I think the Black Country's bostin' – and here's 12 reasons why
What makes the Black Country great? How much paper have you got? Almost everything that is good in your life is linked to the Black Country one way or another. But just to get you started, here's a dozen things that make the Black Country bostin':
1.The birthplace of the age of steam
We've got to start with the reason that July 14 is chosen for Black Country Day: it marks the anniversary of the world's first working steam engine built by Thomas Newcomen at Coneygree Mine Works, about a mile from Dudley Castle, on July 14 in 1712. Imagine how different the world would be today if Newcomen had not created this amazing piece of technology – we would probably still be travelling on horse-drawn carts.
2. The canals
These were the motorways of the 19th century, the HS2 of the Industrial Revolution. Their construction enabled the (relatively) rapid transportation of raw materials, and the delivery of finished products around the country – and of course to the docks where they would be transported around the world. Many of the Black Country canals were the work of James Brindley, an engineering genius who came up with some incredible feats of technology which made it possible to navigate the hilly terrain of the region. They looked to be in a state of terminal decline in the 1950s, but the hard work of hundreds of volunteers across the region led to them being restored and becoming prized leisure assets.
3. Dudley Castle
From the Norman Conquest to the English Civil War the history of Britain has been shaped by the goings on at Dudley Castle.
Generally thought to have been built at the time of the Norman Conquest – although there is a line of thought that it might go back as far as 700AD – this splendid ruin has been a centre of intrigue for almost 1,000 years.
In 1553 its owner John Dudley had his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey installed as queen of England and Ireland, although her reign would last for only nine days. When Mistress Dorothy Beaumont, wife of Royalist leader Lt Col John Beaumont, died at the castle, the Roundheads outside even stopped fighting to allow her funeral procession to make its way around the town. Now that’s what you call history.
4. The Tipton Slasher
Fighters didn't come much harder than the great bare-knuckle bruiser from the Black Country, who first claimed the English heavyweight championship on December 17, 1850, when he by defeated Tom Paddock over 27 rounds.
