BCLM: Forging Ahead
Taking our story into the 1940s to 1960s
BCLM: Forging Ahead is nearly complete. The Museum’s story now spans from the 1700s to the 1960s – over three hundred years of history for you to explore!
You can now hear stories previously unexplored by the Museum, including the foundation of the NHS, the prosperity of the post-war era and the opportunity it gave with new technologies and the arrival of new communities, and the exciting changes in social attitudes, fashion and music.
We have used real things, real people and real stories to engage and inspire you during your visit, to learn about the Black Country’s heritage, its impact on the world and its relevance today.
Now open
Coming soon
Halesown and Hasbury Co-op Langer's Army & Navy Stores Spring Hill Post Office
Woodside Library
get involved
We are looking for your help to complete the Museum’s story. Whether it be through volunteering, donating an object or sharing your stories.
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 preserve and celebrate the Black Country. Find out what we can and cannot accept below.
Every item offered is considered carefully by our Collections team in relation to our collecting policy and existing collections. We will contact you to either accept or decline your offer, but please don’t bring anything into the Museum or send it by post without arranging with us first.
Find out more about donating an object to the Museum.
We are proud to be an independent educational charity. However, this means that we have to raise nearly all of our funding requirements through admission fees, our shops and cafes, and generous donations from our visitors and supporters.
To allow us to continue to preserve Black Country history and bring it to life for generations to come, we need your support. Find out more about how to donate to the Museum.
Do you have a passion for the Black Country? We’re looking for friendly folk to join our team.
We offer training, ongoing support and the opportunity to experience time in one of the premier museums in the country.
Latest on forging ahead
Woodside Library – we need your books!
Do you have 1960s books which you can donate to help us populate the shelves of Woodside Library? We’d love to hear from you!
Black Country Living Museum unveils new Industrial Quarter
The latest phase of the Museum’s multi-million pound capital development offers visitors a journey through the industrial history of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Black Country babbies help open new building
Black Country Living Museum invited 75 babies to celebrate the opening of its replica of Wolverhampton’s Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre, which will share stories about maternal and infant healthcare in the 1960s.
BCLM: Forging Ahead
Our new development has been made possible thanks to our visitors, donors, Members and Patrons, and supporters including National Lottery Heritage Fund, Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Arts Council England, and West Midlands Combined Authority.