Dudley

Industrial town and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, 14 km/9 mi northwest of Birmingham, England; population (2001) 194,900. Formerly an important centre for coalmining and iron-smelting at the heart of the industrial Black Country, Dudley now manufactures clothing, glass, and light engineering products.

Features The Black Country Museum illustrates the area's industrial heritage and includes reconstructed period buildings. There are ruins of a Norman castle, with a zoo in the grounds.

Industrial history Dudley was an important industrial centre from medieval times, with abundant coal, ironstone, limestone, and refractory clay. Coalmining existed in the late 13th century, and the coalmining and iron-smelting industries expanded in the 17th century. The hand-wrought rail trade flourished in the early 16th century, and the manufacture of glass and bricks began in the early 17th century. Heavy engineering was established later. Dudley's limestone quarries were closed in the 1920s. The success of the Merry Hill shopping centre, built on the site of an old steelworks at Brierley Hill, has triggered a decline in the town centre.