Our Museum
We are a registered educational charity
Black Country Living Museum is an award-winning open air museum that tells the story of one of the very first industrialised landscapes in Britain.
Spread across 29 acres, you’ll explore carefully reconstructed shops, houses, and industrial areas that represent the Black Country’s story. Along the way, you’ll learn how steam power, human ingenuity, and an increasingly interconnected world transformed this region into a manufacturing powerhouse.
In addition, you’ll meet our historic characters, who will share what it was really like to live and work during this revolutionary period of history.
As you continue your visit, you’ll also discover our collections, which were ‘Designated’ by Arts Council England in 2012, recognising their quality and national significance.
Most importantly, you’ll experience history brought to life before your eyes. You’ll hear the clang of hammers, smell the smoke billowing from red-brick chimneys, and perhaps even taste the best fish and chips in the Black Country.
An Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation since 2018
In April 2018 we became a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) of Arts Council England, receiving investment so that creativity and culture can flourish. We’re thrilled that this welcome public sector investment (c. 9% of our income) is set to continue from 2023-26.
We are one of 77 museums to be recognised in this way, joining a total of 990 arts and culture organisations across England. We will be using our £2.3 million investment over the three years to support a wide range of projects and activity:
We’ll continue to develop and provide our much-loved core visitor offer, including new themes and stories of the 1940s-60s. We’ll deliver a programme of inspiring and diverse events and continue to build meaningful relationships with our communities.
Learning, for all ages, is at the heart of what we do. We’ll open a new Learning Centre and welcome more school visitors. We’ll offer new trails and activities in our 1940s–60s town and industrial area. We’ll also provide lifelong learning opportunities through our IgnitED heritage skills programme.
We want to increase opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to start careers in the creative industries. We also want to develop the skills of our workforce in areas such as storytelling. We want to keep being creative in the ways we reach audiences online. This includes making items from our unique collection accessible virtually.
In addition, £600,000 will be used specifically to deliver cultural activity in identified priority areas: our ‘Little Makers’ project will support Key Stage 1 pupils from across the Black Country in developing their creative skills.
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Our history
The idea to create an open-air, living museum that told the story of the Black Country all started in the late 1960s.
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Awards
It is always a great honour to be nominated and to recognise our mission of sharing the Black Country’s story with the world.
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Trustees
Our Trustees are an energetic and dynamic group that provide encouragement and a valuable diversity of thinking to the leadership of the Museum.
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Explore Dudley
Stay awhile in the Black Country, bab – you’ll be amazed at what you can see and do within a short walk!
