JANUARY 29TH, 2010
By ADMINISTRATOR

Dudley

Nursing Homes near Dudley

West Midlands

Approximate Population: 194,919

Dudley is to be found in the Black Country in the Midlands lying just to the North West of Birmingham in an area that was back in Anglo Saxon Times better known as a woodland clearing and it is from this that Dudley gained its name – “Duddah’s Leah” which is believed to translate to woodland clearing owned by Dud / Duddah the Saxon lord who instigated the building of a castle on the site of todays ruinous remains.

But it was the 18th and 19th centuries that were to set Dudley on its industrial path to its fortune, it was here that the iron trade was rapidly becoming established, at the start it was the small scale production of nails but this was to burgeon into full scale iron production through those centuries.

In the 19th century Dudley was the Capital of the Black Country – its industry was producing more goods than ever before to satisfy demand. It wasn’t just iron that was produced as Dudley earned a reputation for the production of high quality glassware with companies like Royal Brierly Crystal and Royal Doulton taking advantage of the location, workforce and raw materials. Today Dudley boats the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and the Waterfront Business Park, it is true that Dudley is adapting to change and whilst this may have taken some time the change today is a change for the better.