Crosswords Local History Pictures from the Past and More! We Hope You Enjoy Our Buster!
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Crosswords Local history Pictures from the past And more! We hope you enjoy our buster! With love Broadway Halls Care Home The Broadway Dudley DY1 3EA History of Dudley Dudley began as a Saxon village. It was originally called Dudda's leah. The Saxon word leah meant a clearing in a forest. Dudley later became known as the capital of the Black Country. In the 11th century a castle was built at Dudley. At first it was made of wood but in the 12th century it was rebuilt in stone. In 1647 after the civil war between king and parliament Dudley castle was 'slighted' or damaged to prevent it ever being used by the royalists. A fire damaged the remains of Dudley Castle in 1750. In the Middle Ages Dudley also had a priory or small monastery nearby. Dudley was changed from a village to a town in the 13th century when the Lord of the Manor started a market there. In the middle Ages there were very few shops and anyone who wished to buy or sell anything had to go to a market. Dudley soon grew into a flourishing little community. In the middle Ages the area was already known for its coal mines. By the 16th century Dudley was known for nail making. In 1562 a grammar school was founded in Dudley. In 1685 Dudley was granted the right to hold 2 annual fairs. (Fairs were like markets but tended to specialize in one commodity like horses. People would come from all over the West Midlands to buy and sell at Dudley fair). In the 17th and 18th centuries Dudley was a quiet market town known for its nail making and chain making. There was also a glass industry in Dudley. DUDLEY IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Like the rest of Britain Dudley began to change rapidly in the late 18th century. It was helped by the canal, which made it easier to transport heavy goods. The iron industry boomed and ever increasing amounts of chains, nails and goods like fire grates and vices were made in the town. Coal mining in the Dudley area also boomed. The glass industry in Dudley also continued to prosper. In 1791 an Act of Parliament formed a body of men called the Town Commissioners. They had powers to pave the streets of Dudley and to clean and light them (with oil lamps). After 1821 the streets of Dudley were lit with gas. A 'scavenger' was appointed to collect household rubbish. The commissioners also created a piped water supply (for those who could afford to be connected) and they numbered the houses. St Thomas's Church was rebuilt in 1818 and in 1834 Dudley was provided with a horse drawn fire engine. Despite some improvements Dudley was, like all towns in the early 19th century, a dirty and unsanitary place. There were outbreaks of cholera in Dudley in 1832 and in 1848. As a result a Board of Health was formed in Dudley in 1852. Furthermore in 1865 the government of the town was reformed and Dudley was made a borough and given a corporation. Guest hospital was built in 1867 with money provided by a man of that name. Also in 1867 The Earl of Dudley donated a fountain to the town. A statue of the Earl was erected in Dudley in 1888. The first public library in Dudley opened in 1878. The railway reached Dudley in 1850 and in 1880 horse drawn trams began running through the streets. During the 19th century the iron industry in Dudley continued to boom and boilers, fenders and vices were made as well as chains and anchors. The glass making industry also continued. In the 19th century there was also a straw hat making industry in Dudley and a brick making industry. DUDLEY IN THE 20th CENTURY In the 1920s trams in Dudley were replaced by trolley buses (which ran on overhead wires like trams but did not need rails). In turn the trolleybuses were replaced by motor buses. The last trolleybus ran in 1967. Fountain Arcade was built in 1926. The War Memorial Clock was built in 1928. Dudley Town Hall was also built in 1928. Also in 1928 the boundaries of Dudley were extended to include the priory and castle, which, curiously had always been outside the boundaries of the town. The Council House was built in 1935. Dudley Zoo opened in 1937. In the 1920s the council began slum clearance in Dudley. New houses were built to replace the slums. The Priory Estate was built between 1929 and 1939. The council built many more houses after 1945. In 1941 a new fire station and new police station were built in Dudley. During the 20th century the traditional industries in Dudley declined in importance but industry became more diverse. While the metalworking and glass industries continued in the area new industries included plastics, electronics and chemicals. Meanwhile the service industries became more important. These included tourism and the retail sector. The Black Country Living Museum opened in 1975. Broadfield House Glass Museum opened in 1980. The Trident Centre opened in 1973. Merry Hill Shopping Centre opened in 1985. In 1974 local government was reformed and Dudley was made part of a metropolitan borough which includes Halesowen and Stourbridge. Stourbridge College opened in 1974 Early Dudley 13th century The village of Dudley is changed into a small market town 1562 A grammar school is founded in Dudley 1600 Dudley is known for nail making 1647 After the Civil War Dudley Castle is deliberately damaged 1685 Dudley is allowed 2 annual fairs but it is still a small town known for nail making 1600 Dudley is known for nail making 1791 A body of men called Improvement Commissioners is formed to pave, clean and light the streets of Dudley. The Industrial Revolution starts to transform Dudley from a market town to a large industrial centre. 19th Century Dudley 1821 Dudley gains gas light 1832 Dudley is struck by cholera 1834 Dudley gains a horse drawn fire engine 1848 Cholera strikes Dudley again 1850 The railway reaches Dudley 1865 Dudley is made a borough and is given a corporation. The iron industry in Dudley booms. A glass industry flourishes. 1867 Guest Hospital is founded 1878 The first public library opens in Dudley 1880 Horse drawn trams begin running in Dudley Modern Dudley 1926 Fountain Arcade is built 1928 Dudley Town Hall is built 1935 The Council House is built 1937 Dudley Zoo opens 1929-39 The Priory Estate is built 1941 A new fire station and police station are built in Dudley Did you know that the Black Country… Produced the anchor for the Titanic? The anchor for the Titanic was made in the Black Country in 1911 by Noah Hingley and towed to Dudley train station by 20 shire horses to start its journey to Belfast. Built the world’s first successful steam engine? The Black Country was the first place to successfully harness the power of steam, and changed the world in doing so. The Newcomen Engine is the size of a house – and the Black Country Living Museum has the world’s only full scale replica. Put the first steam train on US soil? Built in 1828, the Stourbridge Lion was the very first steam locomotive to run in the USA – and one of the very first to operate outside of Britain, making history. Practically built the Crystal Palace? The glass and the majority of ironwork for the building that hosted the world famous Grand Exhibition were both made right in the heart of the Black Country. At the time the glass sheets used were the largest sheets ever made. Had one of the lowest life expectancies in history? The smog and grime of the industrial revolution took its toll on the population – in 1841 the average age of death in the Dudley parish was just 16 years and 7 months. An 1852 report states that ‘it is the most unhealthy place in the country’. Was described as ‘black by day, red by night’? Elihu Burritt, the American Consul to Birmingham visited the Black Country in 1868 and said “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”. Offended a young Queen Victoria? A 13 year old Queen Victoria was once so offended by the sight of the Black Country she closed the curtains in her carriage as she passed through and wrote in her diary “the country is very desolate everywhere […] the men, women (sic), children, country and houses are all black,” and added, “but I cannot by any description give an idea of its strange and extraordinary appearance.” Fuelled the introduction of the first minimum wage? Led by women’s right campaigner Mary McArthur, in 1910 the women chain makers of Cradley Heath brought the world’s attention to the slave-like conditions they worked in. The dispute eventually led to the introduction of Britain’s first minimum wage. Was first referred to in the 1840s? The first use of the name ‘Black Country’ did not appear before 1840s – the first recorded use of ‘Black Country’ was in March 1846 when Lloyds London Weekly Newspaper reported on the quarterly meeting of the ‘Black Country ironmasters’. Famous faces of the black country Lenny Henry Lenny Henry was born in Dudley in 1958 to Jamaican immigrants. Henry started working on the controversial "Black and White Minstrel Show" before earning his big break as an impressionist on the talent show "New Faces." Beverley Knight Soul singer Beverley Knight was born in Wolverhampton in 1973 and attended Woodfield Infant and Junior Schools and Highfields School in Wolverhampton.