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  • Christmas Tickets On Sale 1 Sep

    As you know, tickets for our Christmas events programme go on sale from Friday 1 September. We are therefore expecting the number of calls into the Museum and traffic to the website to be significantly higher than normal. The Bookings office will be open on Saturday this weekend and Natalie B and D will be taking calls.

    Andy is moving the Bookings lines over to a separate call queuing system to hopefully reduce the impact on the main museum telephone lines. We also have some fantastic software called “Queue-IT” which creates a virtual queue for people trying to access our ticketing site and will therefore ensure the website is not overloaded. We will obviously update the messages on these platforms to explain what is happening. Whilst nobody likes a queue, these systems ensure that we process tickets fairly, on a first come first served basis and (hopefully) prevents any technical problems that we or the customer might otherwise have experienced.

    Hopefully callers will do the very British thing and wait patiently in the queuing system however I would anticipate some might try to get through by any means possible! If this happens, can you please politely explain that they need to call the Bookings line – 0121 520 8054 or suggest that they book online? Please do not try and transfer them internally as this will mean that they have skipped the queue and we obviously want the process to be fair. If they do mention the queue, again, please just re-assure them that we will answer calls as quickly as possible but strongly suggest that they book online as this is likely to be quicker – www.bclm.com.

    Whilst I don’t expect you to have in depth conversations with callers about the Events programme or ticket sales, it might just be worth you familiarising yourself with the dates and prices for the events (below), just in case. Please note the Early Bird rates are on Halloween tickets only and there is NO Family Night this year.

    Santa Hunts: Sat 25 Nov, Sun 26 Nov, Sat 2 Dec, Sun 3 Dec, Sat 9 Dec, Sun 10 Dec, Sat 16 Dec – Sun 24 Dec
    Time slots throughout the day between 9.30am and 3.30pm
    Adult £16, Child (3-16) £10, Child (0-2) £8, Essential Carer £8
    Members – 20% off standard rate

    Christmas on the Homefront: Sat 2 Dec 6.30pm – 10pm
    Adult £16, Child (3-16) £9, Essential Carer £8
    Group rate available – Adult £12, Child £6.95, Essential Carer £6
    Members – 20% off standard rate for Evening event

    Christmas with the Edwardians at the Locksmith’s House: Thu 7, Fri 8, Sat 9 Dec 7pm – 9.30pm
    Adult – £9, Child – £5, Essential Carer – £4.50
    Members – 20% standard rate

    Traditional Christmas Evenings: Fri 8 & Sat 9 Dec, Fri 15, Sat 16 & Sun 17 Dec 6.30pm – 10pm
    Adult £16, Child (3-16) £9, Essential Carer £8
    Group rate available – Adult £12, Child £6.95
    Members – 20% off standard rate for Evening event

    Obviously the Bookings team and Reception will be extremely busy for the first few days. Please be sensitive to this and, wherever possible, save any non-urgent enquiries the following week. I’m sure the Marketing & Comms Team won’t mind me also mentioning that they will be extremely busy responding to social media feedback and queries, too.

    Please purchase Staff and Volunteer Event tickets through the Retail & Admissions Team Managers – please read the staff ticket policy.

    If anybody has any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

    Thanks

    Nicola

    Nicola Rowe
    Head of Retail & Admissions

  • 2018 Opening Times Published

    2018 Opening Times Published

    Opening dates and times have now been set for 2018.

    These are listed below along with a reminder about the rest of this year’s opening dates and times.

    A copy can also be found in the useful information folder within the Documents tab above.

    Opening Times 2017 & 2018
    2017
    Dates Times
    Wed 11 Jan 2017 – Sun 26 Mar Wed-Sun, 10am – 4pm
    Sat 18 Feb – Sun 26 Feb Daily, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 27 Mar – Sun 5 Nov Daily, 10am – 5pm
    Mon 6 Nov – Sun 17 Dec Wed-Sun, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 18 Dec – Sun 24 Dec Daily, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 25 & Tue 26 Dec Closed
    Wed 27 – Sun 31 Dec Daily, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 1 Jan – Tue 16 Jan 2018 Closed
    2018
    Dates Times
    Wed 17 Jan 2018 – Sun 25 Mar Wed-Sun, 10am – 4pm
    Sat 17 – Sun 25 Feb Daily, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 26 Mar – Sun 4 Nov Daily, 10am – 5pm
    Mon 5 Nov – Sun 23 Dec Wed-Sun, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 24 Dec Daily, 10am – 4pm
    Tue 25 & Wed 26 Dec Closed
    Thu 27 Dec – Sun 6 Jan Daily, 10am – 4pm
    Mon 7 Jan – Tue 22 Jan 2019 Closed

  • YACC Takeover Day 30 Aug 2017

    On 30 August between 1-2pm, the members of our Young Archaeologists’ and Curators’ Club (YACC) will deliver living history interpretation in Jerushah and the Cast Iron House.

    Over the past four weeks, the young people have been on a fact-finding mission about the two houses. They studied historic photographs and maps, researched family trees, handled objects, interviewed costumed demonstrators and analysed oral history interviews. Armed with this knowledge, they will take over as costumed demonstrators (with the support of Sheila Chamberlain-Hyett and Lucy Elliot).

    This event is linked to an annual celebration called “Takeover Day”, which recognises young people’s fantastic contribution to our cultural heritage. It’s a day on which they are given meaningful roles, working alongside staff and volunteers to participate in the life of the museum. The official Takeover Day in England will take place on 17th November when we’ll be sharing photos and stories about the event on the Museum’s social media channels.

    The Living History project follows on from the success of last year’s Takeover Day. During October half-term 2016, YACC members curated a display of their favourite Black Country objects. We shared photos of the young curators on Facebook and Twitter, receiving many lovely comments from our followers. You can also admire their work when you visit the workshop room in Brook Centre.

    You can view last year’s photos here S:LearningTakeover DaySelected photos for Facebook.

  • Add your fruit and vegetables to our 5-mile chutney

    The Food & Drink team are looking for local gardeners with a few spare home grown fruits or vegetables to donate their excess produce to be made into a very special 2017 chutney.

    They will then get working to create a tasty vintage chutney which will feature on the menus here at the Museum.

    Fruit and vegetables need to have been grown within approximately 5 miles of the Museum, and can include; plums, damsons, beans, pears, onions, marrows, beetroot, apples, courgetts, carrots, pumpkins, rhubarb, chillis, cauliflowers, or any other interesting allotment or home grown fayre.

    Donations are welcome from staff, visitors, local businesses, schools, allotment groups and anyone else that has home grown fruit and vegetables.

    As a thank you we would give you your very own special jar of the vintage five-mile chutney for you to collect in October.

    To take part, simply place your fruit and veg donation (ideally between 2-4kg) in a strong cardboard box. Clearly mark your name, town/location along with an email address or contact number on the side. Drop your box off to the Museum entrance before 25 September.

    If you can’t get your fruit and vegetables to us, please call us on 0121 557 9643 and we’ll try our best to arrange a time to collect your donation.

  • Summer Holidays: Week 5 – Busiest Week For 9 Years!

    Last week was the busiest non-event week the Museum has seen since August Bank Holiday week 2008!

    We welcomed 13,466 visitors which was 17% ahead of the budgeted attendance figure and means we are now 3% (or 5,500 visitors) ahead of both the visitor attendance target year-to-date and the same point last year.

    But did having such a large number of people on site mean our visitors didn’t have such a good time? Not according to this Tripadvisor reviewer who visited over the weekend :

    We were there a good few hours strolling around and I have to say it felt really relaxing, I have read a couple of other reviews that said it was packed. We went in about 1130 and to us it felt great not too busy at all…….So overall an excellent place to visit whatever you are into, it was just nice to wander around and see the history in action. Well done BCLM we will be back.

    Well done everyone and fingers crossed for an equally excellent last week of Summer!

  • AEOM Conference Success

    Last week we hosted the 28th biennial conference of the Association European Open Air Museums.  We welcomed 130 delegates from 60 different open-air museums from 20 countries as far-flung and diverse as Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the USA.  It was an honour to be chosen to host the conference, on behalf of the UK, and a great example of our international links and the high regard people have for BCLM.

    You can probably imagine that 130 museum professionals, from some of the world’s best and biggest open-air museums are pretty tough judges, but we passed all measures with flying colours, especially when it came to the friendliness, enthusiasm and knowledge of our staff and volunteers.

    The conference was an enormous success, and represented the very best of team efforts; either those directly involved in conference organisation, or doing your day-job and showing the Museum off at its best.  So thank you to you all.  It was a world-class performance.

    I was also asked and I am delighted to, pass-on grateful thanks to everyone at the Museum, from retiring President, Katarina Frost Director of the Vallby Open Air Museum, Sweden, and the Association’s new President, Dr Henrik Zipsane, Director of the Jamtli Foundation, Sweden.

    Andrew

  • For Information – Newcomen Steam Engine Boiler To Be Replaced

    For Information – Newcomen Steam Engine Boiler To Be Replaced

    You’ve probably noticed that the Newcomen Steam Engine hasn’t been its usual self this year and as such, over recent weeks, has been in preparation for a detailed boiler inspection.

    Following that inspection on 11 August, and 31 years into its life at the Museum, it has been confirmed that the boiler now needs replacing.

    As you can imagine, this is a big job (and a bespoke one at that) and so, whilst we will be cracking on with sourcing a new boiler straight away, replacement works will not take place until next year. Until then, the Newcomen building will remain open and the brickwork exposed so that visitors can see the boiler prior to its replacement.

    To make sure the story of steam is not lost, we will be progressing the restoration works to the Racecourse Colliery (due for completion early 2018) including further work-in-progress tours.

    Please do keep a look out for further progress updates about the Newcomen, Colliery, and other ongoing projects on the intranet.

     

  • Black Country History Day

     

    Black Country History Day

    Saturday 7th October 2017- 10am-4pm

    Large Lecture Theatre, Floor 1, Arts Building, Edgbaston Campus, University of Birmingham B15  2TT

    The Black Country Society and the Centre for West Midlands History at the University of Birmingham are organising this day school which is designed for anyone interested in the history of the area. The Black Country Society, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, promotes interest in the past, present and future of the Black Country.

    The Museum has 10 free tickets available to those that would like to attend Black Country History Day. If you are interested in this event, please complete the form below outlining why you would like to attend. Closing date: Friday 8th September 2017

     

    10.00am Introduction, Dr Malcolm Dick, University of Birmingham
    10.10am Graham Worton, ‘Creating a Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark for the future – from the natural and human heritage of the past’
    11.10am Break
    11.30am Keith Hodgkins, ‘Black Country Building Stones’
    12.30pm Lunch
    1.20pm   David Mills, ‘A Short History of the Leather Trade’
    2.20pm  Break
    2.40pm Judith Davies, ‘The trials and tribulations of Samuel Cook: Dudley’s famous nineteenth-century Radical’
    3.40pm Questions and discussion, led by Dr Malcolm Dick
    4.00pm Finish

     

    Dr Malcolm Dick is Director of the Centre for West Midlands History at the University of Birmingham.

    Graham Worton is Dudley Keeper of Geology and Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark Lead, based at the new Dudley Museum facility at the Dudley Archives and Local History Centre.

    Keith Hodgkins is President of the Black Country Society, Chairman of Tipton Civic

    Society and also Co-chairs the Black Country Society’s Industrial Archaeology Group.  He has written several books about Tipton and has worked for both West Midlands County Council and Wolverhampton City Council as an architect.

    David Mills is Assistant Curator at Walsall Leather Museum. He is the author of two novels, which fictionalise historical stories from our locality, as well as compiling two books of oral history transcripts based on over 100 oral history recordings. He is a graduate of Wolverhampton University and has a MA from Leicester University.

    Judith Davies is researching political, religious and social change in Dudley c.18151865 for a University of Birmingham PhD, after completing the MA in West Midlands History. She is Black Country born and bred and returned to Brierley Hill after retiring as a librarian in Northamptonshire. Judith also volunteers at Dudley Archives.

     

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  • Summer Holidays: Week 4 Performance

     Last week was our best yet this Summer; we welcomed over 12,000 visitors which was 11% ahead of the budgeted attendance figure and saw trading income surpass its target by 15%.

    Year to date, we are now over 2% ahead of visitor attendance budget and have welcomed an additional 3,000 visitors compared with the same point last year.

    And the positive visitor feedback keeps on coming in:

    We decided as we were meeting up for the weekend we take the opportunity to revisit the BCLM. Once again it was a revelation. We all enjoyed the reminiscences that the tour around the museum gave us and watching the chain making demonstration was a definite bonus. The whole experience reminded me very much of my youth, in the 50s and 60s.

    Well done everyone!

  • Diary Dates – BCLM: Forging Ahead All Staff Meetings

    Diary Dates – BCLM: Forging Ahead All Staff Meetings

    At 9am on Monday 25 & Tuesday 26 September, there will be two opportunities for all staff & volunteers to attend a session about progress on BCLM: Forging Ahead to date.

    Andrew will give an update on the project since we were granted permission to start work on the Development Phase on 14 June this year and then offer the chance for staff & volunteers to ask questions.

    Please feel free to attend either session – whichever suits you best. It’s likely they will both take place in the Workers’ Institute but this will be confirmed nearer the time.

    The sessions have been added to the Museum calendar.