The Black Country Museum is to be found several miles to the west of central Birmingham, in the district of Dudley.

The Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm from March until October, and from Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am to 4pm between November and February.

The name of Black Country Museum comes from the fact that Birmingham and the surrounding area were once nicknamed the “Black Country” after the black smoke that used to hang over the factories here.

The museum covers 26 acres and is effectively a re-created village that demonstrates life and work in the Black Country in the 19th century.

There are exhibitions on all the different industries that Birmingham was once famous for. And you can visit shops, homes, a schoolhouse and even take a ride underground to the coal seams.

The result is an excellent museum that is especially appealing to children, so it is well worth a visit.