Our Collection

Preserving the Black Country's heritage

Did you know? We have over 80,000 items in our collection, from smaller items such as cutlery, books and clothing to larger items including buses, telephone boxes and even whole buildings.

We are very proud to say that our entire collection is recognised for it's quality and national significance and received it's 'Designated Collection Award’ by Arts Council England in 2012.

What does our Collection include

  1. Landscape

    The land in which the Museum is located, preserves original sections of the Black Country’s industrial landscape, including two mine shafts, limekilns and a canal arm.

  2. Buildings

    The Museum has relocated and recreated over 60 period shops, factories and homes, which have been drawn from across the many small towns of the Black Country.

  3. Objects

    Each house, shop and workshop has been filled with collections, from sad irons to nails, coffee grinders to sofas, all which would have been seen in situ from the 1800s through to the 1960s.

  4. Transport

    Our Transport collection is the largest display of Black Country-manufactured vehicles in the world from pushbikes, cars to trolleybuses. Dating from the 1900s to the post-war period, it includes famous Black Country motor manufacturers, such as Sunbeam and AJS. 

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    Explore our collection online

    With over 80,000 items in our collection there is so much to explore at the Museum, however we have a taster of some of collection digitalised online for you to browse.

    Search by keyword to take a look through our online database and discover what we have, examples include buildings, cars, sad irons, trolley buses, photographs, shops, locks, canal boats, catalogues, and glass.

    More of our collection will be added to our database in the future as we create more digital records of our items.

    BCLM Online Collection

Contribute to the Museum's Collection

Do you have an item that you think might be perfect for our collections? 

We’d love to hear from you if you have an item that you think might be perfect for our collections. We’re very grateful for all the offers we receive, as you are helping us to preserve and celebrate the Black Country.

Donate an item

“The Black Country, black by day and red by night, cannot be matched for vast and varied production, by any other space of equal radius on the surface of the globe.”‬

Elihu Burritt, American Consul to Birmingham, 1868