Dudley Archives and Local History

15/10/2026

An article written by our Archivist, Paul Ford about Nellie Nestle, music hall performer.

This article is less of a mystery than a journey, as we seek to uncover a life within an all but lost profession on the basis that this person once performed in Stourbridge. As we only had her stag…

13/10/2026

October's Explore Your Archive theme is 'Folklore'.
We have a selection of books, re-telling some popular and some less known stories about the spooky side of the Black Country.
Have a read about the Grey Lady in Dudley Castle, the monk seen around Priory Ruins and some friendly (or not so friendly) ghosts visiting local pubs.
Do you have any ghosts stories from around the Black Country?
(Ref: LD 133.1)

09/10/2026

We would love to see you at this year's Local History Day, taking place on Saturday 17th October, here at Dudley Archives.
We have several talks and tours available on the day and we will be joined by a range of local stallholders, including stalls from local family history and society groups. There will be publications for sale, refreshments, and raffle tickets available for purchase. Our Friends of Dudley Archives will be on hand to help you with any family history questions you may have.
This is a FREE event and we welcome drop-ins, but we kindly request that talks/ tours are booked in advance as spaces are limited. To book, please speak to a member of staff at the Archives front desk, or call the department during our opening hours on 01384 812770 (Tuesday 10am-5pm, Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm), or email us: [email protected].
This year’s talks/ tours are:
10:30am – 11:30am: Talk by Graham Worton, ‘Discoveries in the darkness – piecing together the journey of the Black Country through deep time’, Keeper of Geology & Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark coordinator - FULLY BOOKED
11:40am – 12:10pm; 1:30pm – 2:00pm: Behind-the-scenes tours of our archive repositories
12:15pm – 1:15pm: Talk by Kevin Goodman, Author and Medical Historian, 'Aaron Geismar: Prince of Swindlers, Fraud of Frauds: Rise and Falls of an Electric Quack Doctor' - FULLY BOOKED
2:00pm – 2:30pm: Dudley Museum Tour by Graham Worton

06/10/2026

The Friends of Wren's Nest Nature Reserve had a very successful celebration on Saturday 3rd of October, of their 20th Anniversary. It also coincided with the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the nature reserve. Both were celebrated with talks, an exhibition and a 'Dudley Bug' cake!

01/10/2026

National Poetry Day!

Here's a poem dated July 10th, 1884, regarding the Miners' Strike, which began due to the reduction of wages on June 28th, 1884. The miners were on strike for 15 weeks in total. Their needs were unfortunately not met, and they returned to work with the reduced wages on October 14th, 1884.

ref: PO/589

24/09/2026

Reminder - Spaces still available to book!

We are excited to welcome John Butterworth MBE here at Dudley Archives on Tuesday 29th September, 2pm, for his talk on the 'History of the Black Country Bugle' as part of this year's Dudley History Festival.

As an editor of the Black Country Bugle for several years, John's talk will cover how the Bugle started, the characters who appeared in the paper and some of the fascinating stories covered.

SPACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR THIS FREE TALK.

To book, please call the Archives Service on 01384 812770, email us at [email protected], or reserve a space by speaking to a member of staff at the public enquiries desk.

22/09/2026

The Black Country Bugle started in 1972 and has been a valuable source of local history knowledge every since. The weekly editions tell stories from the Black Country's past as well as stories of local interest. On 29th September at 2pm, John Butterworth MBE will be giving a free talk on the 'History of the Black Country Bugle' including some of it's stories, here at Dudley Archives. Please contact us to book a place. Tel: 01384 812770, Email: [email protected].
Don't forget that the Archives hold back issues dating back to the 1st edition.
Photos:
- Edition No 1. Apr 1972.
- Issues from January 2005
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16/09/2026

National Uniform Day celebrates the dedication and hard work of uniformed workers across various sectors. Here we have an image of a horse drawn steam fire engine, with firemen in uniform from 1901.
(Ref: pto/1267).

15/09/2026

We are excited to welcome John Butterworth MBE here at Dudley Archives on Tuesday 29th September, 2pm, for his talk on the 'History of the Black Country Bugle' as part of this year's Dudley History Festival.

As an editor of the Black Country Bugle for several years, John's talk will cover how the Bugle started, the characters who appeared in the paper and some of the fascinating stories covered.

SPACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR THIS FREE TALK.

To book, please call the Archives Service on 01384 812770, email us at [email protected], or reserve a space by speaking to a member of staff at the public enquiries desk.

06/09/2026

For National Cinema Weekend (5th and 6th September), we have found images of the Criterion Cinema in Dudley. First a pub and music hall , The Criterion Electric Theatre began showing pictures as early as 1911. In 1923 it re-opened as The Criterion Picture House with a larger auditorium and a new front on Market Street. It was considered at the time as Dudley's finest picture palace. The cinema closed in 1956, with 'Reach for the Sky' with Kenneth More being the last film to be shown.
Photograph: (Pst/2256) - Market Place, Dudley, 1956 by Graham J Knowles
Drawings and plans: (LD 725.822 P) Plans and particulars of proposed new cinema, Market Place, Dudley.