Dudley, England
Capital of the Black Country
"Where the Earth Moved (Geologically, and Also the Castle Foundations)"
Official Coat of Arms
A shield bearing a ruined Norman castle rampant over a trilobite fossil, in recognition of the town giving its name to an entire geological age (the Dudleyan), flanked by two shopping trolleys facing hopefully toward Merry Hill. Above, a giraffe's head peers over the castle battlements, motto beneath reading 'We Had It First'.
TripAdvisor Review
★★★☆☆ 3/5
"Visited the castle and zoo which was actually a lovely surprise, you don't expect to see a giraffe next to a ruined Norman keep but here we are. The town centre itself is a bit of a ghost town since the Merry Hill centre hoovered up every shop that ever existed, and finding parking near the market involved circling for twenty minutes. Dudley Museum's got some genuinely brilliant fossil stuff though, the whole area's basically famous in geology circles which nobody tells you. Solid three stars, more if they sort out the bus station."— Graham_Petrology_Enthusiast, Kidderminster
Property Listing
Nestled in the beating heart of the Black Country, this vibrant borough offers unrivalled access to one of the region's premier retail destinations at Merry Hill, a castle AND a zoo within walking distance, and genuine geological world heritage right under your feet. Rare opportunity to own a slice of industrial heritage with excellent motorway links and a surprisingly good view of a giraffe.
Twinned With
Merry Hill — Because Dudley's own town centre trade got twinned with its out-of-town shopping centre decades ago and never got it back.
Supporting Evidence
Dudley is so geologically significant that a stage of the Silurian period, the Dudleian, is named after it, and the town's castle grounds host Dudley Zoo, meaning you can see actual giraffes wandering below 900-year-old Norman ruins.