The Black Country lost to time: Locals share 15 things they miss most from the Black Country's past

It is not unknown that our Black Country has a rich and diverse history.

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But with each decade our towns have changed. The Black Country is not what it was 50 years ago.

We asked Express & Star readers what they would bring back from the Black Country's past – and over 450 people responded, many with mutual thoughts.

Here's a selection of the top things that locals miss most.

Some of the brewery's vehicles from early in the 20th century

1. Banks's and Hanson's pubs

In the late 1800s, a merger took place between the Banks's & Co brewery and the Victoria & Dudley Breweries. Since that merger, in 1890, the company expanded massively, snapping up a string of local breweries and pubs in the early decades.

The company changed its name to Marston's in 2007, which sadly saw many Banks's pubs in Wolverhampton and the Black Country being rebranded.

Walsall Arboretum illuminations photographed in August, 1964, after they had been installed at a cost of £7,500

2. Walsall Arboretum Illuminations

A huge annual light display in Walsall Arboretum ran every year between 1951 and 2008 as part of Walsall's Festival of Britain celebrations. Fears over the future of the lights extravaganza then began to raise, but council chiefs insisted it was under review.

In 2011, it was announced that the illuminations would not be returning. It emerged that the show was losing £200,000 a year and suffering from dwindling numbers.

The Crooked House was known for its subsidence even when pictured here in 1904. Built as a farmhouse on the estate of Sir Stephen Glynne in 1765, it started to collapse in the mid 1800s due to mining below.

3. The Crooked House

Built in 1765, the quirky and historic pub was known by the nation for its wonky interior. It was sadly destroyed by a fire in August 2023.

The 1980 Cradley Heathens speedway team with Alan Grahame, Erik Gunderson, Dave Perks, manager Bob Wasley, Bruce Penhall, John Hack, Phil Collins, and Illa Teromaq.

4. Cradley Heath Speedway

Originating in Dudley, the motorcycle speedway team Cradley Heathens were founded in 1947. The team competed primarily at the top level of British speedway at Dudley Wood Stadium until its closure in 1995. The team was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, but had their final season at the 2019 National League Speedway, where they finished in fourth place.