Black Country Living Museum expansion plans given go-ahead

Dudley's Woodside Library is among buildings to be transported brick-by-brick under the plans

Plans for a £23m museum expansion that includes creating a 1940s-60s town have been given the go-ahead.

Some buildings will be moved brick-by-brick to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, West Midlands, with others being recreated or replicated.

The project, which includes a new visitor centre, will be completed in 2022 and create about 140 jobs.

Work will start in August after £9.4m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund was confirmed.

Dudley's Woodside Library is among buildings to be transported brick-by-brick.

The museum has unveiled how the 1940s-60s town could look like

Those being recreated include Wolverhampton's demolished Elephant and Castle pub, where "Irish, Jamaican and South Asian workers met, drank and played dominoes together" in the 1960s, the museum said.

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Items on display will include butcher's equipment, gas cookers and 1950s hairdressing items and people will be able to find out about themes including how globalisation affected trade and industry and the birth of the NHS.

The new visitor centre at the museum will feature an exhibition, a café and a shop,

The project is due to be completed in 2022

The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Arts Council England had previously promised funding for the project.

LEP board member Ninder Johal said: "This project will play a major role in the regeneration of Dudley - strengthening the visitor economy, creating circa 143 jobs within our local area.

"(It will raise) the profile of the region as a place to live, work, learn, visit and invest."

The museum, established in 1978, had more than 350,000 visitors last year.