About Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a small town and electoral ward of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands of England, and is situated approximately 2.5 miles south of central Dudley and 2 miles north of Stourbridge. Delph Locks or the Delph Nine are a series of eight (originally nine) narrow canal locks on the Dudley No. 1 Canal in Brierley Hill, in the West Midlands, England. The Merry Hill Shopping Centre is located immediately east of Brierley Hill. Brierley Hill The Rock group Civic Hall, situated on Bank Street in the town centre, hosted several of Slade’s first gigs during the early 1970s.
Local history
Largely a product of the Industrial Revolution, Brierley Hill has a relatively recent history. Brierley Hill had become heavily industrialised by the beginning of the 19th century, with a number of quarries, collieries, glass works, and iron works emerging, one of the most famous being the Round Oak Steelworks.
By the start of the 20th century, the raw material deposits had become depleted, leading to the closure of many of the industries in the area. The steelworks site, along with the adjacent Merry Hill Farm, were subsequently designated as an Enterprise Zone, and were re-developed to create the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and The Waterfront Business Park.
Shopping and retail
Brierley Hill is home to the famous Merry Hill Centre, 1.4 million sq. ft. of retail, catering and leisure space bringing all the big name stores under one roof for an unbeatable day’s shopping. One of the largest shopping centres in the UK, Merry Hill Centre was built between 1985 and 1989 on the grounds of Merry Hill Farm, the last working urban farm in the West Midlands Situated at the heart of Dudley Borough. Add this to the town’s bustling High Street and three indoor markets and you can see the appeal Brierley Hill holds for the serious shopaholic!
Recreation
Dudley Zoo & Castle – opened in 1937. Home to over 940 animals and 163 different species and is a great local tourist attraction.
The Black Country Living Museum – The story of the world’s first industrial landscape is told from a 26-acre open-air museum occupying former industrial land reclaimed from a railway goods yard, disused lime kilns and coal pits. Visitors get to experience life in the times (including a Victorian school day!), explore rebuilt historic buildings and learn all about this key industrial period.
Education
The town currently has 10 primary schools and one secondary school for more information please go to the Dudley metropolitan city council website: www.dudley.gov.uk