I visited the English attraction that’s a ‘masterclass in escapism’
DOES everything feel a bit much at the moment? If so, I can let you in on the perfect way to escape the turbulence of 2026.
My family and I have just taken a step back in time to a bygone era — The Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands.
This gem is genuinely one of the most fascinating attractions I have ever experienced with my boys Wilf, nine, and Jasper, six. And it is a masterclass in escapism.
The open-air attraction spans 26 acres and is packed with history.
It’s so much more than your average museum, though. This is an extremely immersive way for families to experience, first-hand, the Black Country — a region in the West Midlands with a history of coal mining, ironworking and brickmaking.
There are life-sized streets, dockyards and blacksmiths, laid out as they would have been at the height of the Industrial Revolution.
Visitors can wander among more than 80 original shops, houses and buildings, with actors recreating what life was like inside — and the historic characters will chat to you as if they are really in the past.
It will take at least three hours to get around, but I would give it five.
Our day began with a double-decker bus taking us down the winding, cobbled streets as the old-time conductor gave my boys authentic tickets for their journey.
To make the experience more exciting for the lads, I brought along their grandad, Dave Watkins, 70, a Brummie who has lived and worked in the Black Country his whole life — and supports local football team, West Bromwich Albion.
In one shop, he was delighted to find the brand of cigarettes his dad used to smoke. But it’s not just the sights of history you experience, it’s the tastes, too.
We ordered lunch at the Hobbs & Sons fish and chip shop — a reconstructed 1930s store that originally stood in this very town.
It was, hands down, the best cod and chips any of us had ever had.
Chefs follow a traditional recipe and the novelty of eating from chip paper on a picnic table beside the canal that runs through the museum got extra wow points, too.
If you’re not a fan of a chippy supper, you can bring your own picnic — or there’s the Workers’ Institute Cafe, where we grabbed a cheese sandwich for the boys to share on the car journey home.
There’s also the T. Cook’s sweet shop, where costumed staff weigh out classic sweets, like mint humbugs, into paper bags.
Next-door is the cute Veal’s bakery, where the boys gobbled down a brownie.
The museum captures authentic smells, too. The industrial scent of coal filled the air, the homes you can go inside smelled authentically lived-in and even the outdoor lavvies were stinky, which my boys obviously found hilarious.
As is the way with primary school kids, the lads were delighted to hear the gross facts the dressed-up characters cheerily shared.
The barman in one of several old-fashioned pubs was happy to answer their questions about why there was sawdust sprinkled on the floor (it was, disgustingly, to soak up the spit of the working men).
Wilf thought the best part was the tour of the faithfully-rendered boat docks — the dock worker was so charismatic.
Jasper, on the other hand, was most enamoured with the historic fairground filled with a few of the beautiful, vintage rides (which cost an extra £2.50 each), as well as the Blacksmith’s Workshop, where we all enjoyed watching an extremely engaging demonstration of chain-making in a furnace.
Fans of Peaky Blinders will get a thrill walking round the museum as its historic streets and buildings have been used as filming locations in all six series of the BBC show.
There really is so much to fit in that we didn’t have time to try the retro putting green or join in with an authentic Edwardian school lesson — we were kicking ourselves for only allowing ourselves three hours.
But the bonus of the Black Country Living Museum is that if you buy a day ticket, you have unlimited return visits for 12 months.
Grandad Dave and I vowed to have a pint together when we return.
These old-fashioned pubs really are the perfect place to distract yourself from the modern day.
GO: BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM
ADULT tickets cost from £27.95 when booked in advance, while child tickets cost from £15.50.
Day tickets come with an UnChained Annual Pass, which gives unlimited return visits for 12 months. See bclm.com.