Fun for kids
If you’re bringing children, take a look at what we think they’ll love to do.
From trying on military clothing to heading underground, and from having fun in our playground to riding a vintage bus, there’s a whole day of fun waiting for everyone!
1. Ride a vintage bus
We have a daily bus in operation that transports our visitors across our 29 acres. No fare is needed; simply hop on board!
Look out for our West Bromwich Corporation Motorbus 174 (1952), our West Bromwich Corporation Motorbus 252 (1953) and our Midland Red D9 Motorbus (1963).
2. Henry and Charlie
It’s not just our historic characters that bring history to life, it’s our animals too! We have two horses, Henry and Charlie, as well as some chickens.
Horses have long been associated with the Black Country – “pit ponies” were used in mining while on the cut (the canal), horses would haul narrowboats laden with freight.
3. Fairground
Travelling fairgrounds have always been a part of Black Country life, and we’re delighted to provide the home for a family-run vintage fun.
Have a go on old-time stall games or try one of the rides. You get an excellent view of the Museum when you’re in the sky! Tokens can be purchased at the fairground.
4. Langer's Army & Navy Stores (1967)
Following the Second World War, there was a huge amount of surplus and used military clothing available. Army surplus stores, like this example from Stourbridge, sold surplus military uniforms for work and leisure wear.
Children are welcome to try out clothing and find out more about the owner, Herbert Langer, who was a former German prisoner of war.
5. St. James’s School (1912)
Built of locally quarried Gornal stone, this school was designed by the Dudley architect William Bourne and is one of four schools that were set up in Dudley by the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor.
Visitors can take part in an Edwardian school lesson and go through the “Three Rs” of reading, writing and arithmetic.
6. Drift Mine (1870)
Descend ‘into the thick’ of our underground drift mine and hear what ‘Elija Wedge’ has to tell you about the world of an 1850s Black Country coalminer.
Learn how the mines were run, how timber props were used to support the roofs and face the harsh reality of a coal miner’s life in the mid-19th century, especially for ‘little Billy’ who started working down the mine at just 10 years old.
The minimum age for this tour is 5-years-old. Find out more about Drift Mine.
7. Old-fashioned street games
Next to Station Road Cottages on our cobbled street is a selection of old-fashioned street games that our visitors are welcome to join in with.
Have a go at classic games like skipping, hoop and stick, hobby horses, cup and ball, and hopscotch.
8. Folkes Park Playground
Folkes Park takes inspiration from a 1930s municipal park and was officially opened in 2009 by our Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester.
Visitors are welcome to walk, picnic and be entertained, with a small playground complete with swings and an accessible roundabout.
9. T. Cook’s Sweet Shop (1900)
Indulge your sweet tooth by picking up a bag of “suck” (sweets).
The making of sweets was a simple and inexpensive business. A mixture of sugar and glucose was boiled in large copper pans on a confectioner’s furnace similar to a domestic wash boilers.
When the sugar was molten it was poured onto a well oiled pouring plate of cast iron that was warmed so that the molten sugar was kept soft and workable. The sugar was kneaded on the plate and then passed through the “drop machine”.
