Black Country Living Museum welcomes Prime Minister

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the award-winning heritage attraction and discovered stories rooted in local history that have meaning for all, to promote English Tourism Week 2023.

English Tourism Week, led by VisitEngland, celebrates the contribution of tourism to the UK economy and shines a spotlight on organisations, like Black Country Living Museum, that offer great experiences for visitors.

The Prime Minister, who was a first time visitor to the popular West Midlands attraction, had an exclusive first-look at the next phase of the Museum’s £30m capital development, which sees the Museum’s storyline taken forward into the 1940s-60s, and living memory.

Exploring the Museum’s 26 acres the Prime Minister discovered how the Museum joins up the dots of history, helping to show how events and people connect to the present, and allowing everyone to make greater sense of the world and their place in it.

Speaking during the visit, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“It was wonderful to visit the award-winning Black Country Living Museum today. I met some brilliant people and managed to experience the delicious chippy.

“The Museum received a government grant of £2.56 million through the Culture Recovery Fund and it’s great to see it thriving so they can continue to employ uniquely skilled staff in the West Midlands.

“It’s so important to invest in places that define culture in all corners of the country, providing jobs and supporting the wider community. My focus is on growing the economy and places like Black Country Living Museum in Dudley will help do exactly that.”

Among the Museum’s staff the Prime Minister met a historic character portraying ‘Carmen Salmon’, a Caribbean nurse who is based on the memories of Cicilyn Miller and Norma Sinclair who moved to the Black Country during the 1950s.

Carmen is one of several new characters that will populate the new development. She will highlight the differences and similarities between Caribbean mothers and native Black Country mothers to visitors, as well as the importance of Caribbean women moving to Great Britain to work in and contribute to the NHS.

The Prime Minister was accompanied during his visit by Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Andrew Lovett OBE, the Museum’s Chief Executive.

Mr Lovett commented:

“It has been a pleasure welcoming the Prime Minister to the Museum today and introducing him to our stories. The Museum is really a stage upon which we tell stories, and the new development brings those stories even closer to the lives we live today, making history more relevant and within touching distance. Visitors aren’t bystanders when they come to the Museum, they are part of the action.

“I was especially pleased to show the Prime Minister how our latest development inspired a wide range of funders to get involved, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, the West Midlands Combined Authority, and the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.”

During the visit the Prime Minister and Mr Street were also joined by several local councillors. They had a true taste of the Black Country as they discovered the Museum’s Elephant & Castle Public House and Hobbs & Sons Fish and Chip Shop, which serves mouth-watering fish and chips served in traditional style.