Discover Dudley, West Midlands

Dudley is a town in the western part of West Midlands county, which is also within the West Midlands region of England. With a population of 195,000 people (2012 estimate), it is the second biggest "town" in the United Kingdom after Reading. It applied for city status in 2011 and its application is pending a decision as at time of writing (Jan 2012).

Dudley, West Midlands, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dudley_Town_Centre.jpg
Author: LivingInMediocrity


Dudley began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement predating the Norman Conquest. Its church, which is now in ruins, was built in the 13th century. It was a bustling market town during the Middle Ages, a hub for goods and produce from the surrounding region.

Dudley grew significantly during the Industrial Revolution, as it became a center for coal and limestone mining. Added to these are other industries including iron, steel, engineering, metallurgy, glass cutting, textile and leatherworking. The many heavy industries concentrated here made Dudley one of the most polluted towns in the country.

Visitors at the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skipping_in_the_street_,_Black_Country_living_museum.jpg
Author: Phil Sangwell


World War II brought considerable damage to the town, which repaired itself and built a number of entertainment venues to serve its bulging population. However by then the industries that were the mainstay of its economy were in decline, and this impacted the town, causing the closure of many prominent businesses in town. The town has yet to recover, as the financial crisis and recession of 2007 caused it to decline further.

Visiting Dudley

Dudley is located to the south of Wolverhampton and west of Birmingham. If you are coming from London, take the M40 motorway. at Junction 3A, take the center lanes heading towards M42(W). When it links to the M5 motorway, follow the left lanes for M5(N). Continue on the M5 motorway heading north until Exit 2. Turn off the motorway to the roundabout, then follow the A4123 road heading northwest to reach Dudley.

Dudley Castle: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dudley_Castle_-England.JPG
Author: Trevman99

Places of Interest in Dudley

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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