The population of Dudley grew considerably in the first half of the twentieth century. In 1941 it was 62,100 compared to 48,744 in 1901. After the war there was an acute housing shortage, especially for returning soldiers, evacuees and those whose houses had been destroyed in bombing raids. As an interim measure, Dudley council built prefabs and were assisted by government grants. The first post-war council house to be completed, was officially opened by the mayor, Alderman T. E. Bennett, in July 1946. It was built at a cost of £1,100 in Wood Street, Woodside, as part of a development consisting of 48 council houses, that were built in the immediate area.

Because of the housing problem, fourteen families moved into the former American army camp off Burton Road. They were allowed stay there for some time by the local authority, to whom they paid a token rent. The families were initially squatters, and moved into the empty buildings on the 15th August, 1946. They called the dwellings Rosemary Crescent.


Part of the Priory Estate. From an old postcard.

Because of the austerity after the war, a large number of people couldn't afford to go on holiday in the summer and so many families went hop-picking. They were paid for the work, which was comparatively easy and got them into the countryside. The hop-yards in Worcestershire relied on the arrival of the hop-pickers each summer, who would stay in cowsheds and outhouses. A whole family and possibly their dog would take everything needed to survive during the fortnight. It was extremely popular and large numbers of people descended onto the farms. Special constables from Dudley were sent to police the area in case of bad behaviour etc.

There were still food shortages and so bread rationing and potato rationing were introduced. Harvest camps continued up to 1949, farmers needing the help of schoolchildren because of a shortage of agricultural labour. Utility furniture and household appliances were rationed until 1950 and sweets continued to be rationed until February 1953.

In 1947 the public library was modernised and the borough council acquired special powers under the Dudley Corporation Act to extend the library service to include music, drama and ballet. The council, in collaboration with the Arts Council, opened the Netherton Arts Centre and equipped a civic theatre there. The Dudley Arts Club was also founded and a fine park was built at Netherton. In the same year, the school leaving age was raised to fifteen.

In 1948, the council opened a fully equipped Civic Restaurant, on the corner of Fisher Street and Birmingham Street.


Netherton Library and Arts Centre.


Netherton Library and Arts Centre.
In 1948 the Council commissioned Hans Feibusch, the famous mural painter, to paint the mural in the Proscenium Arch in the Town Hall

The mural is 25 feet long and depicts Roger de Somery  hunting deer in Kinver Forest. The huntsmen were based on portraits of Alderman T. E. Bennett;  A. V. Williams, town clerk;  F. H. Gibbons, borough engineer; and C. V. Mackenzie, curator of the museum and art gallery.

Dudley College of Technology

Building work on the Dudley and Staffordshire Technical College was finally completed in 1948, with the opening of the Engineering Workshop. The origin of the college can be traced back to 1862 with the building of Dudley Public Hall and Mechanics Institute, which provided technical, recreational and vocational needs for students. In the mid 1890s the Lancastrian Board School in Stafford Street was acquired to provide additional accommodation. This became known as Dudley Technical School.

The premises proved to be quite unsuitable and so in 1918 an agreement was made between Dudley and Staffordshire Education Committees to build a new college to provide technical education facilities for Dudley and the surrounding area. In 1927, five acres of land between The Broadway and Castle Hill was given by Dudley Council and a design for the new building was soon produced. It was to be called Dudley and Staffordshire Technical College and would be built at a cost of £136,000.

Funds were in short supply, only £77,500 was available and so the governors decided to build only part of the building, leaving the remainder until later. The plan was to build the ground floor and lower ground floor, along with a small part of the first floor, but leaving out the assembly hall and the gymnasium. Building work did not begin until May 1931, after a tender for £74,177 had been accepted. Luckily the Miner's Welfare Committee contributed a further £6,000 and extra funds were found to build the octagonal assembly hall.

The first students were admitted in September, 1935 and the college was officially opened by Earl de la Warr, in March 1936. The College’s first principal was Arnold W. Gibson. In 1937 a Junior Technical and Commercial School was established there and at the outbreak of war, the college began training RAF radio operators and educating air crew.

 
The college in the late 1930s.

After the war, building work started on the engineering workshop, which was completed in 1948. The college then opened new departments of mechanical, structural and electrical engineering, along with a department of 'women’s subjects'. Expansion continued in 1949 with an extended engineering workshop encompassing metrology and a fitting shop. It was extended again in 1955 to include an electrical installation workshop, a soil mechanics laboratory and a craft science laboratory.


The electrical engineering laboratory in the late 1930s.


A cookery lesson in the late 1930s.


The welding shop.

In 1966, as a result of the local boundary changes, the joint administration by Staffordshire and Dudley came to an end and the college became the sole responsibility of the local authority in Dudley. The college was renamed Dudley Technical College and since that time has continued to grow and invest in the latest technology.

In 1968 the entrance foyer was completed along with the board room, more offices, classrooms, laboratories, an extended student refectory and motor vehicle, electrical and hydraulic laboratories. In 1972 the college medical service was formed and a glass centre at Brierley Hill Annexe was officially opened in 1973.


The college in 2006.

Expansion continued in the fields of computing and community care. Courses began to feature computing, microprocessors and robotics. Art courses began on The Broadway site in 1979 and the college became Dudley College of Technology. In the 1980s an information technology centre opened along with an open access practical training unit. There were vocational courses in engineering, business studies, hairdressing and secretarial work. The choices for students were almost endless.

The college has greatly expanded in recent times, with many new sites in Dudley and the surrounding area. It has been extremely successful and offers an excellent pathway to higher education. It has been rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.


A final view of the college.


The Civic Centre garden in the late 1940s.


Another view of the Civic Centre garden. From an old postcard.
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