WATCH: Night sky to light up like furnace at Black Country Museum
It's the distinctive glow which gave the Black Country recognition as the cradle of the industrial revolution.
And it will be celebrated tomorrow when the night sky lights up like a fiery furnace at the Black Country Living Museum.
The Dudley-based attraction celebrates the industrial heartland when it stages the Red by Night event under the stars tomorrow.
It will open after hours for a living history event showcasing the industrial might of the region.
While visiting in 1868, American diplomat and travel writer Elihu Burritt famously described the area as 'black by day and red by night'.
During his visit he witnessed coal-fired furnaces and collieries spread thick black smoke during the day and let off a fiery red glow throughout the night as men, women and often children worked 24/7 to supply the world with everything from chains to glass.
As part of the European annual Museums at Night festival, the Museum will recreate the distinctive glow described by Burritt as costumed demonstrators and skilled craftsmen bring the 26-acre site to life.
A full scale replica of the world's very first successful steam engine, the Newcomen, will be fired up, while re-enactors will put on live demonstrations, using centuries-old techniques to forge chains, nails and brass. The Performing Arts Department at Dudley College will also be using audio effects and light projections to portray the scale and intensity of the industrial revolution.
Dr John Beckerson, senior curator at the museum, said: "This is a fantastic event because it allows visitors to witness the Black Country how it would have been – noisy, smoky and full of life.
"It is all too easy to forget the conditions that people worked in and the consequences of that work.
"But this is the story of the industrial revolution, a turning point in Britain's national story that the Black Country had a lead role in, allowing Britain to become one of the largest empires the world has ever known. We welcome visitors to come and immerse themselves in this story."
Gates open at 7pm and close at 10.30pm. Tickets are available at half price rates – adults £8.25 and children £4.10. The event is advanced booking only at bclm.co.uk or telephone 0121 520 8054.
