Dudley
Dudley maps (2 available)
Map of West Midlands
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Dudley books (9 available)
- 4 photos on Dudley appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Dudley
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Dudley and West Midlands
Dudley memories
Read and share memories of Dudley and West Midlands inspired by Frith photos
Fatso & friend
It was 1970 before I found myself working in theis enclosure with 'Fatso' the male lion and his mate, whose name I, unfortunately cannot remember. I began working at Dudley zoo in 1970 as the Giraffe Keeper and was moved to the 'Cat Round' some three months later. I was responsible for the care of the lion and tiger enclosures, which were large pits as illustrated, a by-product of the open cast mining that had taken place there. The bears were housed in similar, if somewhat larger, ravines.
I left Dudley Zoo in 1971, but continued to work as a zoo keeper until my early retirement in 2003 in Australia.
But, Dudley was my first and ...read more here
Contributed by Nicholas Ordinans
West Midlands memories
Fatso & friend
It was 1970 before I found myself working in theis enclosure with 'Fatso' the male lion and his mate, whose name I, unfortunately cannot remember. I began working at Dudley zoo in 1970 as the Giraffe Keeper and was moved to the 'Cat Round' some three months later. I was responsible for the care of the lion and tiger enclosures, which were large pits as illustrated, a by-product of the open cast mining that had taken place there. The bears were housed in similar, if somewhat larger, ravines.
I left Dudley Zoo in 1971, but continued to work as a zoo keeper until my early retirement in 2003 in Australia.
But, Dudley was my first and ...read more here
A memory of Dudley contributed by Nicholas Ordinans
Sedgmore's Grand Colliery Exhibition
The Bull Ring, Sedgley, that is the location where on a fateful night in April 1906, The Sedgmore’s Grand Colliery Exhibition Travelling Show, set up in Sedgley on its way to the Wolverhampton Annual Suntide Fair, burnt to the ground. The Show had been built up over many years by my Great Great Grandfather William James Sedgmore who, being born in 1841 in Cornwall, moved to South Wales and there married Thurza Venn in July 1867. I have been quietly researching over the years but as Sedgley was the final port of call for the Exhibition, I thought it fair to post this memory in the hope that someone may be aware of the Show and would like ...read more here
A memory of Sedgley contributed by John Sedgmore Blundell
M.D.Gittens
I remember Gittens high class grocery shop when it was in Hill Street, it then moved to 10-12 High Street, moving into Shakespears hardware shop. What I remember most was the aroma of the coffee being ground in a special machine. The staff were always friendly. The shop was taken over by Ernest George. I remember 'Minnie with the glasses' who I identified when I was about 5 years old, she had worked there for years.
The old shop in Hill Sreet was used for the Home Guard during tha war. My Uncle Tom used to deliver groceries to the villages, until he went into the R.A.F.
A memory of Brierley Hill contributed by mary myers
Extracts From Dudley & West Midlands books
The one thing that has
not changed about
Dudley Castle is the
spectacular views afforded
from Castle Hill. On the
apocryphal ‘clear day’ it is
possible to see the
Malvern Hills, Bromsgrove,
the Lickey Hills, Frankley
Beeches, Clent, Abberley
and the Clee Hills. Here the
view is out over some of
the castle’s outer buildings
along Castle Street and
into the Market Place.
St Edmund’s Church
is prominent in the
foreground, whilst on the
horizon is the outline of
St Andrew’s Church,
Netherton, which is almost
as prominent a local
landmark as the castle keep
itself.
An extract from from"Dudley Living Memories".
Standing on a limestone hill,
Dudley Castle dominates the
town. Rebuilt in stone in the
early 12th century, Dudley was
slighted in 1175 after its owner,
Gervase Pagnell, chose the wrong
side in a dispute between Henry
II and Prince Henry. The castle
passed by marriage to the de
Somerys; they rebuilt the fortress
in stone, including the keep, gate-
house and curtain wall. During
the English Civil War, Dudley
was the last castle in Staffordshire
to be held for the King, finally
surrendering in May 1646. It
was again slighted but remained
habitable. In 1750 it was reduced
to a ruin by fire.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
Much that can be seen to
the left and right in this
photograph was swept away
in redevelopment during the
1960s, with the exception of
St Edmund’s Church and the
buildings adjoining it. The
view is from the end of the
Market Place, with New Street
to the left and Fisher Street
to the right. Several tramway
traction poles can be seen,
one prominently to the left
of a sign that optimistically
offers a ticket and parcels
agency service to the Great
Western Railway seven years
after it was nationalised
(left). A church dedicated
to St Edmund has stood on
this site since at least the
12th century; indeed, it is
mentioned in a Papal Bull
by Pope Lucius III dated
1182. The original church
was demolished in 1646
during the Civil War, and its
replacement was not built
until 1724.
An extract from from"Dudley Living Memories".
This view shows Castle Street before
its partial redevelopment in the
1960s. The church is St Edmund’s,
which was rebuilt in brick and stone in
the 1720s after apparently being
derelict for about eighty years. It was
remodelled in the 19th century and is
noted for its unusually long chancel.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
The Criterion Cinema, just off camera to
the right, was still open when this view
was taken. This is the heart of the town,
and markets have been held here for 800
years; the basic size and shape of the
market place has remained largely the
same throughout that period, as evinced
by map evidence. The shops represented
here are a mix of chain multiples (Burtons,
Boots, Timpsons shoes, Woolworth’s and
the Maypole Dairy Co), and local chains,
such as Alfred Preedy & Sons (second
from right), who were tobacconists, with
other shops in the Fountain Arcade and
Hall Street. Until 1930 the area in front of
the fountain had been the tram terminus,
and one traction pole from the tramway
overhead can be see on the extreme right.
An extract from from"Dudley Living Memories".