1. Authentically-costumed re-enactors are to the fore for our return visit to the fantastic Black Country, Saturday 20th October 2018
Dudley, West Midlands

Authentically-costumed re-enactors are to the fore for our return visit to the fantastic Black Country, Saturday 20th October 2018

A day of photography at the splendid Black Country Living Museum in Dudley focusing on recreating cameo scenes of the industrial West Midlands with appropriately-costumed re-enactors in an authentic setting.

£65.00

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About this event

This Event was moved from the originally planned date in early March when it had to be postponed due to poor weather.

We are pleased to offer a return visit to the Black Country Living Museum with the emphasis on recreating urban scenes reminiscent of the 1930s.

Our visit to the Museum will focus primarily on our re-enactors in appropriate dress for the late 1930s and 1940s period. Those who have visited the Museum previously will readily appreciate the wonderful backdrops that are available on site and, augmented by our own re-enactors, this should present us with some outstanding opportunities for period photography.

Whilst this is a lower key visit than previously we are planning to have other attractions on site in addition to re-enactors. We also expect to have use of the tugboat Bittell which is currently moored at the Museum. The boat dates from 1934, entering traffic with Stewart & Lloyds in July of that year alongside sister vessel Pacific – they were Tugs 4 and 5 respectively in the Stewart & Lloyds fleet. Bittell was later purchased by British Waterways and was used as an ice-breaker to keep channels open, particularly during the severe Winter of 1963. It was based at Lower Bittell on the Birmingham to Worcester Canal, this being how it derived its name. The tugboat currently carries the highly attractive red, green and gold livery of Stewart and Lloyds and our thanks go to custodians Dudley Canal Trust for allowing us to use the boat for our charter, and to Steve Bingham for his assistance in arranging its appearance.   

We are working within public opening hours of 10.00 until 16.00 hours this year due to the amount of work being undertaken on site as part of the construction of a major new street development. This work will not affect our photography in any way, but means that much ‘out of hours’ time is being used for construction. This should give us even more scope for photography once the project has been completed. 

The concept of the Museum dates back to the mid-1950s, and in 1966 a special Black Country Museum Section was formed as part of Dudley Museums Department. It was in April 1976 that the idea of an open-air museum first began to come to fruition and West Midlands County Council started a land reclamation scheme in that same year; a preview season demonstrating the future potential of the site was held in 1978. The Museum has since gone from strength to strength and now welcomes over 300,000 visitors each year. It represents the enterprise, trades, products, buildings, living conditions - including the poverty and hardship - and heritage legacy of a region renowned as one of the fastest-beating hearts of the Industrial Revolution.

The Museum has a vast wealth of photographic possibilities, far too many to cover in one day so we will concentrate on specific areas of the site. It is set on 26 acres of former industrial land and makes use of its previous industrial features as well as augmenting this with period streets, buildings, a canal arm and boat dock (linked to the Dudley Canal) and factories relocated from their original venues. Together they recall the industrialized Black Country as well as reflecting in places the semi-rural ambiance that the area retained despite the nature of the work undertaken across its landscape.

Based on previous experience, this is likely to be an extremely popular event so please book early to ensure a place. We look forward to seeing you in the West Midlands to recreate another glimpse of the industrial West Midlands as only the Black Country Living Museum can portray it. 

Event cost £65.00 per person. 

EVENT REQUIREMENTS


 

Equipment: 


Camera


Lenses- suggest bringing lens lengths between 16-200mm


Spare batteries


Memory cards


 


Photography Knowledge:


Basic to Advanced 


 


Fitness Level
Low – Medium


 


Other


Appropriate outdoor clothing and walking footwear


   

 

Event requirements

Event location