The Black Country tour

9.32.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 21st Jun 2008

My parents and I have a mini-Black Country tour today. We went to the Black Country Living Museum, the Crooked House, Himley Hall Gardens and then Mad O'Roukes Pie Factory.

I had never been to the Black Country Living Museum before and we all really enjoyed it. The Museum is in two main sections the first including the history of steam and coal in the area with a replica Newcomen Engine (the first steam engine) and a underground mine trip along with other example of life at that time with a great example of a tilted house which had various parts of the house at different angles due to mining underneath. The second section was a recreation of a village which gave a feel of the early twentieth century living in the area. Both sections were very interesting and I will certainly be having a return visit.

We then went on to the Crooked House in Himley. The Crooked House is a pub where one side is four foot lower than the other. Inside the angles are all rather confusing, but the aid of a golf ball can show which way is up and which way is down - despite what you might think! It is a good tourist attraction but I am not sure getting drunk there is a good idea - I can just imagine the falling over!

Himley Hall was closed by the time we got there but we had a walk around the gardens before heading to Mad O'Roukes Pie Factory where I had my normal desperate Dan' pie.