Dudley's Heritage: An Introduction

Due to a rich endowment of mineral resources and a wide variety of associated rock types, Dudley has a unique landscape of steep hills and valleys. Man, since his settlement here some 10,000 years ago, has carved his presence into this landscape of Dudley. In doing so he has established one of the most compelling and important chapters of human history, that is the period of industrial evolution that we know as the industrial revolution.

The abundant natural resources were readily accessible at the surface and were uniquely assembled and thrown together by the workings of nature and geological time. This enabled the working of clay and ironstones from roman times here using wood and charcoal as fuel.

By the thirteenth century the town of Dudley had coal pits, ironstone mines and forges.