Dudley and the Black Country

During the 19th century, this part of the country was right at the heart of industrial Britain. The Black Country is thought to have got its name because at that time, it was described as a ‘landscape blackened by day and red by night’ with the factories and furnaces burning brightly and churning out soot. Very different to today!

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We’re going to be taking a look back in time to trace the area’s history – and to find out some surprising facts about its geological secrets.

Geology and Industry might seem like very different things but nowhere are the two as closely connected than here. Rich seams of iron stone and coal lie under the ground – two of the raw materials needed to make iron. Without iron, the industrial revolution would never have happened – it was needed for everything from steam engines and railway lines to kitchen pots and kettles.

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The Black Country is where you’ll find another important raw material needed to make iron–limestone. Four limestone hills characterise the area, and Wren’s Nest is one of the most important geological sites in Britain, and a place loved by fossil hunters.

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Mining may be a thing of the past and many sites are now nature reserves, but on this walk, we’ll take a look back in history from the fossils to the furnaces and beyond…