Dudley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dudley
Town
From top left: Dudley Town Centre viewed from Castle Hill with the spire of St Thomas church; Dudley Priory; Dudley Zoo; Dudley Market Place; Dudley Castle; Statue of William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley.
Dudley
Population	79,379 (Built-Up Area) 312,900 (Metropolitan Borough)
OS grid reference	SO9490
• London	108 mi (174 km)
Metropolitan borough	Dudley
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DUDLEY
Postcode district	DY1 – 3
Dialling code	01384 0121 01902
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Dudley
List of places UK England West Midlands 52°30′29″N 2°05′20″W / 52.508°N 2.089°W / 52.508; -2.089

Dudley is a busy market town in the West Midlands, England. It's about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Wolverhampton and 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Birmingham. Long ago, it was part of Worcestershire. Today, it's the main town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In 2011, about 79,379 people lived in Dudley. The whole Metropolitan Borough had a population of 312,900. People often call Dudley the capital of the Black Country.

Dudley was one of the places where the Industrial Revolution began. It grew into a big industrial hub in the 1800s. Its main industries were iron, coal, and limestone. Later, these industries declined. The town's main shopping area moved to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the 1980s. Today, popular places to visit include Dudley Zoo and Castle, the old priory ruins from the 1100s, and the Black Country Living Museum.

Dudley's Fascinating History

How Dudley Began: Early Times

Dudley's story goes way back to Anglo-Saxon times. Its name, Duddan Leah, means "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. One of its churches is even named after an Anglo-Saxon King, Saint Edmund.

The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Dudelei. It was a medium-sized manor owned by Earl Edwin of Mercia before the Normans arrived. In 1086, William Fitz-Ansculf became the Lord of the Manor. Dudley Castle was built in 1070 by William's father, Ansculf de Picquigny. It became the main home for the powerful Barony of Dudley. This family owned land in eleven different counties across England.

In 1138, King Stephen attacked Dudley. This happened after he failed to take the castle. The Baron had decided to support Empress Matilda's claim to the throne during a time of civil war called The Anarchy.

The castle was the heart of the town and borough as they grew. Early coal and iron mining helped Dudley become an important market town in the Middle Ages. It sold farm goods and iron products across the country. Iron working and coal mining started as early as the 1200s. Dudley was first called a "borough" in the mid-1200s. This was when Roger de Somery, the Baron of Dudley, allowed a market to be set up in nearby Wolverhampton. After his death, records showed how valuable the borough was, mentioning its growing coal industry.

The Industrial Revolution in Dudley

By the early 1500s, the Dudley estate was in debt. It was first mortgaged and then sold in 1535. Later, the estate returned to the Sutton family. Queen Elizabeth even visited the town during a tour of England.

In 1605, the Gunpowder Plot conspirators fled to Holbeche House nearby. There, they were captured.

During the English Civil War, Dudley was a Royalist stronghold. The castle was attacked twice by the Parliamentarians. After the Royalists gave up, the government ordered parts of the castle to be pulled down.

Dudley faced tough times in the 1500s and 1600s. But the Industrial Revolution changed everything. In the early 1600s, Dud Dudley, an illegitimate son of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley, found a way to smelt Iron ore using coke. This was done at his father's works in Cradley and Pensnett Chase. His efforts didn't fully succeed at the time. However, Abraham Darby I, who was related to Dud Dudley, was the first to make iron using coke on a large scale in 1709. Abraham Darby was born near Wrens Nest Hill in Dudley. Some believe he knew about Dud Dudley's earlier work.

Dud Dudley's discovery, better roads, and the building of the Dudley Canal made Dudley a key industrial and business centre. The first Newcomen steam engine was set up near Dudley Castle in 1712. It was used to pump water from mines. However, Wolverhampton also claims to have had the first working Newcomen engine.

Dudley's population grew a lot in the 1700s and 1800s because of industry. Coal and limestone mining were the main jobs. Other industries included iron, steel, engineering, glass cutting, and textiles.

Living conditions were very poor during this time. Dudley was even called "the most unhealthy place in the country." This led to new clean water and sewage systems. Later, many council houses were built in the early 1900s to move people out of crowded areas.

In 1832, Dudley gained the right to have one Member of Parliament. The town became a Municipal Borough in 1865 and a County Borough in 1889.

Dudley in Modern Times

Dudley grew a lot in the early 1900s. Many entertainment places like theatres and cinemas were built. Two indoor shopping centres were added later. Dudley Castle, which was a ruin after a fire in 1750, became a zoo in 1937. The zoo buildings were designed by architect Berthold Lubetkin. On its first day, about 250,000 people tried to visit!

During World War II, Dudley was bombed several times. On November 19, 1940, a bomb hit a pub in the town centre. It damaged St Thomas's Church and a department store, but no one died. However, on the same night, a landmine fell in Oakham. It destroyed council houses in City Road, killing 10 people. On August 12, 1941, another landmine killed four people in Birch Crescent. These were the only deadly air raids on Dudley.

In 1966, local government changes expanded Dudley. It took in parts of Brierley Hill, Sedgley, Coseley, Amblecote, and Rowley Regis. Most of this land had been owned by the Lords of Dudley. In 1974, more changes created the current metropolitan borough. This new borough also included the towns of Stourbridge and Halesowen.

The decline of industry in Dudley has led to high unemployment. Many businesses in the town closed. The Merry Hill Shopping Centre opened between 1985 and 1990. Most big stores in the town centre moved there. This was because Merry Hill offered tax benefits as an Enterprise Zone. The financial crisis also caused more shops to close. For example, Woolworths closed in 2008. Beatties, the last department store, closed in 2010 after over 40 years.

How Dudley is Governed

Dudley was a "manorial borough" from the late 1200s. Until 1791, the Lords of Dudley's Court Leet governed it. From 1791, Town Commissioners took over, though the Court Leet met until 1866. In 1836, the Dudley Poor Law Union was formed. This included Dudley, Sedgley, Tipton, and Rowley Regis. In 1853, a Board of Health replaced the Commissioners. Finally, the town became a municipal borough in 1865. It became a county borough in 1888.

For many years, the town was a separate part of Worcestershire county. The castle, however, was in Staffordshire. Even with county boundary changes, the town and borough are still part of the Anglican Diocese of Worcester.

Dudley Council House on Priory Road was paid for by the Earl of Dudley. The Duke of Kent officially opened it in December 1935. Dudley Town Hall, a place for events, opened in 1928. It's next to council offices that used to be the old Police Station.

Dudley is the main office for the Dudley Metropolitan Borough. The Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council governs it. This borough also includes Halesowen and Stourbridge. In 2011, it had a population of 312,925. In 2012, Dudley tried to become a city but wasn't chosen.

Famous Places in Dudley

The 13th-century ruins of Dudley Castle stand high above the town. It's a Grade I listed building, meaning it's very important. Dudley Zoo is built within the castle grounds. It's home to many endangered animals. It also has the world's largest collection of Tecton buildings, which are special concrete structures. There are plans to improve the zoo, including a tropical dome and Asiatic forest.

Many canals run through and around Dudley. The main one is the Dudley Canal. Most of it goes under the town through the Dudley Tunnel. You can only go through it by boat because there's no path. The open parts of the canal are popular for walking, cycling, fishing, and narrowboat trips. Many canal paths have been improved for cycling and are part of the National Cycle Network.

St James's Church at Eve Hill had a school from the mid-1800s. This school closed in the 1970s and became a community centre. In 1989, it moved to the Black Country Museum. The school's old site was empty until 2008, when a new health centre was built there.

Dudley and its area have 11 scheduled ancient monuments. These are important historical sites. There are also 260 listed buildings, including 6 Grade I listed and 19 Grade II* listed buildings.

Culture and Entertainment

Fun Things to Do

Dudley used to have many cinemas and theatres, like the Criterion, Gaumont, Odeon, and Plaza. The Dudley Hippodrome was one of the biggest theatres in the West Midlands. It was built in 1938, just before World War II. This 1,600-seat Art Deco theatre replaced an older Opera House that burned down. After closing in 1964, it became a bingo hall until 2009. Dudley Council bought it, planning to knock it down. Despite public protests, it was leased to campaigners in 2016 to restore it. But the council took back the lease in 2018, saying there wasn't enough progress. It was demolished in 2023.

The Plaza Cinema stayed open until 1990. Then it became a Laser Quest until it closed and was knocked down in 1997. The site is still empty.

The Odeon Cinema became a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall in 1976. There is now an Odeon Cinema at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre.

Today, Dudley has a Showcase Cinema and a Tenpin bowling alley. They are in the Castle Gate complex, northeast of the town centre. The Town Hall also hosts dances, plays, and concerts.

Until 2011, the JB's nightclub was on Castle Hill. It was said to be the longest-running live music venue in the UK. Bands like U2, Dire Straits, and Judas Priest played there early in their careers. It closed and is now a banqueting centre.

Museums and Art

Dudley's museums celebrate the town's geology and industrial past. They show its role in the Industrial Revolution. The Black Country Living Museum is an open-air museum. It has recreated buildings from the area, showing what an industrial village was like. People there show how life was back then. In 2022, work began to recreate a typical Black Country town centre. This includes original buildings and replicas of lost ones, like the Elephant & Castle pub.

The Dudley Museum and Art Gallery used to be in the town centre. It opened in 1912. But Dudley Council closed it in 2016 to save money, despite public opposition. Some of the museum's collections moved to a permanent display at the local archives centre on Tipton Road, next to the Black Country Living Museum.

Getting Around Dudley: Transport

Trains

Dudley has two railway stations, Dudley Port and Tipton. They are just over a mile from Dudley town centre. They are technically within the town of Dudley but outside the borough boundary. The closest station within the Dudley borough is Coseley. All these stations are on the same line. Local trains are run by West Midlands Trains. For longer journeys, the nearest intercity services are from Sandwell & Dudley in Oldbury.

Dudley railway station in the town centre closed in 1964. It opened in 1860. It was a busy hub for trains going to Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Stourbridge. The site was later used for freight until 1989.

There were plans to reopen the line between Dudley and Dudley Port for a light rail link. But this was changed in 2016. Now, the line will be used for the West Midlands Metro extension to Brierley Hill and later Stourbridge.

Buses

Dudley bus station is in the town centre. It has many connections to nearby towns and cities. These include Birmingham, Halesowen, Smethwick, Stourbridge, Walsall, West Bromwich, and Wolverhampton. The bus station also has National Express services to places like London and Blackpool. There are smaller bus stations at Russells Hall Hospital and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre.

Dudley town centre has had a bus station since 1952. The current bus station opened in 1987. The original one was replaced by a temporary car park. Work started in 2020 on the Midland Metro extension, which will lead to the current bus station being demolished. A new bus station is planned to start construction in January 2024.

Midland Red used to run bus services from its depot, which opened in 1929. This depot closed in 1993 and was demolished. It made way for the Castle Gate roundabout and a new bypass, which opened in 1999.

Roads

Dudley is connected by main roads to nearby towns. The B4176 goes to Wombourne, Bridgnorth, and Telford. The A461 passes through Wednesbury and Walsall, reaching Lichfield.

The nearest motorway is the M5. The closest exit is in Oldbury, about 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Dudley.

Air Travel

The nearest international airport is Birmingham Airport, about 19 miles (31 km) to the east. The closest local airport is Wolverhampton Airport, about 10 miles (16 km) west of the town.

Trams

Dudley was the end point of two tram routes in the late 1800s. The first route to Tipton and Wednesbury opened in 1884 with steam trams. It became electric in 1907 but closed in 1930. The second route to Birmingham opened a year later. It became electric in 1904 and closed in 1939. Both were replaced by buses.

In 2021, construction began on a new 11 km tram line. This West Midlands Metro line will run from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill through Dudley. It will follow the old South Staffordshire Line and go through the town centre towards Merry Hill. The first part is expected to open in 2025. It will connect Dudley to Birmingham city centre and Wolverhampton station.

Dudley's Geography and Nature

Geology and Fossils

Dudley is in an area called the South Staffordshire Coalfield. This area's coal helped the town grow and become industrial in the 1700s.

Northwest of the town centre is the Wren's Nest Nature Reserve. It was the first British nature reserve in a town. It's a SSSI, meaning it's very important for its geology. It's part of the Much Wenlock Limestone Formation. People mined limestone here for centuries. It's also one of the biggest fossil sites in England. The town gives its name to the "Dudley locust." This is a trilobite (an ancient sea creature) called Calymene blumenbachi. It was found in these limestone pits in 1749.

In the 1830s, geologist Sir Roderick Murchison visited the Wren's Nest to collect fossils. About 65% of the fossil evidence in his 1839 book, "The Silurian System," came from Dudley. Some of these fossils are still on display in the local Dudley Museum and Art Gallery.

People of Dudley

Dudley Compared
2011 UK Census	Dudley (Built-up area subdivision)	Dudley (Borough)	West Midlands region	England
Total population	79,379	312,925	5,601,847	53,012,456
White British	78.4%	88.5%	79.2%	79.8%
Asian	12.3%	6.0%	10.8%	7.7%
Black	3.6%	1.4%	3.2%	3.4%
Mixed	3.2%	1.8%	2.8%	2.2%
Other	2.5%	2.1%	4.5%	6.7%
Source: Office for National Statistics

The population of Dudley is 79,379. This number is different from the 2001 census (194,919). This change isn't because many people moved. It's because the town's boundaries were changed. For example, Kingswinford, with over 50,000 people, was counted as part of Dudley in 2001 but is now a separate town.

Learning in Dudley: Education

Primary Schools

Dudley has many primary schools. Some are church schools, like Jesson's Church of England Primary School and St Chads Roman Catholic School.

Other primary schools include Dudley Wood Primary School, Priory Primary School, and Wrens Nest Primary School. Many are named after the housing areas they are in.

Primary schools in Dudley teach children aged 5 to 11. Some also have nurseries for 3 and 4-year-olds. From 1972 to 1990, children in Dudley and nearby areas stayed in primary school until age 12. This system changed back to 5–11 in 1990.

Secondary Schools

There are several secondary schools in and around Dudley. The Dudley Academies Trust, linked with Dudley College, runs four of them: Beacon Hill Academy, The Link Academy, Pegasus Academy, and St James Academy.

Bishop Milner Catholic College is a Roman Catholic secondary school. It opened in 1960 and is the oldest existing secondary school in Dudley by name.

All of Dudley's grammar schools became "comprehensives" in 1975. This meant they took students of all abilities. Some schools merged, like Dudley's girls and boys grammar schools, which formed The Dudley School.

Special Schools

Dudley has several special schools for students with special educational needs. The Old Park School teaches pupils from 3 to 19. The Rosewood School also helps children in this age range. The Woodsetton School near Sedgley is for pupils aged 4–11. Sutton School in Russells Hall teaches pupils from 11 to 16.

Colleges and Higher Education

Dudley College of Technology offers further education. It started as a Mechanics' Institute in 1862. New campuses were built in the town centre in 2012.

Dudley also had a teacher training college, which became part of the University of Wolverhampton. It closed in 2002. A new Institute of Technology, offering higher education, was planned to open in 2021.

Public Services in Dudley

Libraries

Dudley Library is on St. James's Road in the town centre. The current building opened in 1909. It's a Grade II listed building. The statues above the entrance show "philosophy, science and the arts." Dudley has had a public library since 1878. The library was expanded in 1966 and updated in 2002 and 2012.

The library service also runs eight smaller branch libraries and four self-service 'Library Links'. There are four other main libraries in the Dudley Borough.

Medical Care

Dudley has several National Health Service facilities. The main hospital is Russells Hall, south of the town. It was built in 1976 and opened in 1983. A big expansion in 2005 brought all inpatient services from other hospitals here.

The Guest Hospital started as a charity hospital in 1849 for blinded miners. Joseph Guest took it over in 1871 and made it a general hospital. It was used for many years but became an outpatient-only centre in the 2000s. The original hospital site is now private housing.

Bushey Fields Hospital provides mental health care. It was built next to Russells Hall Hospital in the 1980s and 1990s. It replaced facilities at Burton Road Hospital. Burton Road Hospital was built in the mid-1800s as a workhouse. It became a hospital in 1859 and closed in 1993.

The town's ambulance station opened next to Burton Road Hospital in 1986.

Emergency Services

West Midlands Police handles law enforcement in Dudley. The borough's only police station is in Brierley Hill. Dudley Police Station closed in 2017 to save money. Some officers will still work in the town centre from a shared office with the council.

West Midlands Fire Service provides fire and rescue services. The fire station is on Burton Road. West Midlands Ambulance Service provides emergency medical care. The ambulance station is also on Burton Road.

Dudley also has a detachment of the Army Cadet Force, an Air Cadet Squadron, and a Sea Cadet unit.

Religion in Dudley

Dudley is part of the Anglican Diocese of Worcester. It has its own Archdeaconry and a suffragan bishop. The town has many churches, including the Church of St. Edmund, Church of St. James, and Church of St. Thomas in the town centre. In Kate's Hill, you can find St John's church. Its graveyard holds the burial place of William Perry, a 19th-century prizefighter known as the Tipton Slasher.

The oldest church is St. Edmund's, dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. The current building was built in 1724. St. Thomas' church is from the 1100s and was rebuilt in 1815. Both are now Grade II* listed.

Dudley Priory was a Cluniac priory founded around 1160. It controlled several churches nearby. It closed in 1395, reopened, and stayed in use until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Today, its ruins are part of Priory Park.

Catholics in Dudley have a church called Our Blessed Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury. It's on St Joseph Street near the bus station. The church was designed by architect Augustus Pugin and dates from 1842.

There are two Methodist Churches in Dudley: Central Church and one at Dixon's Green. Dudley Baptist Church is on Priory Road.

Dudley also has places of worship for other religions. These include a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, two Sikh gurdwaras, and a Hindu temple. The old St Edmund's Church School became a mosque for the town's growing Islamic community. Another mosque also opened in the Queen's Cross area.

Proposed Mosque

In 2003, plans were made for a new mosque in Hall Street. This site was leased by Dudley Council to the Dudley Muslim Association. The plans were stopped in 2010 after a long dispute. Instead, the existing Dudley Central Mosque on Castle Hill was planned for expansion. An appeal against this decision failed in 2014.

Media in Dudley

Dudley has several local newspapers. The town has its own version of the Express & Star, published daily. The Dudley News is published weekly. The Black Country Bugle, based at Dudley Archives, focuses on the history of Dudley and the Black Country. Local TV news is provided by Midlands Today and Central Tonight.

BBC Radio WM, Free Radio, Heart West Midlands, Greatest Hits West Midlands, and Smooth Radio 105.7 are some local radio stations. Black Country Community Radio broadcasts online from its Dudley Studios. The Kates Hill Press, founded in 1992, publishes local fiction and non-fiction.

Dudley's Economy

Shopping and Retail

Dudley's town centre has faced challenges. In 2012, almost a third of its shops were empty. This was the highest rate for a town of its size in England. Shopping was especially affected by the opening of the Merry Hill Shopping Centre between 1985 and 1990. Many big stores like British Home Stores, Marks & Spencer, and Sainsbury's moved to Merry Hill. The town's share of retail business dropped by 70% between 1985 and 1990.

More recently, economic problems have caused other major retailers to leave. Beatties closed in 2010, WH Smith in 2013, River Island in 2020, and Argos in 2021. The town centre now has many take-away restaurants, charity shops, and gambling centres. In 2014, a study even called Dudley "the worst place to shop in the UK."

The town's market is still a popular shopping spot. It started in the 1100s and is on a wide part of the High Street. It has been updated many times, including being made pedestrian-only in 1982.

Industry

The Bean Cars factory opened in the early 1900s and was used until the 1930s. The building is still used for other industrial purposes today.

Famous People from Dudley

Many notable people have connections to Dudley:

• Abraham Darby I (1678–1717): An industrial pioneer who found a way to make iron using coke.
• Catherine Payton Phillips (1727–1794): A Quaker Minister who traveled widely.
• John Badley (1783–1870): A surgeon and medical pioneer from Dudley.
• James Whale (1889–1957): A famous horror film director, known for Frankenstein.
• Sir Cedric Hardwicke (1893–1964): A stage and film actor.
• Percy Shakespeare (1906–1943): An artist known for figure drawings and portraits.
• Sir Maurice Wilkes (1913–2010): An important British computer scientist.
• Sue Lawley (born 1946): A well-known English TV and radio broadcaster.
• Norman Pace (born 1953): An English actor and comedian, part of the duo Hale and Pace.
• Sir Lenny Henry (born 1958): A famous comedian, actor, and TV presenter.
• Jason Bonham (born 1966): A drummer, son of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham.
• Tyler Bate (born 1997): A British professional wrestler.

Sports Stars from Dudley

• Duncan Edwards (1936–1958): A talented England footballer who played for Manchester United. He died in the Munich Air Disaster. A statue of him is in the town's Market Place.
• Sam Allardyce (born 1954): A former English football player and manager, who also managed the England team.
• Dorothy Round (1909–1982): A tennis player who won Wimbledon women's singles twice.
• Reanne Evans (born 1985): An English professional snooker player, who won the Ladies World Snooker Championship many times.

Sports in Dudley

Football

Dudley's main football teams are Dudley Town F.C. and Dudley Sports F.C.. They haven't played in very high leagues.

Dudley Town is the older club and has had more success. In 1985, they were promoted to a higher league. But they had to leave their home ground due to mining subsidence. They played at other grounds for years. The club reformed in 1999 and now shares a ground with Stourbridge.

In 1981, Dudley Town played a special game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was to celebrate new floodlights at their stadium.

Rugby

The Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club is the local rugby team. They play at their grounds in Wall Heath.

Speedway

For a short time, a speedway team called Dudley Heathens tried to find a track in Dudley. The team now plays in Wolverhampton and Birmingham. They were originally called the Cradley Heath Heathens. Their old track was demolished for housing. The team reformed as Dudley Heathens in 2010 but changed back to Cradley Heathens in 2013.

Volleyball

Wombourne V.C. plays at the Evolve campus of Dudley College. They compete in the West Midlands Volleyball Association.

Twin Towns

Dudley is twinned with:

• Fort William, Scotland

See also

In Spanish: Dudley para niños