BCLM: Forging Ahead
Taking our story into the 1940s, 50s and 60s
BCLM: Forging Ahead is nearly complete. The Museum’s story will now span from the 1700s to the 1960s. Visitors can 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 visitors, of all ages, to learn about the Black Country’s heritage, its impact on the world and its relevance today.
Our plans
Our vision to create a world class heritage attraction in the heart of the Black Country.
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 are looking for memories between 1940s-60s for the following buildings:
- West Bromwich Gas Showroom, High Street, West Bromwich
- Stanton’s Record Shop, Hall Street, Dudley
- West Bromwich Building Society Branch, Cape Hill, Smethwick, 1957
- Marsh & Baxter’s Butchers’ Shop, Brierley Hill
- E. Minett Ladies Clothes Shop, Walsall Road, Wednesbury
- Stourbridge Rd Co-op, Halesowen
- Infant Welfare Centre, Lea Road, Wolverhampton
- J H Lavender & Co., Hall Green, West Bromwich
- Cast Iron Houses, Dudley
- Dudley Weighbridge Office, Dudley
These buildings have so many stories to tell, so if you or anyone you know remembers them during this period, please get in touch via 0121 557 9643, or email us: [email protected].
Since we opened in 1978, we have collected over 80,000 items, ranging from the 1850s to the 1940s. To support BCLM: Forging Ahead we have been collecting items up to the 1960s. We’re particularly interested in items which:
- Have a strong connection with the Black Country
- Are underrepresented in other local museums
- Fill a gap in our existing collections
If you think you have an item dating from the 1940s-60s that might be suitable to our new development, first of all, please read the collecting guidelines and, if you feel it meets the criteria, get in touch to arrange an appointment with us – details below.
To arrange an appointment please telephone Collections on 0121 557 9643 or email [email protected].
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. If you would like to donate to the Museum, please click here.
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
HRH The Duke of Gloucester visits the Museum
The Museum welcomed its Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, for an exclusive first-look at its latest development before it opens to the public in time for the summer holidays.
Museums and milk rounds: BCLM launches new milkman character
A new 1950s milkman will soon be doing the rounds at the Museum, accompanied by a replica Midland Counties dairy milk cart.
Finishing touches from the 40s and 60s needed
Black Country Living Museum is seeking donations from the public of domestic items from the 1940s and 60 to complete its cast iron houses.
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.
Rusks, rattles and nappies – seeking donations for the new Infant Welfare Centre
Work is well underway on the Museum’s new 1960s mother and baby centre, which is a recreation of Wolverhampton’s Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre. But,
