Church Treasures

Nov 8, 2023

G. H. Randle and W. Randle of Kings Norton

Some of you may recall an earlier post where we wondered who had created the lovely St Mary & St Anne window at St Augustine of Hippo near Dudley. Well, one of us had the clever idea of looking at the recently updated Pevsner covering the Black Country which gave us a name and a… Continue reading

Church Treasures

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Oct 10, 2023

What do you keep in your coal cellar?

We are blessed throughout the Black Country with some amazing stained glass in our churches – from Camm and Evans in Smethwick, Lemmon and Davies and the “members” of the Bromsgrove Guild, and of course the long-lasting Hardman company. It’s such a shame that so many of these delights are behind locked doors. But something… Continue reading

Burial, Church Treasures

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Oct 4, 2023

The Morris window at Coseley

William Morris the writer, poet and social activist who is more widely known for his designs of textiles, wallpaper, furniture, and stained glass, died 127 years ago yesterday on the 3rd October in 1896. The decorative arts and furnishings company Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (1861–1875) was founded by Morris who later restructured the company, changing the… Continue reading

Church Treasures

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Sep 24, 2023

St Mary & St Anne at St Augustine of Hippo

Wonderful treasures hide inside the late 19thc red brick church of St Augustine of Hippo at Holly Hall in Dudley! Not only splendid glass by the Camm’s of Smethwick (which will no doubt be put on the blog at a later date) but the most exquisite window dedicated to Annie Maria Garratt by her son… Continue reading

Burial, Church Treasures

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Sep 13, 2023

More Patshull Memorials

St Mary’s Patshull is a lovely church, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was built in the 1740s by James Gibbs (who was also responsible for the Hall) for Sir John Astley, who had had the older Patshull parish church demolished as it was on the site where he wanted to… Continue reading

Burial, Church Treasures

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Sep 4, 2023

Sir Rick Astley

The splendid Astley tomb at Patshull, a rare surviving portrayal of Royalist Troops in the 17th century. Sir Richard Astley (Rick?) is pictured leading the troops. He raised a troop of horse for King Charles I and served as captain during the first Civil War, possibly fighting with Lord Loughborough’s regiment. The Astleys, Royalists during… Continue reading

Church Treasures, Uncategorized

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Sep 3, 2023

Hidden Treasure in Christ Church Lye

We visited Christ Church Lye early in August, eager to see the stained glass in the Church, predominantly by A.E. Lemmon. We were not disappointed. We were absolutely thrilled to discover a forgotten window by Lemmon, now hidden upstairs after reordering by the church. The window of the Good Shepherd is dedicated to Thomas &… Continue reading

Church Treasures

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About the BCDM

The Black Country Dying Museum is a virtual museum residing on this blog and various social media exploring all aspects of death and dying across the West Midlands and beyond.

The BCDM is managed by a small group of friends, historians and church crawlers who have lived and worked in the Black Country for most of their lives and aims to celebrate Black Country history and culture through a focus on the morbid, the gruesome and the unwholesome, as well as the beautiful in the memorials and art hidden away in our churches and buildings.

Expect grim and unnatural tales of accidental death, murder, disease, near misses, horror, folklore and the supernatural. We might even include a bit of creative writing – inspired by real events of course!

We look at the art of death, at memorials to the famous and the infamous, the rich and the poor, the forgotten and the remembered, and at the local craftswomen and men who carved, painted and designed them.

In glass, in stone, in wood. In churches, market squares, on street corners and factory walls. We will share with you the classy, the quirky, the impressive and the surprising, the folksy and the classical.

Most history is ultimately about dead people. This museum proclaims with pride the many and various ways in which the good people of the Black Country (both by birth and adoption) have expired, shoved off, passed on, drawn the curtains, kicked the bucket, croaked, expired, bitten the dust or bought the farm. Or even managed to narrowly escape the grim reaper’s clutches.

Comments observations and contributions (the more grisly and ghastly the better) are always welcome.

Please be aware that much of the content is based on primary, often unpublished, research. All photographs are our own unless otherwise stated. We are more than happy for you to link to our sites and articles. If you want to otherwise make use of our content or images please check with us first. It is only good manners.