Black Country Living Museum

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Black Country Living Museum

Titova N.M.,

Vladimir, Russia

What we're all about

Something magnificent and profound happened in this part of the UK. Its impact was felt the world over, as modernity took hold, creating fame and admiration for the Black Country.

The story of the Black Country is distinctive because of the scale, drama, intensity and multiplicity of the industrial might that was unleashed. It first emerged in the 1830s, creating the first industrial landscape anywhere in the world. It is this that we rejoice in and want to share with you.

Our award-winning corner of the West Midlands is now one of the finest and largest open-air museums in the United Kingdom. After very humble beginnings, a bright idea and 40 years of inspiration, this is twenty six acres worth exploring. Amazing as it may seem, we have created a `place' - a real and lively place, where once there was nothing and nobody. With a village and charismatic residents to chat with. Trams to ride. Games to play. Things being made. Stories to hear.

People - their triumphs to admire and troubles to be thankful that are not ours.

Time to be well spent

If you are old enough, you may just be looking for nostalgia and that is fine. But equally, we believe that history shouldn't be seen as a safe haven in a fast changing and challenging world, but a catalyst for thinking and reflection about our own lives.

We hope you have a fabulous and thought-provoking time.

The Museum's story

Firstly, is it very important that we understand what is the big story of the Black Country? Why is its story worth the telling?

The story of the Black Country is distinctive because of the scale, drama, intensity and multiplicity of the industrial might that was unleashed. It first emerged in the 1830s, creating the first industrial landscape anywhere in the world.

Beneath the smoke and glare from blast furnaces and forges, Black Country innovation, entrepreneurial and manufacturing skill established the region's supremacy for the making of wrought iron. The Black Country also possessed important hardware and other manufactures distinctive to itself - structural ironwork, chain making, locks and keys, tube manufacture, trap making and many others - which brought fame to Black Country towns across the globe.

How did the Museum develop?

The idea of the Museum was developed in the 1950s by the Borough Librarian in Dudley and other interested local individuals.

In 1966 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council set up a Black Country Museum section within their museum department and later with such a high demand from the public and as the range and size of items collected grew, a proposal was set for an open-air museum, where artefacts could be displayed in their true context, as the range and size of items collected grew.

The Museum under construction

The Museum separated from Dudley Council in April 1976, the staff of six were faced with the task of creating a viable museum on what then was a derelict piece of land with many old mine shafts and a water treatment works. A programme of land reclamation was started by the West Midlands County Council in 1976 and by 1978 it was possible to hold a preview season to show how the Museum might develop.

In 1980 the tramway system was installed to transport visitors the half mile or so to the canal arm. By 1985 visitor numbers had grown to 250,000 a year and in 1990, the year the underground mining display opened, 305,000 people visited the Museum. Attendance drastically fell due to the economic recession in the early 1990's and have since shown a year on year increase.

The Museum has now been open to the public for 34 years and as the UK's third most-visited open-air museum has welcomed more than 300,000 visitors through its gates each year. black country living museum

In 2010, the Museum's 7 millionth visitor stepped through its doors and an exciting launch of the Ј10 Million development of the 1930s high street, Old Birmingham Road which was relocated to the Museum.

In 2012, joined the museums' premier league, when it was awarded Designation by Arts Council England (ACE). In the words of ACE, Designation is a mark of distinction; an accolade, celebrating unique collections of national and international importance, and a vital component of England's cultural identity. Designated collections are iconic, authentic and of the finest quality; resourced with sophisticated expert management, and set in aspirational and creative organisations. Andrew Lovett, Director & Chief Executive of the Museum said, "This is an enormous step forward for the Museum, not only recognising the strength of our entire collection, but an endorsement of how we are developing our own style of engaging people - our visitors - creatively in history.

Picture of volunteers and local community cleaning up the site that would later become the Museum's village.

Museum Designation Award

The Black Country Living Museum has joined the museums' premier league, it has been awarded Designation by Arts Council England (ACE).

Designation is a mark of distinction; an accolade, celebrating unique collections of national and international importance, and a vital component of England's cultural identity. ACE goes on to say that, Designated collections are iconic, authentic and of the finest quality; resourced with sophisticated expert management, and set in aspirational and creative organizations.

Andrew Lovett, Director & Chief Executive of the Museum said, "This is an enormous step forward for the Museum, recognizing the strength of our entire collection. It is the museum equivalent of AAA rating, and has been achieved with the knowledge, expertise and determination of the Museum's team.

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said: "We are delighted to be awarding this prestigious standard to the Black Country Living Museum. The organization's collections offer a fascinating and important insight into the history of the nation, and should be celebrated".

Hedley Swain, Director, Museums & Renaissance for Arts Council England said, "Designation does not come easily. It is a hugely competitive and exacting independent examination of a collection's quality and significance, as well as a museum's commitment to putting learning and people at the centre of its vision.

Those museums which attain Designation are to be warmly congratulated, for they can be sure that they endorse the values held by the best museums, and deserve to be widely and enthusiastically supported."

A Major Partner Museum 2015-2018

In April 2015 Black Country Living Museum, along with our partner Culture Coventry, became an Arts Council England-funded Major Partner Museum under the name West Midlands Museum Partnership (WMMP).

We are very pleased to be one of 21 major partner museums across England in which Arts Council will invest in a wide range of projects and activity from 2015-2018.

WMMP will use its total investment of Ј2.658m to support ACE's 5 goals and will offer national leadership in the following two goals:

Goal 1 - Excellence is thriving and celebrated in the arts, museums and libraries, with reference particularly to use of collections. We will lead on the creative use of collections - focusing on living interpretation and the commissioning of interdisciplinary art to interpret our Designated collections to enrich the visitor experience for all audiences.

Goal 3 - The arts, museums and libraries are resilient and environmentally sustainable. We will demonstrate our integral entrepreneurialism and promote greater self-reliance.

The investment will focus on: Developing exhibitions and interpretation through the creative use of collections.

Improving resilience through greater fundraising capacity and development of commercial activities including retail, conferencing and filming. As part of this, Black Country Living Museum will be running the Museums Resilient Leadership programme for the three years 2015-2018.

Audience development activities to ensure people of all ages and background are able to experience the region's rich heritage.

Workforce development including training and personal development opportunities for staff and volunteers, apprenticeships and curatorial and archive traineeships.

Support for the Museum sector through mentoring in leadership and resilience, a programme of Museum development workshops, networking and skill sharing.

References

1. http://terraoko.com.

2. https://pofigist.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/bcmp1.

3. http://www.bclm.co.uk.

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