£1.1m work opens up Severn Sisters Mines

A £1.1million project to give visitors a closer look at the Black Country's historic Seven Sisters Mines will get under way next week.

New viewing platforms will be installed by the limestone mines in Wrens Nest Nature Reserve, Dudley hailed as one of the most important geological sites in the world. Information boards chronicling the past will be installed.

Tourism bosses at Dudley Council hope the work will help visitor figures increase from 12,000 to around 20,000 a year.

They also hope it will help pave the way for further improvements including re-opening up the mines, which have been temporarily sealed off by being pumped full of sand.

The Ripples Through Time project received a grant of around £800,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The work, due to get underway on Tuesday, will see a car park created by the entrance to the nature reserve as well as clear signs to direct visitors.

Different self-guided routes will be available for visitors to make their way around the park.

Tourism development officer, Penny Russell said: "Many people do not know the nature reserve is here or how to get to it. We thought it was important to create a focal point.

"It is also important step to improvement people's knowledge and enjoyment of the site."

There are also plans to create interactive displays to allow visitors to hunt for fossils near the remains of a coral reef from the time when Dudley was beneath the sea.

The existing viewing platform by the ripple beds created by waves will be upgraded for easy access by wheelchair.

A closed footpath by the Seven Sisters will be opened up again to the public and will be providing spectacular views of the limestone formations.