Museum to recreate post-war high street £10m boost for Black Country attraction
ATYPICAL post-war high street would not merit a second look for many people. But now one Midland visitor attraction is set to recreate just that as part of a major project to preserve our common history for future generations.
The Black Country Living Museum is to recreate the type of ‘streetscapes’ commonly found in many British towns in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Important historic buildings will be moved brick by brick from Dudley, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton to the attraction after it was awarded £10 million by the Heritage Lottery.
Other iconic buildings that have already disappeared will also be recreated using archive images.
The £9.8 million funding will form phase one of the £21.7 million ‘Forging Ahead’ project – the museum’s 40-year masterplan.
The plan will create 450 jobs and show what happened to the Black Country after the Second World War and in the run up to the closure of the Baggeridge Coal Mine in 1968.
The museum described the project as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to save landmark buildings from being consigned to history.
Some of the buildings identified include West Bromwich’s Gas Showroom, which was damaged in the Blitz, and Dudley’s Woodside Library – which are both the focus of campaigns to save them.
Others, including Wolverhampton’s Elephant & Castle Pub, which was demolished at the turn of the century, and Lye’s Marsh & Baxter’s Butchers, will be recreated from archives.
Lowell Williams, chairman of the museum, said: “We are excited to get started on this project which has been three years in the making and kick-starts the museum’s master- plan for the next 40 years. Forging Ahead will not only allow us to complete our story but also to create a truly world-class heritage attraction at the heart of the Black Country – something we can all be proud of.
“It will enable us to welcome in the region of 500,000 visitors per year, expand significantly, and most importantly improve our visitors’ experience.
“It will also create circa 450 jobs within our local area so this is a really positive step for the communities we serve.”
The museum will submit a second-round application to the Heritage Lottery Fund in October 2018 to release the rest of the funding.
If successful the new attraction will open in 2022.