My Trip to DUDLEY, England

     Well, I finally got to see it! Dudley Castle, and the surrounding town of Dudley. Most likely, all Dudley's may be able to trace at least some part of their ancestry here, and its a trip that (if you are able) you should make. But let my experience be both an inspiration and warning to you.

    My daughter Tina and I arrived in Birmingham (the closest Airport to Dudley) on the 11th of June. After settling in our hotel room (another story!) we boarded a bus (costing 90 pence--right at $1 at the time--its really cheap) and headed for Dudley. The bus trip only took 45 minutes (it stopped all along the way), and dropped us off right in front of the Castle and Zoo! I was in heaven! Wanting to wait until our English Cousin Michael would arrive the next day (actually, he was already there, but we didn't know it), Tina and I decided to find the visitors bureau. As most people are really nice, it did not take long at all to obtain directions--and the street signs were remarkably accurate.

    The visitors center is in what we Yanks would call a Mini-Mall. Arriving, I thought I would be able to find scores of posters, pictures, books, etc. on the Castle. Well, I was a mite disappointed. While they did have one or two things (actually, I wound up spending about $75) such as T-shirts (but no extra-large, or childrens sizes), coffee cups (I bought 6) a few postcards, and ONE map, it had NO printed information on the Castle at all. I should have guessed what was going to happen then, but for some reason I didn't. Carting a box of coffee cups, and the rest of my purchase, we headed back to the hotel room for a much needed night of sleep. Surely tomorrow would be the time of my life!

    You have to understand--while my main reason for going was to see the Castle and to meet my English cousin', I also wanted to buy a bunch of books that they should have had on the history of the Castle, and perhaps the Barons of Dudley. In the U.S. (as you all know) most historic sites are selling you things going in, while you are there, then the mandatory souvenir store as you leave. That is what I thought would happen here. I was in for a shock.
    We met Michael and his charming wife in their hotel the next day. After the requisite small talk (which could have gone on all day, but we both wanted at the Castle) we were off to the Castle! We only walked a short 10 minutes, and arrived at the gate to the Zoo and Castle. We looked around very briefly in the shop there, and not seeing anything of interest (more bad tidings), we walked around the Zoo on our way to the Castle.
    Then--there it was! The entrance to Dudley Castle:

    I was in awe! It really was a real castle! While most of it is burned out (read the history on another page) all the main buildings are still intact:

    The Castle has a virtual tour (computer generated mock-ups of what they believe the castle looked like during its hey-day) which was very good, and a few other goodies that kept you interested. Most of the information on display enhanced the impact that John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, had upon the castle. I can see why, since he was probably the most famous (well, at least infamous) of the Dudley family to own it--and the last to make great improvements to the castle. The guide that was on hand seem knowledgable enough about the history of the castle, and I just knew that all of this information, and more, would be available at the Castle gift shop! On we went!

    After about an hour of looking around and exploring the ruins of Dudley Castle, and after suffering near heart attack going up the main tower, we stopped for a quick drink in one of the zoo's mini-restaurants while waiting for the Castle's gift shop to open. Surely it would have all the info on the castle I would ever need! Cousin Michael thought so to.

    Then, it opened.

    In the Castle gift shop I received the biggest let down of my entire seven days in the U.K. All it had was a few postcards (the same you could buy anywhere in downtown Dudley) and a sixty pence (about $.75) Xerox'd walking guide (missing a page, I might add!), and NOTHING (that's right--nothing) else! Oh, it had some "play Knight" sets (you know, plastic sword and helmet), Medieval story books, a cut-out castle (not Dudley Castle), etc., but, that was pretty much it. I was aghast! (so was Cousin Michael) I kept asking "where can I find some info on the Castle?" To which was answered "Oh, I really don't know--did you try the visitor's center?" "Yes", I replied "Then you might try the library or the Dudley museum downtown" the woman said. Cousin Michael, I believe, was beside himself. "I just do not understand how a historical site can have no printed information" he said once or twice. I agreed.

    So, after walking back to the entrance via the zoo (to see a few more of the animals), we went in search of the Dudley Museum. Since the town of Dudley is still pretty much laid out as it was about a hundred years ago, finding our way around was a snap--thanks to some kind residents and the fairly accurate street signs and maps. Arriving at the Museum (actually, almost walking in through the back door by yours truly) we found that the Dudley Museum is more a Museum of industry than anything else, and only had a few prints of the Castle in the way of information. NOTHING else. "Try the Library" was the answer to our question here. So we did. The library was less than a 5 minute walk away.

    The result? They sold postcards here, and had a Local History section. But no printed information for sale. Zero. Nada.

    Bottom line--The City of Dudley, West Midlands, England, produces NO printed information on Dudley Castle--its main claim to fame--other than what is in its brochures. Period. Not only that, but the Castle guide (a young man that will readily answer most of your questions) and the school teachers (which showed up with their classes to tour the castle) were the ONLY folks in town that seemed to know anything of value about the area. But what about the folks at the visitors center? Oh, they knew the general history of the town, and that the Castle was built (first) during William the Conqueror's time, and that John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland made extensive enhancements to it, but other than that--zilch. Just as we were leaving, Michael found out that there was a "Friends of the Castle" group somewhere. He was going to find more information on them, and may have by the time you read this. Hopefully, they may help.


    So why do I so desperately want the info? Study, of course! It's a castle with our family name attached! And, since I am working on a book about our families beginnings, YES, I wish to publish some new information about it! I knew that none was available in the U.S., but believed that Dudley itself might have some. I was wrong.

    We had a wonderful time with our English cousins there in Dudley, and YES, the castle is VERY worth visiting! Should you ever plan to be in the Birmingham/Dudley area, email me and I will tell you how to get to Dudley....its only 1 1/2 hours by train from London.

Cheers!