being developed the Green Belt policies were introduced, helping to preserve at least some of the greenery around the Midlands. Tourists love Saltwells Local Nature Reserve as it is free entertainment for the kids for an afternoon. It lets you get out into nature, with a little woodland, some ducks and ponds, all in one place. Everyone loves to spend time at the park…
Or they like Baggeridge Country Park! This place stretches for so far it is considered to be part of South Staffordshire! This place used to belong to the Earls of Dudley and was also part of the Himley Estate. There are 150 acres of meadows, parks, waterways, and general summer fun times to be had for those that love the outdoors.
Don’t forget to stop by Priory Park while you are in town. This place sits beside the Ruins of St. James’s priory (Henry VIII hated the Friars and closed most of the priories down) and offer both a nice place to pass an afternoon and a scenic view of some ruins. Find out a little about local history or just go to enjoy the view. Either way, Dudley is waiting on you to explore it!
Where to Eat, Drink and Party in Dudley
Presumably, you are going to want to eat out at some point during your Dudley visit. The best place to take the family is Toby Carvery, while the best place to enjoy some fine dining is widely believed to be the Old Glass House.
You can get the best cocktails in town at The Canal House, or enjoy a live band at the venue in Dirty rockers. If neither suits you, go visit the Grand Cabana, and dance the night away. Dudley is full of places, and people, that will help you have a great night out! All you have to do is show up and enjoy yourself!
Other Notable Attractions
As with all big towns, there is so much more to Dudley than we could manage in a single article. Some of our other things to do in Dudley include:
- Visit the Wren’s Nest National Nature Reserve just outside of town. They are free to visit and all they ask is that you don’t drop any litter.
- If you are a big drinker, then Dudley is brilliant for breweries. Choose between Holden’s Brewery or the Sarah Hughes Brewery for your entertainment.
- Do some sightseeing, the Duncan Edwards Statue, the Shri Venkateswara Temple and the town hall should all be on your list.
There are truly loads of things you can do in Dudley – but if we missed out on your favourite then let us know in the forum!
How to Get to Dudley
We have just about covered everything there is to know about Dudley – but those who are interested in visiting need to know how to get there.
By Road
If you head west out of Birmingham on the M5 you will hit Dudley eventually. Similarly, if you head south on the same road from Wolverhampton you will shortly hit Dudley.
By Rail
Dudley Railway Station is the primary, although Hagley station and Lye Station will take you close enough.
By Air
There is no dedicated Dudley Airport, however, you are pretty close to Birmingham Airport.
By Sea
Dudley is not accessible by sea although it has plenty of canal access.
Got Five Minutes?
Did you enjoy our little guide to Dudley? Doesn’t take too long to get to grips with a whole town, does it? If you feel like you could spare another Five Minutes reading some fun tour guides then head on over to our travel section. We have something for everyone here, and we don’t mind sharing!
[i] https://factfile.org/10-facts-about-dudley
[ii] https://factfile.org/10-facts-about-dudley-castle
www.localhistories.org/dudley.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudley
