The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley has been named the nation’s best large visitor attraction at this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, surpassing renowned sites including royal palaces, historic castles, and theme parks.
The prestigious accolade—one of the most competitive in England’s tourism sector—recognises the museum’s outstanding visitor experience and its significant contribution to cultural heritage. Despite being relatively unknown outside the West Midlands, the museum has steadily earned national acclaim for its immersive and authentic portrayal of Britain’s industrial history.
Occupying a 29-acre site, the open-air museum transports visitors through 250 years of the Black Country’s transformative industrial past. It features cobbled streets, faithfully recreated shops and public houses, and a cast of costumed interpreters who bring history vividly to life. The museum pays tribute to the region’s critical role in fuelling the Industrial Revolution, offering insights into the lives of the workers who powered the era.
A recent £30 million redevelopment—the museum’s most extensive upgrade since its founding in 1978—has expanded its historical narrative to include the 1940s through to the 1960s. The new additions explore postwar Britain, retro technology, and the cultural shifts that defined the mid-20th century, according to reports from the Express.
The win underscores the Black Country Living Museum’s growing reputation as a premier cultural destination and a testament to the enduring legacy of one of Britain’s most pivotal industrial regions.
