At the start of the 1980s, many local factories were closing due to the industrial recession. Round Oak Steel Works at Brierley Hill closed on the 23rd December, 1982, at a time when around 13 percent of the working population in Dudley was unemployed.

In October 1984, Dudley council approved the plans of Don and Roy Richardson, twin brothers, both local businessmen who wanted to build a retail park and shopping centre on the site of the works and in the surrounding area.

In 1980, the farmland around the steelworks had been designated as an Enterprise Zone, by the government. This was extended in 1984 to include the site of the steelworks. When the council had agreed to the Richardson brothers’ plans, the steel works were demolished and work began on what was to become Merry Hill Shopping Centre.

By the autumn of 1985, some of the shops had opened and others followed in April 1986. The shopping centre was completed in November, 1989.

It brought a large number of jobs to the area, including some from Dudley Town centre, when several of the larger shops relocated to Merry Hill.

The old steelworks site remained empty until December 1990, when new offices were completed as part of the Waterfront development.


The Merry Hill Shopping Centre.


Part of the Waterfront Development.


Another view of the Waterfront Development.


The old Market Place.
   
Images of old pubs
on old postcards
   


Another view of the old Market Place.

 Dudley Market Place was given a facelift in the early 1980s when the drainage and sewage systems were modernised. The surface was improved by the removal of the old cobbles that were replaced with flat concrete paving stones.

Ornamental cast iron bollards were fitted to block off the road so that the section between New Street and Stone Street could be pedestrianised.

New stalls were installed along with benches and litter bins and permanent flower displays. The project cost around £90,000.

While the work was in progress, the market temporarily moved to Stone Street.


The pedestrianised Market Place.

From 1966, Dudley had a mobile library service, run from the central library. There were service points at Netherton, Woodside, Dudley Wood and Lodge Farm. The library also served several schools. The service ended in May 1991 because of financial cutbacks and lack of use.


The video lending section at Dudley Library.

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing at Dudley Town Hall. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was a frequent visitor to the Town Hall, which was known for its excellent acoustics and could seat 1,060 people at a concert.
Dudley’s Freightliner Terminal opened on the 6th November, 1967 and was built at a cost of around £250,000. It could handle up to 12 trains each day and was very successful. Because of the high workload, a second terminal opened in Birmingham, but in July 1981 Freightliner Limited announced that all of Dudley’s traffic would be moved to the Birmingham site, even though the Dudley terminal was the 4th most profitable terminal in the country and the terminal at Birmingham made the third biggest loss. The terminal survived until September 1986, when the staff and everything else was transferred to Birmingham.

In 1994, Burton Road Hospital was demolished and offered for sale in September 1995 as an area of 13 acres, suitable for residential development. Dudley Council approved redevelopment plans and a total of 253, mainly three and four bedroom houses were built on the site. They were put on sale in May 1996, with prices ranging from £49,000 for a three bedroom semi-detached house to £89,000 for a four-bedroom detached house.


The Brooke Robinson Gallery in the old museum and art gallery, in Priory Street.


Dudley Council House.


Mounted West Midlands Police officers and a West Midlands Police dog handler.
In February 1996 the remaining Dudley Girls’ High School buildings in Priory Road were demolished due to the school’s amalgamation with Dudley Grammar School, to form the Dudley School, in September 1975. In 1989 it became Castle High School and in September 2018, it became St James Academy.

In April 1999, a new state of the art fire station at Burton Road was officially opened by Councillor Peter Bilson. The site had required a great deal of stabilisation work because of old mine workings. The building, which had cost around £2.2 million, replaced the old fire station in Tower Street.

On the 19th July, 1999, Millfield Court and Prince of Wales Court, two of the 20 story Eve Hill tower blocks were demolished by controlled demolition in front of a large crowd of spectators. The flats had fallen into disrepair and the 236 residents were given compensation and priority for re-housing. The third tower block, Butterfield Court, was renovated. The site of the tower blocks was redeveloped for housing.


Himley Hall.


A narrow boat emerges from Dudley Canal Tunnel into Castle Mill Basin.


Dudley Castle.


Wrens Nest Nature Reserve.
Dudley Market Place and High Street have had mixed fortunes since the success of the shopping centre at Merry Hill and the closure of some of the country’s leading department stores. British Home Stores closed in June 1990, Marks and Spencer closed in August 1990, C & A closed in January 1992, Littlewoods closed in January 1990, Woolworths closed in December 2008, Beatties closed in January 2010, WHSmith closed in 2013, River Island closed in 2020, Argos and New Look closed in 2021. Other losses include Thorntons and Dorothy Perkins.

In 2014 and 2015 the Market Place and Castle Street was redeveloped at a cost of £6.7million thanks to Dudley Council and the European Regional Development Fund. The project included the building of 74 new market stalls, new paving, improved lighting and street furniture. The market fountain was restored, the Earl of Dudley's statue was re-positioned in a raised lawn and the Duncan Edwards statue was refurbished and moved. A new bronze statue of Ben Boucher was added. He loved drinking beer, which was paid for by selling poems.


The redeveloped Market Place.

Herman Smith Hitco's computer controlled autoclave for curing resins. Herman Smith Hitco invested £100,000 on the computer-controlled autoclave, which was one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. The company later became F.R. Hitco and built new premises in the Dudley Enterprise Zone at New Road, Netherton, for the manufacture of advanced composite structures for aerospace, commercial and industrial applications. It was recognised by the Ministry of Defence in 1983 and became part of British Petroleum on the 30th June, 1987.

Ewarts Limited. Manufacturer of hot brass stampings, metal pressings, machined components and pipe assemblies.


Rotabolt Limited, manufacturers of a revolutionary pre-tensioned bolt.

Parker Thompson Cycles Limited, manufacturer of sports and lightweight cycles in Dudley Enterprise Zone. The business was founded by Jim Parker and Andy Thompson in Peartree Lane, Dudley.


Fens Pools Nature Reserve.


Himley Hall and grounds.


The Ryemarket Shopping Centre, Stourbridge.


Bentley's Wine Bar, Castle Hill.
Since 2018 things have improved in Dudley's shopping area. The number of empty shops has decreased since 2013, when almost a third of high street properties were empty. Hopefully this trend will continue and empty shops will one day, be a thing of the past.


The Moor Centre in Brierley Hill, which was acquired by Evolve Estates, London, in 2015.

The Dry Dock pub in Netherton. It opened in about 1845 as the Bulls Head and became the Dry Dock in June 1985 with a narrow boat inside as a bar. It closed in December 2005.

Ellowes Hall Sedgley, built in 1821 as the home of coal and ironmaster, John Turton Ferriday. It stood near to Ellowes Hall Sports College and was occupied by the Home Guard in World War 2. Sadly it was demolished in 1964.

Cavendish House, next to Duncan Edwards Way, was seen as an eyesore by many people after it remained empty for around 20 years, having previously been the Inland Revenue offices. It was finally demolished in May, 2020.


The Crooked House pub, off Himley Road.


The building of the new canal tunnel into the Singing Cavern.


The Singing Cavern in the Dudley Canal Tunnel.
Brierley Hill’s Waterfront Complex will hopefully have a bright future. In recent times, two new bars, several start-up companies and a street food market have opened, but some shops are still empty. It is hoped that the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill metro extension will have a big impact on the area, bringing much needed shoppers and helping people to commute to and from work.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough has steadily grown and now has a population of around 313,000. Future projects include an Institute of Technology and a Higher Education ‘university park’. Other projects include a national centre for a new transport technology, called Very Light Rail. The Very Light Rail (VLR) National Innovation Centre will hopefully transform the rail industry. A two-kilometre test track has already been laid. The Portersfield residential and leisure development close to the new Midland Metro route is expected to bring hundreds of jobs. The future looks very bright and hopefully Dudley will continue to go from strength to strength.


Dudley Castle and Zoo.


Dudley Hippodrome.
   
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