A £30m tourism project in the Black Country which is forecast to create more than 140 jobs has received a £711,000 investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The Black Country Living Museum is building a range of attractions at its site in Dudley.
Once finished, the Forging Ahead project will include a new visitor welcome centre, learning spaces, industrial quarter, and historic high street.
It will expand the visitor experience by around a third and allow the museum to cater for about half a million visitors a year.
The first phase of the project features 26 historic buildings and structures. Work to recreate Wolverhampton’s Elephant and Castle pub has already been completed, and Dudley’s Woodside Library will also be rebuilt.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “I’m extremely pleased that the WMCA was able to help make this exciting new development a reality.
“The museum is a fantastic heritage and cultural asset for our region helping to generate tourist income and new jobs for the West Midlands.
“It’s fascinating to see how iconic buildings are being saved for future generations through these meticulous brick-by-brick reconstructions and recreations.
“The museum already does a wonderful job of whisking people back in time to explore the Black Country’s amazingly rich heritage and the new Forging Ahead development will supercharge that experience further still.”
Once completed, Forging Ahead will create more than 140 jobs, with 30 of these a direct result of the WMCA’s investment in the scheme.
Andrew Lovett, chief executive at Black Country Living Museum, said: “This investment from the WMCA cements our ambition to bring the museum’s story into the 1940s, 50s and 60s and step into living memory. We will widen our storytelling and introduce our visitors to new Black Country characters and stories that they might not be familiar with.
“The feedback from our visitors following the opening of the Elephant and Castle pub has been wonderful, and we can’t wait to bring other beloved buildings back to life and expand the visitor experience.
“The wealth of personal memories we’ve heard has been heartening. We couldn’t be happier.”
