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Black Country Living Museum

Black Country Living Museum, Dudley: Address, Phone Number, Black Country Living Museum Reviews: 4.5/5

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Black Country Living Museum

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Black Country Living Museum
4.5
5,815
#3 of 25 things to do in Dudley
Speciality Museums
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About
Covering 26 acres of former industrial land, Black Country Living Museum is uniquely placed to tell the story of the creation of the world’s first industrial landscape. Over fifty authentic shops, houses and workshops have been carefully reconstructed to preserve the character of the region when its manufacturers bought worldwide fame to Black Country Towns. Take a trip on the tram to explore the canal-side village, where you can meet and chat to the costumed characters. Explore the underground mine and experience the authentic sights, sounds, smells and tastes from the past.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
5,821 reviews
Excellent
3,718
Very good
1,369
Average
409
Poor
168
Terrible
158
Debbie D
1 contribution
Disappointing due to closure or limited attractions
Family
After booking for 2 adults and 2 children for 17th August 2022. An email was sent out the day before at 4.10 pm to say the mine was closed, the trams were not running and the old fashioned buses were running a limited service due to building work. It is not obvious or clear enough on the website that this is happening. This should be more prominent.
The whole experience was disappointing as there was not enough shows/displays to make up for the lost attractions. I witnessed one episode of character interaction.
Not acceptable for the price and as I said the whole experience was very disappointing.
Written 18 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stacey D
Willenhall, UK37 contributions
Family day out
Attended today with my partner and three children (all aged between 10 and 12), on recommendations from friends but unfortunately we were really disappointed. The mines were closed due to ongoing building work, We were disappointed but planned on returning when they are opening again so we didn't let this spoil our day. We watched the gas show which was informative, interesting and fun. Both my children and I really enjoyed this but from here the day out went down hill. The staff that we encountered seemed quite bored and uninterested. We queued for 20 minutes for fish and chips which I must say were less than average. We then popped to the cake shop and saw the staff members restocking the cakes using cheap multi packet cakes and charging us over £2 for them!! Kids wanted to play in the playground (take cash as its £1.50 a ride on the swings or for a go on the old stalls).There wasn't much there to be honest and they got bored quite quick. After 2 hours the children (and adults) were quite bored and wanted to leave. We will not be using the free return.
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anna A
1 contribution
Disappointing
As other recent reviews have said, it was a shame that so much of the site is a building site at the moment, with a lot of the attractions closed, not running, or scaled back. What we could see and do was ok, though not hugely exciting for a history-loving 7 r old, and not what I’d been expecting having heard friends rave about the place for years. I really hope it will be re-energised when fully open again, with all the vehicles running and characters in the streets which would have brought it to life but were sadly missing. I also have to agree with other reviews that the parking charge, on top of the fairly high entrance fee, felt like a lot to ask for a half open attraction.
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
robert h h
Derby, UK70 contributions
Great day out at the Black Country Living Museum
Couples
My wife and I visited while visiting Dudley,what a great place ,we only stopped for four hours ,but thoroughly enjoyed our stay .we did not get chance to visit everything in one visit so we will be back again. This is an experience not to be missed.and they are expanding the site to include another pub and various other items of interest
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ellie M
1 contribution
Disappointing this place used to be great for a day out…
Friends
I have to say this place used to be great, plenty to see & do, characters wondering the streets and buildings, mine tour, buses, etc. even a staged brawl on the cobble street! It really felt like you had stepped back in time.

I highly rated BCLM so decided to take some family members for a day out after raving about the place.

Parking was the first issue, having to use the Zoo car park and walk down to BCLM, £3.50 for the privilege however I do understand this was during the summer holidays and naturally very busy.

Upon entering, it does look like a building site as per previous review (appreciate works going on). Bus area closed off, decided to go on the mine tour as this was fab previously. Waited 20 minutes inside the building in the heat, to then be told it was a gas demo & the mine tour was closed. No signage anywhere?

Walking around the buildings we did not see any of the usual BCLM staff apart from caterers. A couple of old fashioned fair rides, just disappointing to see how this place has changed. Not much going on at all, especially given this was a peak time to visit.

We decided to leave less than an hour into our visit, I doubt I’ll return again and won’t be using the free tickets…
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ChristopherColumbus8
Borehamwood, UK1 contribution
A brilliant day out for the kids and I
Family
My three boys (11, 7 & 7) and I loved this place. There was so much to do, so much to see and so much to learn. They enjoyed all the different buildings, the classroom experience and asking the knowledgeable characters questions. Of course, we also enjoyed the fish & chips and the sweet shop. We've been before and my kids want to know when we will be returning. Thanks for a great day out.
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sam Wynne-Mcgee
Halesowen, UK140 contributions
Fantastic
Couples
We took our family to visit the museum when they came over to visit from the Isle of Man. We had been before but our family hadn’t.
What a day we had. First of all the sun was shining which made the walking around the museum lovely. The bus service wasn’t running the day we were there but that was fine the weather was good.
We visited all the little attractions that were open and it was a fantastic day had by us all.
There’s is a lot of building work going on to improve the museum, which is absolutely fine. And we are very excited to use our free entry pass to see what new and exciting things they have done once the work is completed.
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Wendy P
1 contribution
Fabulous return visit!
Couples
Can't believe the disappointed reviews! Came on return visit and had a brilliant time . Highlight was the very knowledgeable dressed characters who were happy to spend time talking to us . Loved seeing all the old buildings again. As a nethertonian bclm is special to me because my family are directly linked to most of the buildings . Thanks to all at bclm for a fab day out x
Written 15 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Avidesh
County Durham, UK461 contributions
Good fun
We had a fantastic time here exploring life between the 1850s - 1950. The exhibits and villages were quite good. The 1920's cinema show was a good laugh and the school lesson experience was good fun. A highlight of the trip was taking the boat down Dudley Canal. Cafes on site were quite decent and it was a pleasure (and good learning experience) interacting with the staff (in character) on site.
Written 14 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
BCLM
Hello, Thank you for your feedback, we are so glad that you enjoyed your visit to the Museum. We hope to see you again soon. Kind Regards, BCLM.
Written 15 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Richard A
8 contributions
Huge disappointment
Couples
This was a huge disappointment. I have been looking forward to visiting this museum for years. Arrived only to find it was one big barricaded building site with work in progress. Bus garage was closed (no rides) trolley bus was also out of action. Felt the whole place was a façade of a museum with little or no authenticity. And after paying around £40 for me and my wife to stick around for 20 minutes I was horrified to learn that I needed to pay £3.50 to exit the place.
Just not good. I notice my entry ticket entitled me to a free entry next time I visit - some hope of that happening!
Written 14 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
BCLM
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to leave your review. We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your experience here at the Museum. Please be assured that we have taken on board all of your comments and we take all feedback seriously to help us improve our events for the future. We completely appreciate that the building work taking place may be a deterrent to enjoying the authenticity of the Museum, for this we do apologise. If you would like to discuss your experience with us further, please do get in touch with us via info@bclm.com. Kind Regards, BCLM
Written 15 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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