Visit Dudley Places

Welcome to Visit Dudley Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Dudley

  

Dudley Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Dudley

---

Dudley history

---

Early history

Dudley has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, its name deriving from the Old English Duddan Leah, meaning Dudda’s clearing . Mentioned in the Domesday Book as Dudelei, in the hundred of Clent in Worcestershire, the town was listed as being a medium-sized manor in the possession of Earl Edwin of Mercia prior to the Norman Conquest . The castle provided the centre from which the town and borough grew, with early coal and iron workings helping establish Dudley as a major market town during the Middle Ages .

Early modern and Industrial Revolution

Dudley served as a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War . During the early 17th century, Dud Dudley devised a method of smelting Iron ore using coke at his father’s works in Cradley and Pensnett Chase . The first Newcomen steam engine was installed at the Conygree coal works a mile east of Dudley Castle in 1712 .

Modern day

Dudley Castle, which had fallen into ruin following a fire in 1750, was converted into a zoo in 1937 by the Earl of Dudley, with buildings designed by architect Berthold Lubetkin . Dudley was developed substantially in the early 20th century, with the construction of many entertainment venues including a theatre and cinemas . The declining industry in Dudley has given rise to high unemployment, resulting in the closure of many businesses in the town .

Dudley culture & places

Entertainment

Dudley Hippodrome was one of the largest theatres in the West Midlands . The Criterion, Gaumont, Odeon, and Plaza Cinema were built in 1938 . The Plaza Cinema was converted into a Kingdom Hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1976 . Until 2011, the JB’s nightclub was situated on Castle Hill, relocating from an earlier site in the 1990s .

Museums and galleries

The Black Country Living Museum is a living replica of an industrial village . The Dudley Museum and Art Gallery was formerly located in the town centre . It was closed by Dudley Council in 2016 as part of cost-cutting measures .

Dudley economy & business

Industry

Bean Cars factory was opened in the first years of the twentieth century . It remained in use until the 1930s, but survives to this day for other industrial use .

Dudley landmarks

The 13th-century ruins of Dudley Castle overlook the town. Dudley Zoo is to be redeveloped with a tropical dome, Asiatic forest, two aquatic facilities and walkthrough aviaries. There are 11 scheduled ancient monuments in Dudley and the surrounding district, and 260 listed buildings.

Dudley geography / climate

Geology

Dudley covers an area of the South Staffordshire Coalfield, which contributed heavily to its growth and industrialisation during the 18th century Industrial Revolution . North-west of the town centre lies the Wren’s Nest Nature Reserve, the first British nature reserve in an urban area and a site of special scientific interest .

You can visit Dudley places with Walkfo Dudley to hear history at Dudley’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Dudley has 105 places to visit in our interactive Dudley map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Dudley, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Dudley places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Dudley & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 105 audio facts unique to Dudley places in an interactive Dudley map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Dudley Places Map
105 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

---

–

Dudley historic spots	Dudley tourist destinations	Dudley plaques	Dudley geographic features
Walkfo Dudley tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Dudley

  

Best Dudley places to visit

---

Dudley has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Dudley’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Dudley’s information audio spots:

Mushroom Green Mushroom Green is a hamlet in the Dudley Wood/Netherton area of Dudley, UK . It is known for its traditional chain making shop .

Portway Hill Portway Hill is part of the Rowley Hills, near Rowley Regis in West Midlands. It is the site of a nature reserve of the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country.

Sheepwash Urban Park Sheepwash Urban Park is a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) situated in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands conurbation of the United Kingdom. It forms part of the Black Country Urban Forest.

Horseley Ironworks Horseley Ironworks (sometimes spelled Horsley) was a major ironworks in the Tipton area in Staffordshire, now the West Midlands, England.

Oldbury United F.C. Oldbury United Football Club is a football club representing Oldbury, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the Birmingham & District League Division Four.

Round Oak Steelworks Round Oak Steelworks was an important steel production plant in Brierley Hill, West Midlands (formerly Staffordshire), England. It was founded in 1857 by Lord Ward, who later became, in 1860, The 1st Earl of Dudley, as an outlet for pig iron made in the nearby blast furnaces. During the Industrial Revolution, the majority of iron-making in the world was carried out within 32 kilometres of Round Oak.

Saltwells Local Nature Reserve Saltwells Local Nature Reserve is situated in the Netherton area of Dudley Metropolitan Borough in West Midlands. The reserve, created in 1981, covers 247 acres and includes part of Netherton Hill within its boundaries.

Dudley Town F.C. Dudley Town Football Club is one of the oldest non-league teams in the Midlands region, having been established in 1888. They are members of the Midland League Division One, although they have reached as high as the Premier Division of the Southern League. In 1976 they reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, when they took Football League Third Division team York City to a replay.

Church of St Andrew, Netherton The Church of St Andrew, Netherton is an Anglican parish church. It is situated in Netherton in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. The building was designed by Thomas Lee and it opened in 1830.

Old Park Farm Old Park Farm is a residential area of Dudley, West Midlands (formerly Worcestershire and Staffordshire) It was developed in the early 1950s by Dudley County Borough council as a council housing estate. Sycamore Green Primary School served the estate for some 50 years until its closure in 2006.

Visit Dudley plaques