Living History






The Black Country Living Museum is a real gem for us to expand our understanding of the area we are experiencing by canal. 

While many of the buildings have been moved here brick by brick, it is the storytellers who make the place come alive. Kevin joked to this shopkeeper about what a pain it is to add Roman numerals. The shopkeeper replied something like "you said that to the wrong guy," claiming he used to solve his math problems using Roman numerals. Note: this was a personal anecdote and not a history lesson for the times represented. 

The chemist showed us how pills were made. 


A housewife taught us that the word stroppy meant that kids were misbehaving and ready for the razor strop. 

Many brickmakers were female. They would make between 500 and 1000 bricks a day, one at a time, up until the '50s. 


When he heard we were from the U.S., the pawnbroker was eager to tell us about travelling to Tombstone and participating in a reenactment of the shootout at the OK corral. Lots of details. His delight was infectious. 


Let's! 

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