Revamp makes my heart glow, says Lenny Henry on trip to Dudley
Comedian and actor Lenny Henry pronounced his passion for the Black Country as he opened a new £6 million archives centre in his home town.
Unveiling a plaque inside the archives and local history centre in Tipton Road, Dudley, the 55-year-old said ongoing work to revamp the town's market and zoo alongside the presence of the Black Country Living Museum made his 'heart glow', while also giving his personal backing to Black Country Day this July.
Lenny, who was made Freeman of Dudley in February last year, said: "The fact they are doing the market is wonderful. The zoo has had a makeover and this is tied in with the Black Country Living Museum – these are all things which make my heart glow.
"It's not just about commerce, it's not just about money, it's about the history, and it's about tradition. I think that Dudley has a great tradition as a market town, as somewhere which is important in the Black Country in its own right."
The centre took two years to create and replaces the council's old archives centre in Mount Pleasant, Coseley.
Its wide, open rooms are filled with shelves crammed with more than 33,000 precious photographs, records and illustrations detailing the history and development of the Dudley Borough.
Lenny said: "If you don't know where you are from, you don't know where you are going.
"This is a wonderful facility and I hope the whole of Dudley take it on with pride and use it as a research place and where to find their roots.
"It's part of the whole rejuvenation of Dudley, which I really really applaud. I want to see Dudley back with a marvellous market place, the zoo being used to its full capacity and used by everybody."
