| Dudley | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 From top left: Dudley Town Centre viewed from Castle Hill with the spire ofSt Thomas church;Dudley Priory;Dudley Zoo; Dudley Market Place;Dudley Castle; Statue ofWilliam Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley. | |
  Dudley Location within theWest Midlands | |
| Population | 79,379 (Built-Up Area) 312,900 (Metropolitan Borough)[a] |
| OS grid reference | SO9490 |
| • London | 108 mi (174 km) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Suburbs of the town | |
| Post town | DUDLEY |
| Postcode district | DY1 – 3 |
| Dialling code | 01384 0121 01902 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www |
| |
Dudley (/ˈdʌdli/DUD-lee,locally[ˈdʊdləi̯])[2] is amarket town in theWest Midlands, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast ofWolverhampton and 8 miles (13 km) northwest ofBirmingham. Historically part ofWorcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of theMetropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the2011 census, it had a population of 79,379. The wider Metropolitan Borough had a population of 312,900. In 2014, the borough council adopted a slogan describing Dudley as the capital of theBlack Country,[3][4][5] a title by which it had long been informally known.
Originally amarket town, Dudley was one of the birthplaces of theIndustrial Revolution and grew into an industrial centre in the 19th century with its iron, coal, and limestone industries before their decline and the relocation of its commercial centre to the nearbyMerry Hill Shopping Centre in the 1980s. Tourist attractions includeDudley Zoo andCastle, the 12th centurypriory ruins, and theBlack Country Living Museum.
Dudley has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times,[6] its name deriving from theOld EnglishDuddan Leah, meaning Dudda's clearing, and one of its churches being named in honour of the Anglo-Saxon king and saint,Edmund.
Mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086 asDudelei,[7] in thehundred of Clent inWorcestershire,[8] the town was listed as being a medium-sized manor in the possession ofEarl Edwin of Mercia prior to theNorman Conquest, withWilliam Fitz-Ansculf as Lord of the Manor in 1086.[9]Dudley Castle, constructed in 1070 by William's fatherAnsculf de Picquigny[10] after his acquisition of the town, served as the seat of the extensive Barony of Dudley, which possessed estates in eleven different counties across England.[11]
Of historical significance, the town was attacked byKing Stephen in 1138, after a failed siege of the castle following the baron's decision to supportEmpress Matilda's claim to the throne duringThe Anarchy.[12]
The castle provided the centre from which the town and borough grew, with early coal and iron workings helping establish Dudley as a major market town during theMiddle Ages, selling not only agricultural produce, but also iron goods at a national level.[13] Working iron and mining for coal was in practice as early as the 13th century. The first mention of Dudley's status as a borough dates from the mid-13th century, when Roger de Somery, then Baron of Dudley, approved of the establishment of a market in nearbyWolverhampton. An inquisition after his death further established the value and importance of the borough, with mentions of the town's growing coal industry.[7][11]
By the early 16th century the Dudley estate, now held by the Sutton family, had become severely in debt and was first mortgaged to distant relativeJohn Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, before being sold outright in 1535.[11] Following Dudley's execution in 1553, the estate returned to the Sutton family, during whose ownership the town was visited byQueen Elizabeth during a tour of England.[12]
In 1605, conspirators of theGunpowder Plot fled toHolbeche House in nearbyWall Heath, where they were defeated and captured by the forces of the Sheriff of Worcestershire.[14]
During theEnglish Civil War Dudley served as aRoyalist stronghold, with the castle besieged twice by theParliamentarians and later partly demolished on the orders of the Government after the Royalist surrender.[12][15] It is also from around this time that the oldest excavatedcondoms, found in the remains of Dudley Castle, were believed to have originated.[16][17]
Dudley had become an incredibly[citation needed] impoverished place during the 16th and 17th centuries, but the advent of theIndustrial Revolution began to reverse this trend. In the early 17th century,Dud Dudley, an illegitimate son ofEdward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley and Elizabeth Tomlinson,[18] devised a method ofsmeltingIron ore usingcoke at his father's works inCradley andPensnett Chase, though his trade was unsuccessful due to circumstances of the time.[19]Abraham Darby was descended from Dud Dudley's sister, Jane, and was the first person to produce iron commercially using coke instead of charcoal at his works inCoalbrookdale,Shropshire in 1709. Abraham Darby was born near Wrens Nest Hill near the town of Dudley and it is claimed that he may have known about Dud Dudley's earlier work.[18]
Dud Dudley's discovery, together with improvements to the local road network and the construction of theDudley Canal, made Dudley into an important industrial and commercial centre.[11] The firstNewcomen steam engine, used to pump water from the mines of the Lord Dudley's estates, was installed at the Conygree coal works a mile east of Dudley Castle in 1712,[20] though this is challenged by Wolverhampton, which also claims to have been the location of the first working Newcomen engine.[21]
Dudley's population grew dramatically during the 18th and 19th centuries because of the increase inindustry, with the main industries includingcoal andlimestone mining.[7] Other industries included iron, steel, engineering, metallurgy, glass cutting, textiles and leatherworking.
During this time living conditions remained very poor, with Dudley being named "the most unhealthy place in the country" in 1851.[22] Health Inspector William Lee stated that "In no other part of England and Wales is the work of human extermination effected in so short a time as ... in Dudley".[23] The report led to the installation of clean water supplies and sewage systems. Later the extensive development of council housing during the early 20th century relocated the occupants of local slum housing.
Following theReform Act 1832, Dudley returned oneMember of Parliament (MP), a privilege first enacted in theParliament of 1295.[7][11] The town was re-incorporated as aMunicipal Borough in 1865, later becoming aCounty Borough in 1889.[24]
Dudley was developed substantially in the early 20th century, with the construction of many entertainment venues including a theatre and cinemas, with two indoor shopping centres being added later in the century. The grounds of Dudley Castle were converted into azoo in 1937 by the Earl of Dudley, with buildings designed by architectBerthold Lubetkin. A reported 250,000 people attempted to visit the site upon the first day of opening.[25]
InWorld War II, Dudley was bombed on several occasions. In September 1940 aLuftwaffe bomb demolished The Three Swans public house in the town centre and damaged several nearby buildings including St Thomas's Church[26] and the new Co-Operative department store, but there were no fatalities. On 19 November 1940 alandmine was dropped in theOakham area of the town and demolished a section of council houses in City Road, resulting in the deaths of 10 people and injuring many others.[27] On 12 August 1941, four people were killed when another landmine was dropped in nearby Birch Crescent. These were the only fatal air raids on Dudley.
Dudley thrived in the post-war economic boom in the Midlands, with growing industries and affluence.[28] To meet the labour shortage, the town became home to communities from theBritish Commonwealth, including theCaribbean andSouth Asia. Most famously, this included the parents ofLenny Henry who moved to Dudley in the late 1950s.[29] As elsewhere, these communities faced hardships such as workplace racism, poor housing and physical violence - the worst example of this were the large-scale riots of 1962.[30]
Following local government reforms in 1966, Dudley was expanded to include the majority of the formerurban districts ofBrierley Hill andSedgley, along with parts ofCoseley,Amblecote andRowley Regis; an area in the eastern section of the town was also transferred into the new borough ofWarley.[24] Most of this land had been held by the Lords of Dudley, and contained within the Dudleyregistration district and parliamentary borough.[11][31][32][33] In 1974, further reorganization led to the creation of the present-daymetropolitan borough, which included the nearby towns ofStourbridge andHalesowen.[34]
Dudley was struck byan F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.[35] The tornado touched down inWoodsetton, subsequently passing through Dudley town centre, causing moderate damage, before dissipating.
Industrial decline has seen the loss of many long-established businesses in the town. The development of theMerry Hill Shopping Centre between 1985 and 1990 also saw the loss of most of the town centre's leading name stores, which relocated to take advantage of the tax incentives offered by Merry Hill's status as anEnterprise Zone. The2008 financial crisis and theGreat Recession resulted in even more of the retail units in the town centre becoming vacant, with theWoolworths store on Market Place closing in December 2008 when the company went bankrupt,[36] andBeatties closing its store – the last department store in the town – in January 2010,[37] after more than 40 years due to falling trade.
| Dudley Improvement Act 1791 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for better paving, cleansing, lighting, watching, and otherwise improving the Town of Dudley, in the County of Worcester, and for better supplying the said Town with Water. |
| Citation | 31 Geo. 3. c. 79 |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 June 1791 |
| Commencement | 10 August 1790[b] |
| Repealed | 22 October 1969 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Dudley Corporation Act 1969 |
Status: Repealed | |
The town had been amanorial borough from the end of the 13th century, and from at least the 16th century until the passing of theDudley Town Act 1791 (31 Geo. 3. c. 79),[38] was governed by theCourt Leet of the Lords of Dudley. From 1791, the Town Commissioners were the main local authority although the Court Leet continued to meet until 1866. In 1836 the DudleyPoor Law Union was formed, consisting of Dudley itself, and the parishes of Sedgley,Tipton, and Rowley Regis.[39] In 1853 the Town Commissioners were superseded by theBoard of Health, before the town was eventuallyincorporated into amunicipal borough in 1865. It became acounty borough in 1888 under theLocal Government Act.[40]
For many years the town (but not the castle, which was outside the boundary inStaffordshire) formed part of anexclave of the county ofWorcestershire.[41] Despite the more recent changes in county boundaries, the town and borough still remain part of theAnglican Diocese of Worcester.[42]
Dudley Council House in Priory Road was financed by the thenEarl of Dudley,[43] and was officially opened byDuke of Kent in December 1935.[44] Dudley Town Hall (an events venue) opened on St James's Road in 1928; it stands next to council offices which were converted from the old Police Station in 1939, after the construction of a new building on nearby New Street.[45]
Dudley is the administrative centre of theDudley Metropolitan Borough, governed byDudley Metropolitan Borough Council. The borough, which also includes the towns ofHalesowen andStourbridge, had a population of just over 312,900 as of the 2011 census.[46] In 2012 the Dudley Metropolitan Borough made an unsuccessful bid to receive city status, losing out toChelmsford,Perth, andSt. Asaph.[47]
Dudley presently has twoparliamentary constituencies,Dudley North andDudley South, which cover the town and its surrounding area. In October 2017, proposals to revise constituency boundaries were published that would reduce Dudley to just one constituency. The town itself would be divided between multiple constituencies, including ones predominantly based in neighbouring council areas such asWolverhampton andSandwell. The proposals were criticised by then MP for Dudley North,Ian Austin[48] As of the2019 general election, the currentMembers of Parliament (MPs) elected from these seats to theHouse of Commons areMarco Longhi[49]andMike Wood,[50]bothConservatives.
.jpg)
The 13th-century ruins ofDudley Castle overlook the town; it is a Grade Ilisted structure.Dudley Zoo is built into the castle grounds, and houses a large collection of endangered species, and also the largest collection ofTecton buildings in the world.[51][52] Under proposals by Dudley Zoo, in partnership with Dudley Council, St. Modwen, and Advantage West Midlands, the zoo is to be regenerated, which will see a former freightliner site redeveloped with a tropical dome, Asiatic forest, two aquatic facilities and walkthrough aviaries. It was expected to cost £38.7 million in 2007.[53]
There are many canals in and around Dudley, the main one being theDudley Canal – most of which passes beneath the town in theDudley Tunnel and is accessible only by boat because there is no towpath. The open sections of canal are popular with walkers, cyclists, fishermen, andnarrowboat users.[54]National Cycle Network route 54 passes through the town.[55]
There are 11scheduled ancient monuments in Dudley and the surrounding district,[56] and 260 listed buildings,[57] including 6 Grade I listed and 19 Grade II* listed buildings.[58][59]
AmultiplexShowcase Cinema andTenpinbowling alley are part of theCastlegate leisure complex.[60]Dudley Town Hall hosts dances, theatrical performances and concerts.[61]
The town was formerly home to a number of cinemas and theatres, including the Criterion, Gaumont, Odeon, and Plaza. TheDudley Hippodrome was one of the largest theatres in the West Midlands, built along with the adjacent Plaza Cinema just prior to the Second World War in 1938. The 1,600-seat Art Deco venue was constructed to replace the earlier Opera House, which had burned down in 1936. After its closure in 1964, the building was in use as a bingo hall until 2009, when it was purchased by Dudley Council with a view for demolition.[62] After long public opposition the building was leased to campaigners in December 2016, with the intent to restore it to theatre use;[63] however the lease was revoked by the council in February 2018, citing a lack of progress.[64] It was demolished in 2023 despite a campaign to save it.[65] The Plaza Cinema remained open until October 1990 and the building was demolished in 1997.[66]
AnOdeon cinema opened on Castle Hill in 1937, but has been used as aKingdom Hall forJehovah's Witnesses since 1976. The building is Grade IIlisted for being "an almost complete example of [a] typical Odeon cinema of the 1930's, with no subdivision of the auditorium or alteration of its floor levels".[67]
Until 2011, theJB's nightclub was situated on Castle Hill, after relocating from an earlier site in King Street (behind Pathfinders clothes store) in the 1990s. The club hosted early performances by acts such asU2,Dire Straits, andJudas Priest.[68] It closed after going into administration and has since reopened to host wedding receptions and conferences.[69][70]
The museums in Dudley celebrate the geological and industrial heritage of the town and the surrounding Black Country region, and its role in theIndustrial Revolution. TheBlack Country Living Museum is anopen-air living museum, which consists of reconstructed buildings from the surrounding area forming a living replica of an industrial village, with demonstrators portraying life in the region from that time. Work began in 2022 to recreate a typical Black Country town centre using original buildings such as the Woodside Library and replicas of other lost buildings such as the Elephant & Castle pub which stood at the junction of Stafford Street and Cannock Road in Wolverhampton. The pub, whose lower section is clad in traditional Victorian glazed tiles, opened within the museum's village in Autumn 2022.
TheDudley Museum and Art Gallery opened in the town centre in 1912. It was closed by Dudley Council in 2016 as part of cost-cutting measures, despite a public petition against closure. Exhibits are on display at a modern building on Tipton Road known as Dudley Museum at the Archives.[71][72]
According to ONS, there are two railway stations in Dudley, both just over a mile from Dudley town centre, these areDudley Port andTipton.[73] They are within the town of Dudley but outside the borough boundary as parts of Sandwell are considered within Dudley Town.[74] The nearest station to the town within the Dudley borough is Coseley. All of these stations are on the same line, served by local services operated byWest Midlands Trains. The nearest regular intercity services run from theSandwell & Dudley inOldbury, which was rebuilt in 1984 to serve the two boroughs.[75]
Dudley railway station located in the town centre was closed under theBeeching cuts in 1964. It opened in 1860[76] on the junction between theSouth Staffordshire and theOxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton lines, and in its heyday was a hub of services east toBirmingham (via a junction at Great Bridge),Walsall andLichfield; north toWolverhampton,Tipton andCoseley; and south-west toStourbridge, as well as a line that served the small communities on the way toOld Hill andHalesowen. The site was later used as a Freightliner terminal byFreightliner, until an unpopular closure on 26 September 1989.[77]
A proposal to re-open the segment of line between Dudley and Dudley Port was unveiled in December 2014, to allow for alight rail link from the town centre to the main line,[78] but this plan was scrapped in May 2016 as Dudley Council favoured keeping the line available for the now confirmedWest Midlands Metro extension to Brierley Hill, then laterStourbridge.[79]
Dudley was the terminus point of two tram routes which opened in the later part of the 19th century. The first route, linking the town with Tipton and Wednesbury, opened on 21 January 1884 operating steam trams, the route being electrified in 1907 before being closed in March 1930 and replaced by Midland Red buses along the route. The second route opened a year later, linking the town with Birmingham and heading through the centre of nearbyTividale village on the Dudley-Tipton border. This line was electrified in 1904 and remained open until 30 September 1939, when it too was replaced by Midland Red buses.[80]
In 2021, a 11 km (6.8 mi) long line bringing 2 new lines of theWest Midlands Metro, running fromWednesbury toBrierley Hill via Dudley, began construction to re-instate a tram service along theSouth Staffordshire Line, before running through the town centre and towardsMerry Hill. Phase one is expected to begin operation in 2025, connecting Dudley toEdgbaston Village in Birmingham City Centre, and toWolverhampton station[81]
It was announced thatDudley bus station would close to the public in January 2024.[82] A new bus and tram interchange is scheduled to open in Spring 2026.[83]
Dudley covers an area of theSouth Staffordshire Coalfield, which contributed heavily to its growth and industrialisation during the 18th century Industrial Revolution.[84]
North-west of the town centre lies theWren's Nest Nature Reserve, the first British nature reserve in an urban area[85] and a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), considered to be one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles. A part of theMuch Wenlock Limestone Formation, it was heavily mined for centuries because of its large limestone deposits, and is also the location of one of the largest fossil sites in England.[86] The town lends its name to the "Dudley locust", (also 'Dudley Bug'), a trilobite with the scientific nameCalymene blumenbachii that was found in these limestone pits in 1749 by Charles Lyttleton.[87]
In the 1830s, Scottish geologist SirRoderick Murchison visited the Wren's Nest to collect fossils as part of his research. 65% of his palaeontological evidence featured in the 1839 publication "The Silurian System" was from Dudley.[88]
| Dudley Compared | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 UK Census | Dudley (Built-up area subdivision) | Dudley (Borough) | West Midlands region | England |
| Total population | 79,379 | 312,925 | 5,601,847 | 53,012,456 |
| White British | 78.4% | 88.5% | 79.2% | 79.8% |
| Asian | 12.3% | 6.0% | 10.8% | 7.7% |
| Black | 3.6% | 1.4% | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Mixed | 3.2% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 2.2% |
| Other | 2.5% | 2.1% | 4.5% | 6.7% |
| Source: Office for National Statistics[89][90][91][92] | ||||
The current figure for the population of Dudley is 79,379.[93] This figure differs considerably from that given at the 2001 census (194,919), which led to it being considered one of the largest towns in Britain withoutcity status. However, this change is not due to large population movements but to a redefinition of the town's boundaries (for example, Kingswinford with a population of over 50,000, included as Dudley in the 2001 census, is now considered a separate town[93]). In addition, the 2001 Urban Subdivision included Brierley Hill, which the local authority considers a separate town.[94]
There are several secondary schools in and around Dudley. TheDudley Academies Trust, created in association with Dudley College, runs four of these:Beacon Hill Academy in Sedgley,The Link Academy in Netherton,Pegasus Academy in Holly Hall, andSt James Academy near the town centre.[95]
Bishop Milner Catholic College is aRoman Catholic secondary school in the town. Opened in 1960, it became one of the first Roman Catholic secondary schools in the region and is the oldest existing secondary school – by name – in Dudley.
There are severalspecial schools within Dudley, to cater for students with special educational needs. TheOld Park School serves pupils from the age of 3 to 19,[96] and was originally located in the Russells Hall Estate, but relocated to new premises inQuarry Bank in 2011.[97] The Rosewood School also caters for children within the age range. It was built on the Russells Hall Estate during the 1960s, but relocated to the former Highfields Primary School site in Coseley in March 2008.[98]
The Woodsetton School near Sedgley caters to pupils from ages 4–11.[99]
Sutton School, built in 1962 in Russells Hall, caters only for pupils from 11 to 16.[100]
Originally established as aMechanics' Institute in 1862,[101]Dudley College of Technology providesfurther education for the town. Plans to establish a 'learning quarter' saw several new campuses built in the town centre in 2012, replacing previous sites elsewhere in the borough.[102]
Dudley Training College for Teachers was opened in 1909 on a site onEve Hill. In 1965 it was renamed Dudley College of Education, a period when it trained over 600 students a year. It was taken over by Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1977, which then became theUniversity of Wolverhampton. The campus was closed in 2002 and the main college building was demolished, leaving the town and borough without higher education provision. A new Institute of Technology, offering higher education courses, was due to open in 2021 in the Castle Hill area.[103][104]
Dudley Library is situated on St. James's Road, in the town centre. The present building, aGrade II listedEdwardian baroque, was designed byGeorge H. Wenyon, and opened in 1909 to replace the older site in Priory Street.[105][106] The statuary above the main entrance depicts "philosophy, science and the arts" and was put in place byH.H. Martyn & Co.[107] The town has had a public library since 1878. The library underwent a major expansion in 1966, and significant refurbishment in 2002[108] and 2012.[109]
The library service also operates eight branch libraries and four self-service 'Library Links', along with four other main libraries situated throughout Dudley Borough, including Netherton Library, which moved buildings to the Savoy centre in 2012. A controversial re-structuring and modernisation of the service between 2006 and 2009 lead to the closure of several smaller borough libraries in favour of the 'Library Links'.[110][111]
Dudley is served by severalNational Health Service facilities. The main general hospital isRussells Hall, located to the south of the town. It was constructed in 1976, though financial difficulties prevented it from opening until 1983. A major expansion of the hospital was completed in 2005 when it incorporated all inpatient services from the other hospitals in the borough.
TheGuest Hospital was initially created as a charity hospital by theEarl of Dudley in 1849 to accommodate blinded miners. It was taken over by local chainmaker Joseph Guest in 1871, and converted for general hospital use. It remained in use throughout the twentieth century, but was downgraded to an outpatient-only centre in the 2000s following the construction of a new block; the original hospital site was re-developed for private housing in 2018.[112]
Bushey Fields Hospital provides psychiatric care for the area. It was developed adjacent to Russells Hall Hospital in the 1980s and early 1990s to replace facilities atBurton Road Hospital.[113] Approximately one mile west of the town centre, Burton Road Hospital was built in the mid-19th century, initially as a workhouse, before becoming a hospital in 1859. It closed in December 1993, and was demolished the following year for re-development.
Law enforcement in Dudley is carried out byWest Midlands Police, with the borough's sole police station located inBrierley Hill. Closure of Dudley Police Station was announced in 2017 as part of cost-cutting measures, though a small number of officers are set to remain in the town centre from a shared base with the local council.[114]
In 2019 plans were put forward to build a new police station in the town centre, although disputes between Dudley Council and West Midlands Police have delayed the project.[115]
Fire and rescue services are provided by theWest Midlands Fire Service, with the fire station situated on Burton Road on land previously occupied by Burton Road Hospital. The former fire station site on Tower Street now forms part of a campus of Dudley College.[116]
The oldest church in the town is St. Edmund's, dating back toAnglo-Saxon times, although the present building was not constructed until 1724, following its demolition during the English Civil War.[117] St. Thomas' church dates from the 12th century,[118] and was rebuilt in the 1815 after the original building was declared 'unsafe'.[119] Both sites are now Grade II* listed.[120][121]
Dudley Priory was aCluniac priory founded circa 1160 by the Lord of Dudley, Gervase de Paganel, and controlled several churches in the surrounding area. After its initial dissolution in 1395, it reopened as a denizen priory, and remained in use until theDissolution of the Monasteries. The ruins stand withinPriory Park.[122]
The RevdRobert Jones,present Archdeacon of Worcester, inducted in November 2014, was previously Vicar of St. Francis Church in Dudley for eight years.[123]
St James's Church atEve Hill was consecrated on 27 July 1840. It has been declared redundant and its final service took place on 28 July 2024.[124]
Roman Catholics in the town are served by a church dedicated to Our Blessed Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury situated in St Joseph Street near the bus station.[125] The church, designed by architectAugustus Pugin, dates from 1842 and has been Grade II listed since 1949.[126]
Dudley also has places of worship for other religious groups and Christian denominations, including aJehovah's WitnessKingdom Hall, twoSikhgurdwaras, and aHindu temple. The old St Edmund's Church School, which closed in 1970 on a merger with St John's Church School, was converted into amosque for the town'sIslamic community, with an additional mosque also opening in the Queen's Cross area of the town.
In 2003, plans were unveiled for the construction of a new mosque (which become known as the "Super Mosque" locally) in Hall Street, a site that had been leased by Dudley Council to the Dudley Muslim Association, in exchange for a site impacted by a proposed bypass.[127] The mosque proposals were scrapped in May 2010, after a long dispute, in favour of an expansion to the existing Dudley Central Mosque in Castle Hill.[128] An appeal was lodged by the Dudley Muslim Association against the High Court ruling,[129] and failed in February 2014.[130]
Dudley is served by a number of local newspapers. The town has its own version of theExpress & Star, published daily Monday to Saturday. There are alsoDudley News,[131] which is published weekly, and (based at Dudley Archives and Local History Centre on Tipton Road in Dudley) theBlack Country Bugle, which looks at the history of Dudley and the rest of the Black Country.
BBC Radio WM, Free Radio (formerly Beacon Radio),[132]Heart West Midlands,Greatest Hits West Midlands, andSmooth Radio 105.7 are some of the localradio stations that can be received in Dudley, also serving the wider West Midlands.Black Country Community Radio broadcasts online from its Dudley Studios serving The Central and NorthernBlack Country. The Kates Hill Press, founded in 1992 and named after a famous Dudley landmark, is a small press concentrating on the publishing of fiction and non-fiction of mainly local and regional interest.
As a commercial centre, Dudley's town centre has become increasingly run down; in 2012 nearly a third of its shop units lay vacant, the highest figure for a centre of its size in England.[133] Retailing was particularly hard hit by the opening of theMerry Hill Shopping Centre 2.5 miles (4.0 km) away, between 1985 and 1990. This led to the exit of the majority of major retailers, includingBritish Home Stores (June 1990),Marks & Spencer (August 1990),Sainsbury's (August 1989),C&A (January 1992), andLittlewoods (January 1990), all of which closed before or soon after new stores opened at Merry Hill.[134] Although the town was already in slight decline at the time following the recession of the early 1980s, the opening of the Merry Hill Centre resulted in a 70% decline of the town's market share in retail between 1985 and 1990.[135]
Successive economic downturns have led to most remaining major retailers leaving the town centre. Department storeBeatties closed in 2010,[136]WH Smith in 2013,[137] River Island in 2020,[138] andArgos in 2021;[139] the town centre is now largely occupied by take-away restaurants, charity shops, and gambling centres. The variety of businesses left led to Dudley being named 'the worst place to shop in the UK' in a 2014 study, which drew condemnation from the local council.[140]
The town's market remains a prominent local shopping destination. Established in the 12th century,[141] it is situated on a wide part of the High Street. It has undergone numerous developments in its history, including pedestrianisation in 1982, removal of 12th-century cobblestone paving,[142] and a large-scale redevelopment scheme in 2015.[143]
TheBean Cars factory was opened in the first years of the twentieth century and remained in use until the 1930s, but survives to this day for other industrial use.
_-_Percy_Shakespeare.jpg)
.jpg)
The town's key football teams areDudley Town F.C. formed in 1888[188] andDudley Sports F.C. formed in 1979.[189]
Dudley Town FC's most notable success came in 1985 when they won promotion to theSouthern Premier League. In the same year they were forced to quitDudley Sports Centre (at the junction of Tipton Road and Birmingham Road) due tominingsubsidence and have ground-shared outside the town ever since.[190] Home matches are played at Noose Lane in Willenhall.[191] In 1981, when still playing at Dudley Sports Centre, Dudley Town played a prestigious game againstWolverhampton Wanderers to commemorate a refurbishment of the stadium, with the newfloodlights being switched on by legendary former Wolves playerBilly Wright.[citation needed]
The Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club is the local rugby team, which play at their grounds inWall Heath.[192]
For a short period, aspeedway team called Dudley Heathens attempted to find a site to race in Dudley.[193]The team plays in Wolverhampton and Birmingham due to the lack of a speedway track within the Dudley borough. The team were originally called theCradley Heath Heathens, due to the proximity of their home track atDudley Wood Stadium to theCradley Heath/Dudley boundary. The stadium was demolished in the mid-1990s to make way for housing development, with the club disbanding shortly afterwards, before it re-formed with the name Dudley Heathens in 2010.[194] Though there have been attempts by the club to move back into the town, they have so far been rejected by the local authority.[195] The team re-adopted the name Cradley Heathens in 2013.[196] Former World Champion riders from the team includeErik Gundersen andBruce Penhall.
Following a merger with the Coseley Volleyball Club,Wombourne V.C. play at the Evolve campus of Dudley College, in the town centre. They compete in the West Midlands Volleyball Association.[197]
Dudley istwinned with:
Media related toDudley, West Midlands at Wikimedia Commons| Ancient boroughs |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporated boroughs | ||
| Urban districts | ||
| Rural districts | ||
| Civil parishes | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
