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Black country Living Museum
Visited the 'Black Country Living Museum' back in February. It is an indoor and open air museum spread over 26 acres. Buildings have been reconstructed on site from around the Black Country including shops, a pub(where you can buy a 'cheese and onion cob' and drink ales from around the Black Country), chip shops (chips cooked in 'beef dripping') a cinema and houses, also industrial buildings. There is a high street that has been set up to resemble 1916-1918. The staff at the museum are dressed in the period clothes and tell you stories from the era. They also scare your teenagers, telling them at their age they would have been scrubbing floors, blacking the grate or working down the mine.
Various trams on site that you can ride on from one end to the other. They have a steam driven bus here but it wasn't on show as someone had broken in the week before and stolen the copper piping from it.
Open top tram. 'Shop at the Co-Op', not likely, too expensive.
You can also have a ride on this.
Old petrol pumps.
You can watch an old fashion school lesson or even take part as one of the pupils. I thought about taking part but saw the cane. Didn't want to reminisce that much.
Ink wells, and the jug used by the class 'swot' sorry 'prefect' to pour the ink into the wells.
School ground toys. Spinning tops, marbles and glass stones for hopscotch.
School cloakroom. This looks a lot like one from my early school days. I'm not that old I'm sure.
There is a small old style fairground on site (extra fees apply). Helterskelter and swingboats.
This Brooklyn Cake Walk was built in 1865 and rescued from a scrap yard. Had a go on this. Can't help but think it would be fun to have a go after a drink.
Canal side and workshops. You can have a trip on a boat in high season.
Iron mongers. What night of the week did you have to queue for a bath? Were you the unlucky one who had the water after mum, dad and your 6 brothers and sisters? The only good thing about it was sitting in the bath in front of a roaring fire.
Inside grocery store. You could get anything here.
Another shop.
Outside toilet. Even the thought of it makes your bits want to shrink in the cold. The worrying thing is, if this is 1916, who's been using the newspaper, cos the one hanging up is dated 2010.
Posh pad. His and hers loo. You wipe mine, i'll wipe yours? lol.
Up to date utility room. Washing machine, wringer and sink.
Tobbaconists.
Picture house. Hard wooden benches to sit on. We watched a Charlie Chaplin silent movie in here. With the lights down and film rolling it was a great atmosphere especially as all the young kids were laughing there heads off. Various films shown throughout the day.
Bit blurred, was knocked as I took it. It says: After the performance, please leave in an orderly fashion.
There is a small motor museum on site. The vehicles here are valued at £5,000,000.
A 1903 Sunbeam. Only 5 or 6 of these left. One recently sold for £500,000.
Can't beat a bit of chrome.
We were here for 5 or 6 hours and probably only covered half of it. Its a good job the entry fee incudes a return visit, which we'll do later in the summer. We never did the underground mine tour as it was closed at the time, or had a look around the canal area. We only skimmed through the indoor museum exhibits. I highly recommend a visit to the museum if you are in the area and like to reminisce about the 'good old days'.
Mike
My Moel Fammau, North Wales blog: http://www.myfinepix.co.uk/blog/2002/443725
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what a great blog, both photos and narrative are interesting, looks a great place to visit, any more photos, I want to see more. thanks for posting.
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Wow! What an interesting living museum!! Looks really great & fun. It's so nice to have a place like that. Looking forward to your next trip (& blog) to cover the other half of the place. Well done, Mike! It's a real pleasure reading your blog.
Btw, the loo, with its stain, does look like the real thing. But i'm just wondering if they've added some smell to it (which i can't tell from your pics) to make it perfect.
Bryan L.
"Few Women Admit Their Age, Few Men Act Theirs."
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Wonderful Michael, it's great to see places that keep 'days gone by' alive. I think it's an important part of our heritage and would like to see more schools focus on this sort of history as well as what they teach now.
That old washroom reminded me soo much of my grans when I we visited as a kid, I thought it was awesome to have an outside loo!!
Thanks for the memories
Ian
http://www.myfinepix.co.uk/gallery/311
http://www.myfinepix.co.uk/blog/311
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A very interesting and informative blog Michael. Great images and narrative. Thanks for posting.
Pictures through my kitchen window: http://granddadjohn.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/
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Love these shots,some fantastic colours,might have to visit at some point.
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Thank you for your comments on my Farndale blog. What an interesting place captured in a consistently great set of pics. Love it. In fact may visit based on strength of this blog.
Cheers
Paul
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Hi
Great photos, have been here a few times and enjoy going, will go again as it is different everytime, you see things you hadnt seen befor, very photogenic place to visit....
Thanks for sharing
Colin
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I must do this Museum aftr seeing your terrific blog. I have been to Bliss HIll in Telford and Beamish in the N.East. Great photos and an amusing commentary. Great blog.
I did sit in on the class in Beamish and got the L S D money maths test right. Certainly showed my age there.
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LUV this!!!
RKoen - Lusaka
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What a cracking blog Michael, some great photos and fun narrative. I remember shops exactly like that ironmongers here, with the tin baths hanging outside. And I remember my gran having an outside toilet at the bottom of her garden, she kept an oil heater on in there all through the winter to keep it from freezing!
Thanks for sharing and bringing back some lovely memories.
photography- cheaper than owning a dog and you get just as much exercise!
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Interesting. I like the picture of the old petrol pumps - they look like alien robots.
Intanbiru
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Very interesting blog..looks very old world..
Regards
Stuart
http://www.myfinepix.co.uk/blog/6079/450054
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Wonderful interesting photoblog Michael. I've been a few times and have really enjoyed it so your images brought back some memories for me. Thanks for compiling and sharing
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Very interesting place, do like the old cars on the last three pictures. Regards
pozdrawiam gorąco / best regards -koczek
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Thanks for sharing, interesting narrative and great photos.
My Gallery
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Great blog. I went there many years ago and found it a fascinating place. I remember have a tin bath in front of the fire and our "outside toilet" was at the bottom of the garden and across the road.
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smashing we will have to go and pay it a visit thanks for sharing
Best wishes
Julie
Julie
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nice one ,really enjoyed it!! Lee