The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, the heart of the English West Midlands is an open air museum consisting of reconstructed historic buildings. The museum showcases the history of the English Black Country and the lives of the people that lived there.

Black Country is used to refer to an area in the English West Midlands, towards the north and west of Birmingham and towards the south and east of Wolverhampton. The region had always been associated with industrial activity and even as far back as the 16th century, it was considered important because of iron and coal deposits. However, at the turn of the 19th century the predominantly agricultural workforce was replaced by industrial labour and the area was one of the busiest industrial centres in Britain.

The 26 acre property of the museum attempts to recreate a portion of this checkered history for the benefit of thousands of visitors and history buffs that come here annually. Visitors are taken by tram from the entrance which is a reconstructed factory to a recreated 19th century street of terraced houses. This section encompasses nearly thirty buildings each one depicting a different facet of life in Black Country during the 19th and 20th century.

Visitors can also see an underground coalmine, which the Black Country was famous for during the mid 1800's. Your trip will take you through the dark tunnels of the mine, while modern electronics and imaging brings to life an authentic representation of what life was like for miners back in these early days. The museum also includes a fairground which has rides that were seen in the 1800's and the early 1900's, a 19th century schoolhouse, a cinema, a tavern and a 20's fish and chip shop.

Since the museum exhibits an important era in the development of the region, it is a must see visit for anyone who visits the British Midlands. Being a hotel near the Black Country Living Museum, Copthorne Hotel Merry Hill Dudley puts you within easy reach of this cultural attraction.