Black Country unionism. The 20th century saw a decline in coal mining in the Black Country, with the last colliery in the region – Baggeridge Colliery near Sedgley – closing on 2 March 1968, marking the end of an era after some 300 years of mass coal mining in the region, though a small number of open cast mines remained in use for a few years afterwards. As the heavy industry that had named the region faded away, in the 1970s a museum, called the Black Country Living Museum started to take shape on derelict land near to Dudley. Today this museum
Black Country Living Museum Pawnbrokers Shop of their items and the cost of the ticket. Pawnbrokers in the Black Country needed to be where the people were. Some of these businesses started in Public Houses, which were frequently visited and saved customers a trip into town. Other Pawnbrokers operated out of converted houses in prominent positions like corner shops. The pair of cottages from School Lane in Himley originally operated as a corner shop. The setting of the display was designed to represent a small scale business. The shop takes its name from a well known Black Country pawnbroker, Joseph Wiltshire, who owned shops in Great