Skip to main content

Dudley’s archaeological heritage is a vital component of the historic environment comprising many hundreds of sites, buildings and structures.

All archaeological remains, whether structures, earthworks or buried deposits potentially hold the key to a better understanding of Dudley’s past and how it has evolved to the present, thus reinforcing the sense of place and local distinctiveness that makes Dudley special.

Sites range in date and type from prehistoric artefact scatters, to medieval settlements, historic parkland, water mills and the many sites and structures of the Industrial Revolution. There are also whole areas, such as the medieval planned town of Dudley itself, which have a high archaeological potential.

Eleven of Dudley’s most significant sites are of acknowledged national importance and therefore designated as Scheduled Monuments.

Within the borough there are also a number of sites that have been identified as having a high potential for the survival of archaeological remains of regional or national importance that have not been considered as Scheduled Monuments or where there is insufficient data available concerning the state of preservation or any remains to justify such a designation. These have been identified by Dudley Council as Archaeological Priority Areas (APA’s) and have been designated upon an analysis of survival, rarity, representation and vulnerability.

New archaeological sites are regularly identified through survey and fieldwork and through information supplied by local people. A record of all Dudley’s known archaeological sites is kept on the Historic Environment Record.

Find out about Archaeological Remains

You can find out if a site that you are interested in is likely to contain above or below ground archaeological remains and also how any remains might affect future development proposals by:

  • contacting the Historic Environment Team
  • following the process shown on the archaeology flowchart for potential development.