FAQs
- What is 'Black Country History'?
- Why has the website been created?
- What is the 'Documenting the Workshop of the World' project about?
- Will it be possible to view photographs on the website?
- What if I cannot find what I am looking for?
- Can I look at the original records?
What is 'Black Country History'?
Black Country History is a searchable website which allows users to look for information held by the Black Country archive services and Dudley Museum Services relating to the history of the local area.
Why has the website been created?
The website has been created to bring together the computerised catalogues of the four Black Country record offices: Dudley Archives and Local History Service, Sandwell Community History and Archives Service, Walsall Local History Centre and Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies together with Dudley Museum Services . By cutting across historical and existing local government boundaries, users have seamless access to information held about the history of the Black Country. The website is a successful example of joint working in the Black Country and was initiated by the 'Documenting the Workshop of the World' project.
What is the 'Documenting the Workshop of the World' project about?
'Documenting the Workshop of the World' is a three-year initiative designed to promote access to historical photographs and business records through a programme of cataloguing, digitisation and outreach.
Between 2005 and 2008, a range of business records will be catalogued to provide detailed guides to previously unsorted collections. These catalogues will be made available via this website to allow researchers to investigate and understand the region's industrial heritage. Running alongside the cataloguing work is a programme of digitisation. By the end of the project, over 10,000 photographs will have been scanned and catalogued, chronicling the development of the Black Country from the mid-late nineteenth century to the present day.
The project is being undertaken through a partnership between Dudley Archives and Local History Service, Sandwell Community History and Archives Service, Walsall Local History Centre, Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies, the Black Country Consortium and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Will it be possible to view photographs on the website?
One of the main functions of the Black Country History website is the facility to search and view images. Low resolution images are available online which you are permitted to print for the purposes of research or private study only. High resolution images for publication or other purposes can be obtained by contacting the relevant archive office.
What if I cannot find what I am looking for?
To make photographs and archive material available for public use, it has to be listed and indexed by staff at each archive service. Before computers were widely used, card indexes were created to enable users to find what they were looking for. These indexes are still used at each archive service, but they are continually being added to computerised databases to enable quicker and easier searching. This process is ongoing and only a proportion of the archive services' total holdings are currently available to view online. If you cannot find what you are looking for, contact the relevant office for more information.
Can I look at the original records?
If you find something of interest in the online catalogues, we encourage you to visit the relevant archive office where the original records are held and a full range of research facilities are available.
Each archive service is open to the public most days of the week. Contact the relevant office for further details:
Each archive service is open to the public most days of the week. Contact the relevant
office for further details:
Dudley Archives and Local History Service
Mount Pleasant Street
Coseley
West Midlands
WV14 9JR
Telephone: (01384) 812770
Email: archives.centre@dudley.gov.uk
Sandwell Community History and Archives
Service
Smethwick Library
High Street
Smethwick Warley
B66 1AB
Telephone: (0121) 558 2561
Email: archives.service@sandwell.gov.uk
Walsall Local History Centre
Essex Street
Walsall
West Midlands
WS2 7AS
Telephone: (01922) 721305
Email: localhistorycentre@walsall.gov.uk
Wolverhampton Archives and Local
Studies
42-50 Snow Hill
Wolverhampton
WV2 4AG
Telephone: (01902) 552480
Email: wolverhamptonarchives@dial.pipex.com
Dudley Museum and Art Gallery
St james's Road
Dudley
West Midlands
DY1 1HU
Telephone: (01384) 815575
Email: Dudley.museum@dudley.gov.uk
Broadfield House Glass Museum
Compton Drive
Kingwinford
West Midlands
DY6 9NS
Telephone: (01384) 812745
Email: Glass.museum@dudley.gov.uk
The Red House Glass Cone
High Street
Wordsley
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY8 4AZ
Telephone: (01384) 812750
Email: Redhouse.cone@dudley.gov.uk
