View source for Dudley

{{Short description|Town in West Midlands, England}}
{{about|the town in England}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Dudley
| type = [[Town]]
| country = England
| region = West Midlands
| static_image_name = Dudley Montage.jpg
| static_image_caption = From top left: Dudley Town Centre viewed from Castle Hill with the spire of [[Church of St Thomas, Dudley|St Thomas church]]; [[Dudley Priory]]; [[Dudley Zoo]]; Dudley Market Place; [[Dudley Castle]]; Statue of [[William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley]].
| population = 79,379
| population_ref = (Built-Up Area)<br />312,900 ([[Metropolitan borough|Metropolitan Borough]]){{efn|name=population|Both figures are taken from the 2011 census.<ref name="2011 census">{{cite web|title=Usual resident population by five-year age group, local authorities in England and Wales|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/population-and-household-estimates-for-england-and-wales/rft-p04.xls|work=2011 Census|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=16 July 2012}}</ref>}}
| os_grid_reference = SO9490
| map_type = West Midlands
| map_alt = Dudley is located in the West Midlands
| coordinates = {{coord|52.508|-2.089|display=inline,title}}
| post_town = DUDLEY
| postcode_area = DY
| postcode_district = DY1 – 3
| constituency_westminster = [[Dudley (UK Parliament constituency)|Dudley]]
| dial_code = 01384
| dial_code1 = 0121
| dial_code2 = 01902
| london_distance_mi = 108
| london_distance_km = 174
| metropolitan_borough = [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough|Dudley]]
| metropolitan_county = [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
| website = {{URL|www.dudley.gov.uk}}
| parts_type = Suburbs of the town
| p1 = [[Eve Hill]]
| p2 = [[Holly Hall, Dudley|Holly Hall]]
| p3 = [[Kates Hill]]
| p4 = [[Milking Bank]]
| p5 = [[Mons Hill]]
| p6 = [[Oakham, West Midlands|Oakham]]
| p7 = [[Old Park Farm]]
| p8 = [[Priory Estate]]
| p9 = [[Russells Hall Estate]]
| p10 = [[Woodsetton, Dudley|Woodsetton]]
| p11 = [[Woodside, Dudley|Woodside]]
| p12 = [[Wren's Nest Estate]]
}}
'''Dudley''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ʌ|d|l|i}} {{respell|DUD|lee}}, {{IPA|en|ˈdʊdləi̯|label=locally|generic=yes}})<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Urszula |title=West Midlands English: Birmingham and the Black Country}}</ref> is a [[market town]] in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], England, {{convert|6|mi|km|0|spell=on|abbr=off}} southeast of [[Wolverhampton]] and {{convert|8|mi}} northwest of [[Birmingham]]. Historically part of [[Worcestershire]], the town is the administrative centre of the [[Metropolitan Borough of Dudley]]. In the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]], it had a population of 79,379. The wider Metropolitan Borough had a population of 312,900. In 2014, the borough council adopted a slogan describing Dudley as the capital of the [[Black Country]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Dudley leaders fly the flag for the borough after announcing it is the capital of the Black Country|url=http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/10954095.Dudley_leaders_fly_the_flag_for_the_borough_after_announcing_it_is_the_capital_of_the_Black_Country/|access-date=4 February 2014|newspaper=Halesowen News|date=22 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Black Country Day 2014: There's so much for us to be proud about|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/01/21/black-country-day-2014-theres-so-much-for-us-to-be-proud-about/|access-date=4 February 2014|newspaper=Express & Star|date=21 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley flies flag as capital of the Black Country |url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/media-releases/january-2014/dudley-flies-flag-as-capital-of-the-black-country/ |publisher=Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=4 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222015948/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/media-releases/january-2014/dudley-flies-flag-as-capital-of-the-black-country/ |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref> a title by which it had long been informally known.

Originally a [[market town]], Dudley was one of the birthplaces of the [[Industrial Revolution]] and grew into an industrial centre in the 19th century with its iron, coal, and limestone industries before their decline and the relocation of its commercial centre to the nearby [[Merry Hill Shopping Centre]] in the 1980s. Tourist attractions include [[Dudley Zoo]] and [[Dudley Castle|Castle]], the 12th century [[Dudley Priory|priory ruins]], and the [[Black Country Living Museum]]. 

==History==
{{See also|History of Worcestershire}}

===Early history===
[[File:Dudley Castle.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Dudley Castle]]]]
[[File:Dudley Domesday Book.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Dudley in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086]]

Dudley has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times,<ref>[http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/dudleys-history/dudley-town Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council&nbsp;– History of Dudley Town] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406085224/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/dudleys-history/dudley-town |date=6 April 2009 }}, accessed 13 January 2011</ref> its name deriving from the [[Old English]] ''Duddan Leah'', meaning Dudda's clearing, and one of its churches being named in honour of the Anglo-Saxon king and saint, [[Edmund the Martyr|Edmund]].

Mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Dudelei'',<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Dudley |volume=8 |pages=637–638}}</ref> in the [[Hundred (county division)|hundred]] of Clent in [[Worcestershire]],<ref>[http://opendomesday.org/place/SO9490/dudley/ Open Domesday Online: Dudley], accessed March 2017</ref> the town was listed as being a medium-sized manor in the possession of [[Edwin, Earl of Mercia|Earl Edwin of Mercia]] prior to the [[Norman Conquest]], with [[William Fitz-Ansculf]] as Lord of the Manor in 1086.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley&nbsp;— Domesday Book|url=http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SO9490/dudley//|work=Open Domesday|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927002511/http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SO9490/dudley//|archive-date=27 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Dudley Castle]], constructed in 1070 by William's father [[Ansculf de Picquigny]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley Castle|url=http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/around-dzg/dudley-castle|publisher=Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref> after his acquisition of the town, served as the seat of the extensive Barony of Dudley, which possessed estates in eleven different counties across England.<ref name="Parishes - Dudley">{{cite journal|title=Parishes – Dudley|journal=A History of the County of Worcester|year=1913|volume=3|pages=90–105|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43093|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref>

Of historical significance, the town was attacked by [[Stephen, King of England|King Stephen]] in 1138, after a failed siege of the castle following the baron's decision to support [[Empress Matilda]]'s claim to the throne during [[The Anarchy]].<ref name="Friends of Dudley Castle">{{cite web|title=The history of Dudley Castle|url=http://www.dudleycastle.org.uk/history.html|publisher=The Friends of Dudley Castle|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010230720/http://www.dudleycastle.org.uk/history.html|archive-date=10 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The castle provided the centre from which the town and borough grew, with early coal and iron workings helping establish Dudley as a major market town during the [[Middle Ages]], selling not only agricultural produce, but also iron goods at a national level.<ref>[http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/dudleys-history/dudley-town/ History of Dudley Town] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406085224/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/dudleys-history/dudley-town/ |date=6 April 2009 }} Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council</ref> Working iron and mining for coal was in practice as early as the 13th century. The first mention of Dudley's status as a borough dates from the mid-13th century, when Roger de Somery, then Baron of Dudley, approved of the establishment of a market in nearby [[Wolverhampton]]. An inquisition after his death further established the value and importance of the borough, with mentions of the town's growing coal industry.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/><ref name="Parishes - Dudley"/>

===Early modern and Industrial Revolution===
{{See also|History of Worcestershire#Early modern|History of Worcestershire#Georgian Worcestershire 1690-1830}}
[[File:DudleyTraditionalDetail.jpg|thumb|150px|1814 map showing Dudley as an exclave of [[Worcestershire]].]]
By the early 16th century the Dudley estate, now held by the Sutton family, had become severely in debt and was first mortgaged to distant relative [[John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland|John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland]], before being sold outright in 1535.<ref name="Parishes - Dudley"/> Following Dudley's execution in 1553, the estate returned to the Sutton family, during whose ownership the town was visited by [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] during a tour of England.<ref name="Friends of Dudley Castle"/>

In 1605, conspirators of the [[Gunpowder Plot]] fled to [[Holbeche House]] in nearby [[Wall Heath]], where they were defeated and captured by the forces of the Sheriff of Worcestershire.<ref>{{cite web|title=Holbeache House|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/heritage-centenary/landmark-listings/holbeache-house|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref>

During the [[English Civil War]] Dudley served as a [[Cavalier|Royalist]] stronghold, with the castle besieged twice by the [[Roundheads|Parliamentarians]] and later partly demolished on the orders of the Government after the Royalist surrender.<ref name="Friends of Dudley Castle"/><ref>[http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/dudleys-history/brief-history/ A Brief History of Dudley Town and Castle] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223102106/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/dudleys-history/brief-history/ |date=23 December 2010 }} Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council</ref> It is also from around this time that the oldest excavated [[condom]]s, found in the remains of Dudley Castle, were believed to have originated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Antique condoms' Dutch Journey|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/3228255.stm|access-date=22 September 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=30 October 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Martin|first=James|title=Condoms, Cathedrals, Castles and Caves|url=http://goeurope.about.com/cs/sex/a/condom.htm|publisher=about.com|access-date=22 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205201853/http://goeurope.about.com/cs/sex/a/condom.htm|archive-date=5 February 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Dudley had become an incredibly{{Citation needed|reason=Strange and suspect choice of word – it seems either a quotation (needing to be cited) or else just poor use of language|date=October 2016}} impoverished place during the 16th and 17th centuries, but the advent of the [[Industrial Revolution]] began to reverse this trend. In the early 17th century, [[Dud Dudley]], an illegitimate son of [[Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley]] and Elizabeth Tomlinson,<ref name="dud dudley"/> devised a method of [[smelting]] [[Iron ore]] using [[Coke (fuel)|coke]] at his father's works in [[Cradley, West Midlands|Cradley]] and [[Pensnett|Pensnett Chase]], though his trade was unsuccessful due to circumstances of the time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dud Dudley's Metallum Martis|url=http://www.lostlabours.co.uk/agenoria/research/dud_dudley/dud_dudley.htm|publisher=lostlabours.co.uk|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref> [[Abraham Darby I|Abraham Darby]] was descended from Dud Dudley's sister, Jane, and was the first person to produce iron commercially using coke instead of charcoal at his works in [[Coalbrookdale]], [[Shropshire]] in 1709. Abraham Darby was born near Wrens Nest Hill near the town of Dudley and it is claimed that he may have known about Dud Dudley's earlier work.<ref name="dud dudley">{{cite web|title=Dud Dudley and Abraham Darby; Forging New Links|url=http://www.blackcountrysociety.co.uk/articles/duddudley.htm|publisher=Black Country Society|access-date=28 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219084159/http://www.blackcountrysociety.co.uk/articles/duddudley.htm|archive-date=19 February 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Dud Dudley's discovery, together with improvements to the local road network and the construction of the [[Dudley Canal]], made Dudley into an important industrial and commercial centre.<ref name="Parishes - Dudley"/> The first [[Newcomen steam engine]], used to pump water from the mines of the Lord Dudley's estates, was installed at the Conygree coal works a mile east of Dudley Castle in 1712,<ref>{{cite web|title=Newcomen Engine|url=http://www.bclm.co.uk/locations/newcomen-engine/8.htm#.Uj9LzoYqj_s|publisher=Black Country Living Museum|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203230508/http://www.bclm.co.uk/locations/newcomen-engine/8.htm#.Uj9LzoYqj_s|url-status=dead}}</ref> though this is challenged by Wolverhampton, which also claims to have been the location of the first working Newcomen engine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Edward Short's Newcomen Engine account book|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=149-dx840&cid=0#0|publisher=The National Archives|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref>

Dudley's population grew dramatically during the 18th and 19th centuries because of the increase in [[Industrial sector|industry]], with the main industries including [[coal]] and [[limestone]] mining.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> Other industries included iron, steel, engineering, metallurgy, glass cutting, textiles and leatherworking.

During this time living conditions remained very poor, with Dudley being named "the most unhealthy place in the country" in 1851.<ref name="lee">Lee, William, Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the Parish of Dudley in the county of Worcester, London, 1852.</ref> Health Inspector William Lee stated that "In no other part of England and Wales is the work of human extermination effected in so short a time as ... in Dudley".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lloyd |first=David J. |title=A History of Worcestershire |publisher=[[Phillimore]] |year=1993 |isbn=9780850336580 |page=99}}</ref> The report led to the installation of clean water supplies and sewage systems. Later the extensive development of council housing during the early 20th century relocated the occupants of local slum housing.

Following the [[Reform Act 1832]], Dudley returned one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP), a privilege first enacted in the [[Model Parliament|Parliament of 1295]].<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/><ref name="Parishes - Dudley"/> The town was re-incorporated as a [[Municipal Borough]] in 1865, later becoming a [[County Borough]] in 1889.<ref name="VisionOfBritain">{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10026568&c_id=10001043 |title=Dudley CB Boundary Changes |publisher=Vision of Britain |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103171318/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10026568&c_id=10001043 |archive-date=3 November 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref>

===Modern day===
Dudley was developed substantially in the early 20th century, with the construction of many entertainment venues including a theatre and cinemas, with two indoor shopping centres being added later in the century. The grounds of Dudley Castle were converted into a [[Dudley Zoo|zoo]] in 1937 by the Earl of Dudley, with buildings designed by architect [[Berthold Lubetkin]]. A reported 250,000 people attempted to visit the site upon the first day of opening.<ref>{{cite news|title=Worldwide plea over Dudley Zoo buildings|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2009/10/07/_feature.shtml|access-date=22 September 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=8 October 2009}}</ref>

In [[World War II]], Dudley was bombed on several occasions. In September 1940 a [[Luftwaffe]] bomb demolished The Three Swans public house in the town centre and damaged several nearby buildings including St Thomas's Church<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 June 2019 |title=Of the Three Swans Pub in 1940 |work=[[Black Country Bugle]]}}</ref> and the new Co-Operative department store, but there were no fatalities. On 19 November 1940 a [[landmine]] was dropped in the [[Oakham, Dudley|Oakham]] area of the town and demolished a section of council houses in City Road, resulting in the deaths of 10 people and injuring many others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Mark |date=2024-11-13 |title=The Black Country Blitz - how the Luftwaffe devastated the West Midlands in the 1940s |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/nostalgia/2024/11/12/the-black-country-blitz-how-the-luftwaffe-devastated-the-west-midlands-in-the-1940s/ |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=www.expressandstar.com |language=en}}</ref> On 12 August 1941, four people were killed when another landmine was dropped in nearby Birch Crescent. These were the only fatal air raids on Dudley.

Dudley thrived in the post-war economic boom in the Midlands, with growing industries and affluence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Briercliffe|first= Simon|date=2021|title=Forging Ahead: Austerity to Prosperity in the Black Country|publisher=History West Midlands|page=449|isbn=978-1-905036-84-4}}</ref> To meet the labour shortage, the town became home to communities from the [[British Commonwealth]], including the [[Caribbean]] and [[South Asia]]. Most famously, this included the parents of [[Lenny Henry]] who moved to Dudley in the late 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Henry|first= Lenny|date=2019|title=Who Am I, Again?|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=9780571342624}}</ref> As elsewhere, these communities faced hardships such as workplace racism, poor housing and physical violence - the worst example of this were the large-scale riots of 1962.<ref>{{cite web |last=Briercliffe|first=Simon|date=2022|title=Understanding Dudley’s Race Riots: pt.1 – What Happened|url=https://bclm.com/2022/08/12/understanding-dudleys-race-riots-pt-1-what-happened/|website=[[Black Country Living Museum]]|location= Dudley|access-date=4 March 2025}}{{cite web |last=Briercliffe|first=Simon|date=2022|title=Understanding Dudley’s Race Riots pt.2: The Contexts|url=https://bclm.com/2022/08/19/understanding-dudleys-race-riots-pt-2-the-contexts/|website=[[Black Country Living Museum]]|location= Dudley|access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref>

Following local government reforms in 1966, Dudley was expanded to include the majority of the former [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban districts]] of [[Brierley Hill Urban District|Brierley Hill]] and [[Sedgley Urban District|Sedgley]], along with parts of [[Coseley Urban District|Coseley]], [[Amblecote Urban District|Amblecote]] and [[Municipal Borough of Rowley Regis|Rowley Regis]]; an area in the eastern section of the town was also transferred into the new borough of [[County Borough of Warley|Warley]].<ref name="VisionOfBritain"/> Most of this land had been held by the Lords of Dudley, and contained within the Dudley [[registration district]] and parliamentary borough.<ref name="Parishes - Dudley"/><ref>{{cite web|title=A Brief History of Kingswinford|url=http://www.kingswinford.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/com/kingswinford/kfordhistory.htm|publisher=Kingswinford and District Historical Society|access-date=22 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130922224845/http://www.kingswinford.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/com/kingswinford/kfordhistory.htm|archive-date=22 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sedgley|url=http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SO9193/sedgley/|work=Open Domesday|publisher=domesdaymap.co.uk|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927132408/http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SO9193/sedgley/|archive-date=27 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley Registration District|url=http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/districts/dudley.html|publisher=GENUKI|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref> In 1974, further reorganization led to the creation of the present-day [[metropolitan borough]], which included the nearby towns of [[Stourbridge]] and [[Halesowen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birminghamuk.com/dudleyhistory.htm |title=Birmingham UK Com |publisher=Birminghamuk.com |access-date=30 September 2013 |archive-date=1 June 2002 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20020601224640/http://www.birminghamuk.com/dudleyhistory.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Dudley was struck by [[1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak|an F1/T2 tornado]] on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi|title=European Severe Weather Database|website=www.eswd.eu}}</ref> The tornado touched down in [[Woodsetton, Dudley|Woodsetton]], subsequently passing through Dudley town centre, causing moderate damage, before dissipating.

Industrial decline has seen the loss of many long-established businesses in the town. The development of the [[Merry Hill Shopping Centre]] between 1985 and 1990 also saw the loss of most of the town centre's leading name stores, which relocated to take advantage of the tax incentives offered by Merry Hill's status as an [[Enterprise Zone]]. The [[2008 financial crisis]] and the [[Great Recession]] resulted in even more of the retail units in the town centre becoming vacant, with the [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths]] store on Market Place closing in December 2008 when the company went bankrupt,<ref>[http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/15191507 Woolworths Stores Closures] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111200600/http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/15191507 |date=11 January 2012 }} Sky News, December 2008</ref> and [[Beatties]] closing its store&nbsp;– the last department store in the town&nbsp;– in January 2010,<ref>[https://www.expressandstar.com/latest/2009/10/19/beatties-to-close-store Beatties to close store] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129093244/http://www.expressandstar.com/latest/2009/10/19/beatties-to-close-store/ |date=29 January 2012 }} Express & Star, October 2009</ref> after more than 40 years due to falling trade.

==Governance==
{{See also|County Borough of Dudley|Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries}}
[[File:Dudley Council House.jpg|thumb|[[Dudley Council House]], seat of [[Metropolitan Borough of Dudley|Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]]]]

===Local government{{anchor|Dudley Improvement Act 1791}}===
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Dudley Improvement Act 1791
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for better paving, cleansing, lighting, watching, and otherwise improving the Town of Dudley, in the County of Worcester, and for better supplying the said Town with Water.
| year                  = 1791
| citation              = [[31 Geo. 3]]. c. 79
| territorial_extent    = [[Great Britain]]
| royal_assent          = 6 June 1791
| commencement          = 10 August 1790{{efn|Start of session.}}
| repeal_date           = 22 October 1969
| repealing_legislation = [[Dudley Corporation Act 1969]]
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = Repealed
| original_text         = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The town had been a [[Seigneurial borough|manorial borough]] from the end of the 13th century, and from at least the 16th century until the passing of the [[Dudley Town Act 1791]] ([[31 Geo. 3]]. c. 79),<ref name="Town Commissioners">{{cite book|last1=Chandler|first1=G.|last2=Hannah|first2=I.C.|title=Dudley as it was and as it is today|date=1949|publisher=B.T. Batsford Ltd|location=London|pages=148–162}}</ref> was governed by the [[Court Leet]] of the Lords of Dudley. From 1791, the Town Commissioners were the main local authority although the Court Leet continued to meet until 1866. In 1836 the Dudley [[Poor law union|Poor Law Union]] was formed, consisting of Dudley itself, and the parishes of Sedgley, [[Tipton]], and Rowley Regis.<ref>{{cite web|last=Higginbotham|first=Peter|title=The Workhouse in Dudley, Worcestershire|url=http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Dudley/|work=The history of the workhouse|publisher=www.workhouses.org|access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> In 1853 the Town Commissioners were superseded by the [[Local board of health|Board of Health]], before the town was eventually [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] into a [[municipal borough]] in 1865. It became a [[county borough]] in 1888 under the [[Local Government Act 1888|Local Government Act]].<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43093 A history of the County of Worcester] accessed 22 August 2011</ref>

For many years the town (but not the castle, which was outside the boundary in [[Staffordshire]]) formed part of an [[exclave]] of the county of [[Worcestershire]].<ref>Richardson, Eric, The Black Country as Seen through Antique Maps, The Black Country Society, 2000. {{ISBN|0-904015-60-2}}</ref> Despite the more recent changes in county boundaries, the town and borough still remain part of the [[Anglican Diocese of Worcester]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Worcester |url=https://www.crockford.org.uk/places/23194/worcester |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=www.crockford.org.uk}}</ref>

[[Dudley Council House]] in Priory Road was financed by the then [[William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley|Earl of Dudley]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Dudley's Little Book of Big History|year=2008|publisher=Dudley MBC}}</ref> and was officially opened by [[Prince George, Duke of Kent|Duke of Kent]] in December 1935.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1393758|desc=Council House|access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref> Dudley Town Hall (an events venue) opened on St James's Road in 1928; it stands next to council offices which were converted from the old Police Station in 1939, after the construction of a new building on nearby New Street.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clare|first=David|title=Images of England&nbsp;– Dudley|year=2009|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-0-7524-3534-3|page=75}}</ref>

Dudley is the administrative centre of the [[Metropolitan Borough of Dudley|Dudley Metropolitan Borough]], governed by [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]]. The borough, which also includes the towns of [[Halesowen]] and [[Stourbridge]], had a population of just over 312,900 as of the 2011 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How life has changed in Dudley: Census 2021 |url=http://sveltekit-prerender/visualisations/censusareachanges/E08000027/ |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=sveltekit-prerender |language=en}}</ref> In 2012 the Dudley Metropolitan Borough made an unsuccessful bid to receive city status, losing out to [[Chelmsford]], [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], and [[St Asaph|St. Asaph]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dudley fails to get Queen's Diamond Jubilee city status|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-17366335|work=Birmingham & Black Country|publisher=BBC News|access-date=14 March 2012|date=14 March 2012}}</ref>

===National government===
Dudley presently has two [[Constituency|parliamentary constituencies]], [[Dudley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Dudley North]] and [[Dudley South (UK Parliament constituency)|Dudley South]], which cover the town and its surrounding area. In October 2017, proposals to revise constituency boundaries were published that would reduce Dudley to just one constituency. The town itself would be divided between multiple constituencies, including ones predominantly based in neighbouring council areas such as [[Wolverhampton]] and [[Sandwell]]. The proposals were criticised by then MP for Dudley North, [[Ian Austin]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Holder|first1=Bev|title=Dudley North MP Ian Austin brands latest Boundary Commission proposals a "complete dog's breakfast"|url=http://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/local/your_community/cd/dudley/15601158.Dudley_MP_brands_latest_boundary_proposals_a____complete_dog___s_breakfast___/|access-date=18 November 2017|publisher=Newsquest|work=Dudley News|date=17 October 2017}}</ref> As of the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], the current [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) elected from these seats to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] are 
[[Marco Longhi]]
<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14000671|title=Dudley North parliamentary constituency – Election 2019|work=BBC News|date=13 December 2019}}</ref>
and [[Mike Wood (British Conservative politician)|Mike Wood]],
<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14000672|title=Dudley South parliamentary constituency – Election 2019|work=BBC News|date=13 December 2019}}</ref>
both [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]].

==Landmarks==
[[File:Dudley Zoo, West Midlands, England -entrance-8March2011 (1).jpg|thumb|[[Dudley Zoo]]]]
The 13th-century ruins of [[Dudley Castle]] overlook the town; it is a Grade I [[Listed building|listed]] structure. [[Dudley Zoo]] is built into the castle grounds, and houses a large collection of endangered species, and also the largest collection of [[Tecton Group|Tecton]] buildings in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Mission|url=http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/about-us/our-mission|work=About Us|publisher=Dudley Zoological Gardens|access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley Zoological Gardens |url=http://discover.dudley.gov.uk/welcome/place-to-visit/dudley-zoological-gardens/ |publisher=Discover Dudley |access-date=17 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029175350/http://discover.dudley.gov.uk/welcome/place-to-visit/dudley-zoological-gardens/ |archive-date=29 October 2011 }}</ref> Under proposals by Dudley Zoo, in partnership with Dudley Council, St. Modwen, and Advantage West Midlands, the zoo is to be regenerated, which will see a former freightliner site redeveloped with a tropical dome, Asiatic forest, two aquatic facilities and walkthrough aviaries. It was expected to cost £38.7 million in 2007.<ref>''[http://www.advantagewm.co.uk/news/agency-s-multi-million-pound-funding-boost-for-dudley-.html Agency’s multi-million pound funding boost for Dudley] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030035101/http://www.advantagewm.co.uk/news/agency-s-multi-million-pound-funding-boost-for-dudley-.html |date=30 October 2007 }}''&nbsp;– Advantage West Midlands, 10 January 2007 (Accessed 4 March 2007)</ref>

There are many canals in and around Dudley, the main one being the [[Dudley Canal]]&nbsp;– most of which passes beneath the town in the [[Dudley Tunnel]] and is accessible only by boat because there is no towpath. The open sections of canal are popular with walkers, cyclists, fishermen, and [[narrowboat]] users.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 December 2006 |title=Dudley Canals |url=https://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/out-and-about/dudley-canals |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226142817/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/tourism-travel/out-and-about/dudley-canals |archive-date=26 February 2007 |website=dudley.gov.uk}}</ref>  [[National Cycle Network]] route 54 passes through the town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cycling routes in Dudley (leaflet) |url=https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/5960/dudley_cycle_map_1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121044546/https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/5960/dudley_cycle_map_1.pdf |archive-date=21 January 2022 |access-date=22 August 2025 |website=dudley.gov.uk |publication-date=2010}}</ref>

[[File:Dudley Priory.JPG|left|thumb|The ruins of [[Dudley Priory]]]]
There are 11 [[scheduled monument|scheduled ancient monuments]] in Dudley and the surrounding district,<ref>{{cite web|title=Scheduled Ancient Monuments|url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/planning/historic-environment/scheduled-ancient-monuments-/|work=Historic Environment|publisher=Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|access-date=17 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702164856/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/planning/historic-environment/scheduled-ancient-monuments-/|archive-date=2 July 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and 260 listed buildings,<ref>{{cite web|title=A to Z of Listed Buildings in Dudley|url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/planning/historic-environment/listed-buildings-atoz/?char=ShowAll|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223204658/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/planning/historic-environment/listed-buildings-atoz/?char=ShowAll|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 December 2012|work=Historic Environment|publisher=Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|access-date=4 November 2012}}</ref> including 6 Grade I listed and 19 Grade II* listed buildings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grade I Listed Buildings in Dudley, England|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/dudley/I|publisher=British Listed Buildings Online|access-date=4 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Grade II* Listed Buildings in Dudley|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/dudley/II*|publisher=British Listed Buildings Online|access-date=4 November 2012}}</ref>{{Clear}}

==Culture==
[[File:Hippodrome.JPG|thumb|The former [[Dudley Hippodrome|Hippodrome theatre]]]]

===Entertainment===
A [[Multiplex (movie theater)|multiplex]] [[Showcase Cinema]] and [[Tenpin Ltd|Tenpin]] [[bowling alley]] are part of the [[Castle Gate, Dudley|Castlegate]] leisure complex.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Castlegate Leisure Park |url=https://www.discoverdudley.org.uk/castlegate |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=Discover Dudley |language=en}}</ref> [[Dudley Council House|Dudley Town Hall]] hosts dances, theatrical performances and concerts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dudley Town Hall - Visit Birmingham |url=https://visitbirmingham.com/event/dudley-town-hall/140460101/ |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=visitbirmingham.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

The town was formerly home to a number of cinemas and theatres, including the Criterion, Gaumont, Odeon, and Plaza. The [[Dudley Hippodrome]] was one of the largest theatres in the West Midlands, built along with the adjacent Plaza Cinema just prior to the Second World War in 1938. The 1,600-seat Art Deco venue was constructed to replace the earlier Opera House, which had burned down in 1936. After its closure in 1964, the building was in use as a bingo hall until 2009, when it was purchased by Dudley Council with a view for demolition.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Roe|first1=Ken|title=Dudley Hippodrome Theatre|url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/41631|website=Cinema Treasures|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref> After long public opposition the building was leased to campaigners in December 2016, with the intent to restore it to theatre use;<ref>{{cite news|title=Keys handed over as Dudley Hippodrome deal is sealed at last|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2016/12/05/dudley-hippodrome-keys-handed-over-as-building-is-saved/|access-date=12 January 2017|publisher=Express & Star|date=5 December 2016}}</ref> however the lease was revoked by the council in February 2018, citing a lack of progress.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dudley Hippodrome campaign group's lease terminated|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-43002184|access-date=15 May 2018|publisher=BBC|date=9 Feb 2018}}</ref> It was demolished in 2023 despite a campaign to save it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Demolition of Dudley Hippodrome begins despite campaign |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66398306 |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=30 January 2024 |date=3 August 2023}}</ref> The Plaza Cinema remained open until October 1990 and the building was demolished in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nostalgia: Cinema and theatre on the hill |url=https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/nostalgia-cinema-and-theatre-on-the-hill |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=InYourArea.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Art Deco Cinema Dudley.jpg|thumb|Former Odeon cinema]]
An [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon cinema]] opened on Castle Hill in 1937, but has been used as a [[Kingdom Hall]] for [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] since 1976. The building is Grade II [[Listed building|listed]] for being "an almost complete example of [a] typical Odeon cinema of the 1930's, with no subdivision of the auditorium or alteration of its floor levels".<ref name="Listing">{{NHLE|num=1385009|desc=Jehovah's Witness Hall|access-date=2025-08-22}}</ref> 

Until 2011, the [[JB's Dudley|JB's]] nightclub was situated on Castle Hill, after relocating from an earlier site in King Street (behind Pathfinders clothes store) in the 1990s. The club hosted early performances by acts such as [[U2]], [[Dire Straits]], and [[Judas Priest]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Faulkener |first=Scott |date=2009-11-27 |title=JB's in Dudley is 40 years old |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/blackcountry/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8381000/8381263.stm |access-date=2025-08-22 |language=en-GB}}</ref> It closed after going into administration and has since reopened to host wedding receptions and conferences.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Date set for reopening of legendary club JB’s |website=Express & Star |url=http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2012/08/30/date-set-for-reopening-of-legendary-club-jb%E2%80%99s/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160422131443/http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2012/08/30/date-set-for-reopening-of-legendary-club-jb%E2%80%99s/ |archive-date=2016-04-22 |access-date=2025-08-22 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=Steve |date=2012-10-14 |title=Dudley venue JB's gets new lease of life - as old boss Sam Jukes reveals he was left penniless |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/dudley-venue-jbs-gets-new-191591 |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=Birmingham Live |language=en}}</ref>

===Museums and galleries===
[[File:Black Country Museum - geograph.org.uk - 28239.jpg|thumb|left|[[Black Country Living Museum]]]]
The museums in Dudley celebrate the geological and industrial heritage of the town and the surrounding Black Country region, and its role in the [[Industrial Revolution]]. The [[Black Country Living Museum]] is an [[open-air museum|open-air living museum]], which consists of reconstructed buildings from the surrounding area forming a living replica of an industrial village, with demonstrators portraying life in the region from that time. Work began in 2022 to recreate a typical Black Country town centre using original buildings such as the Woodside Library and replicas of other lost buildings such as the Elephant & Castle pub which stood at the junction of Stafford Street and Cannock Road in Wolverhampton. The pub, whose lower section is clad in traditional Victorian glazed tiles, opened within the museum's village in Autumn 2022.

The [[Dudley Museum and Art Gallery]] opened in the town centre in 1912. It was closed by Dudley Council in 2016 as part of cost-cutting measures, despite a public petition against closure. Exhibits are on display at a modern building on Tipton Road known as Dudley Museum at the Archives.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dudley Museum shuts as Council cuts bite|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/2016/12/23/dudley-museum-shuts-as-council-cuts-bite/|access-date=12 January 2017|publisher=Express & Star|date=23 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History of Dudley Museum & Art Gallery |url=https://www.dudley.gov.uk/things-to-do/museums/dudley-museum-at-the-archives/history-of-dudley-museum-art-gallery/ |access-date=22 August 2025 |website=Dudley Council}}</ref>

==Transport==
===Rail===
[[File:Dudley railway station 2173533.jpg|thumb|View southward, towards Dudley Tunnel and Stourbridge Junction in 1951.]]
According to ONS, there are two railway stations in Dudley, both just over a mile from Dudley town centre, these are [[Dudley Port railway station|Dudley Port]] and [[Tipton railway station|Tipton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-westmidlands.php?cityid=E35000284|title=Dudley (West Midlands, West Midlands, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information|website=citypopulation.de}}</ref> They are within the town of Dudley but outside the borough boundary as parts of Sandwell are considered within Dudley Town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/dudley-e08000027|title=Dudley – UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref> The nearest station to the town within the Dudley borough is Coseley. All of these stations are on the same line, served by local services operated by [[West Midlands Trains]]. The nearest regular intercity services run from the [[Sandwell & Dudley railway station|Sandwell & Dudley]] in [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]], which was rebuilt in 1984 to serve the two boroughs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sandwell & Dudley Station|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-396000-288000/page/14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216205754/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-396000-288000/page/14|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2012|work=Domesday Reloaded|publisher=BBC.co.uk|access-date=18 June 2012}}</ref>

[[Dudley railway station]] located in the town centre was closed under the [[Beeching cuts]] in 1964. It opened in 1860<ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley Railway Station, Dudley|url=https://www.blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB145_p_145/|publisher=Black Country History|access-date=4 November 2012|archive-date=19 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419223623/http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB145_p_145/|url-status=live}}</ref> on the junction between the [[South Staffordshire Line|South Staffordshire]] and the [[Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway|Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton]] lines, and in its heyday was a hub of services east to [[Birmingham]] (via a junction at Great Bridge), [[Walsall]] and [[Lichfield]]; north to [[Wolverhampton]], [[Tipton]] and [[Coseley]]; and south-west to [[Stourbridge]], as well as a line that served the small communities on the way to [[Old Hill]] and [[Halesowen]]. The site was later used as a Freightliner terminal by [[Freightliner Group|Freightliner]], until an unpopular closure on 26 September 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://railaroundbirmingham.co.uk/Stations/dudley.php |title=Dudley Station |publisher=Rail Around Birmingham |access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref>

A proposal to re-open the segment of line between Dudley and Dudley Port was unveiled in December 2014, to allow for a [[light rail]] link from the town centre to the main line,<ref>{{cite news|title=New £20m rail link between Sandwell and Dudley|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/12/01/new-20m-rail-link-between-sandwell-and-dudley/|access-date=9 December 2014|work=Express & Star|date=1 December 2014}}</ref> but this plan was scrapped in May 2016 as Dudley Council favoured keeping the line available for the now confirmed [[West Midlands Metro]] extension to Brierley Hill, then later [[Stourbridge]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Light rail link hopes linking Sandwell and Dudley are dashed|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2016/05/16/light-rail-link-hopes-linking-sandwell-and-dudley-are-dashed/|access-date=12 January 2017|publisher=Express & Star|date=16 May 2016}}</ref>

===Tram===
Dudley was the terminus point of two tram routes which opened in the later part of the 19th century. The first route, linking the town with Tipton and Wednesbury, opened on 21 January 1884 operating steam trams, the route being electrified in 1907 before being closed in March 1930 and replaced by Midland Red buses along the route. The second route opened a year later, linking the town with Birmingham and heading through the centre of nearby [[Tividale]] village on the Dudley-Tipton border. This line was electrified in 1904 and remained open until 30 September 1939, when it too was replaced by Midland Red buses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tiptoncivicsociety.co.uk/brief-history-of-tipton.php |title=tiptoncivicsociety.co.uk |publisher=tiptoncivicsociety.co.uk |access-date=30 September 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915100741/http://www.tiptoncivicsociety.co.uk/brief-history-of-tipton.php |archive-date=15 September 2012 |url-status=usurped |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2021, a {{cvt|11|km}} long line bringing 2 new lines of the [[West Midlands Metro]], running from [[Wednesbury]] to [[Brierley Hill]] via Dudley, began construction to re-instate a tram service along the [[South Staffordshire Line]], before running through the town centre and towards [[Merry Hill Shopping Centre|Merry Hill]]. Phase one is expected to begin operation in 2025, connecting Dudley to [[Edgbaston Village tram stop|Edgbaston Village]] in Birmingham City Centre, and to [[Wolverhampton station]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Extension information |url=http://www.centro.org.uk/metro/WednesburyBrierleyHill.aspx |publisher=Centro |access-date=18 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409161102/http://www.centro.org.uk/metro/WednesburyBrierleyHill.aspx |archive-date=9 April 2012 }}</ref>

=== Bus ===
It was announced that [[Dudley bus station]] would close to the public in January 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-14 |title=Dudley bus station to close for regeneration works |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-67959927 |access-date=2025-08-22 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> A new bus and tram interchange is scheduled to open in Spring 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 June 2025 |title=New images of the state-of-the-art Dudley Interchange unveiled |url=https://www.wmca.org.uk/news/new-images-of-the-state-of-the-art-dudley-interchange-unveiled/ |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=www.wmca.org.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref> 

==Geography==
===Geology===
{{See also|Wren's Nest}}
[[File:Landscape from Wren's Nest, Dudley, Worcestershire - geograph.org.uk - 636464.jpg|thumb|Wren's Nest]]
[[File:Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve - ripple beds.jpg|thumb|Ripple beds in the [[Wren's Nest|Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve]]]]
Dudley covers an area of the [[South Staffordshire Coalfield]], which contributed heavily to its growth and industrialisation during the 18th century Industrial Revolution.<ref>{{cite web|title=West Midlands (City of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry Districts) |url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/geodiversity/englands/counties/area_ID38.aspx |publisher=Natural England |access-date=10 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119073918/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/geodiversity/englands/counties/area_ID38.aspx |archive-date=19 January 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref>

North-west of the town centre lies the [[Wren's Nest|Wren's Nest Nature Reserve]], the first British nature reserve in an urban area<ref>{{cite web|title=West Midlands (City of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry Districts) |url=http://discover.dudley.gov.uk/welcome/history-archives/geology/ |publisher=Discover Dudley |access-date=10 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425055508/http://discover.dudley.gov.uk/welcome/history-archives/geology/ |archive-date=25 April 2012 }}</ref> and a site of special scientific interest ([[SSSI]]), considered to be one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles. A part of the [[Wenlock Group|Much Wenlock Limestone Formation]], it was heavily mined for centuries because of its large limestone deposits, and is also the location of one of the largest fossil sites in England.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve |url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/countryside/nature-reserves/wrens-nest-national-nature-reserve/ |publisher=Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=10 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903054526/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/countryside/nature-reserves/wrens-nest-national-nature-reserve/ |archive-date=3 September 2011 }}</ref> The town lends its name to the "Dudley locust", (also 'Dudley Bug'), a trilobite with the scientific name ''[[Calymene blumenbachii]]'' that was found in these limestone pits in 1749 by Charles Lyttleton.<ref name="Chestnut">{{cite web|author=Alex J. Chestnut |title=Using morphometrics, phylogenetic systematics and parsimony analysis to gain insight into the evolutionary affinities of the Calymenidae Trilobita |url= http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=wright1239724101 |publisher=OhioLINK ETD Center |access-date=21 August 2011}}</ref>

In the 1830s, Scottish geologist Sir [[Roderick Murchison]] visited the Wren's Nest to collect fossils as part of his research. 65% of his palaeontological evidence featured in the 1839 publication "The Silurian System" was from Dudley.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geology of Wren's Nest Nature Reserve |url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/countryside/nature-reserves/wrens-nest-national-nature-reserve/ |publisher=Dudley MBC |access-date=6 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127133217/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/environment-planning/countryside/nature-reserves/wrens-nest-national-nature-reserve/ |archive-date=27 November 2011 }}</ref>{{Clear}}

===Localities===
{{Areas of Dudley}}

==Demography==
{| class="wikitable" id="toc" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 40%; font-size: 90%; text-align:center" cellspacing="5"
|-
!colspan="5"|'''Dudley Compared'''
|-
|'''[[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 UK Census]]'''||'''Dudley<br />(Built-up area subdivision)'''||'''[[Metropolitan Borough of Dudley|Dudley (Borough)]]'''||'''[[West Midlands region]]'''||'''England'''
|-
| style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Total population||79,379||312,925||5,601,847||53,012,456
|-
!colspan="5"|
|-
| style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|White British||78.4%||88.5%||79.2%||79.8%
|-
| style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Asian||12.3%||6.0%||10.8%||7.7%
|-
| style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Black||3.6%||1.4%||3.2%||3.4%
|-
| style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Mixed||3.2%||1.8%||2.8%||2.2%
|-
| style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Other||2.5%||2.1%||4.5%||6.7%
|-
!colspan="5" style="font-size:90%;"|Source: Office for National Statistics<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=1119883998|title=Dudley (Dudley) Built-up area|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=1946157188|title=Dudley Local Authority|fewer-links=y|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=2013265925|title=West Midlands Region|fewer-links=y|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=2092957699|title=England Country|fewer-links=y|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref>
|}
The current figure for the population of Dudley is 79,379.<ref name="Dudley Built-up area 2011 Census">{{cite web|title=Built-Up Area Populations of UK Towns and Cities – 2011 Census|url=http://www.lovemytown.co.uk/Populations/TownsTable1.asp|access-date=2 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230093430/http://www.lovemytown.co.uk/populations/TownsTable1.asp|archive-date=30 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> This figure differs considerably from that given at the 2001 census (194,919), which led to it being considered one of the largest towns in Britain without [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]]. However, this change is not due to large population movements but to a redefinition of the town's boundaries (for example, Kingswinford with a population of over 50,000, included as Dudley in the 2001 census, is now considered a separate town<ref name="Dudley Built-up area 2011 Census"/>). In addition, the 2001 Urban Subdivision included Brierley Hill, which the local authority considers a separate town.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brierley Hill Town Centre|url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/business/regeneration/town-centre-managment/brierley-hill-town-centre/|publisher=Dudley MBC|access-date=4 June 2013}}</ref>

==Education==
===Secondary education===
[[File:Castle High School - geograph.org.uk - 316053.jpg|thumb|left|[[St James Academy, Dudley|St James Academy]], Dudley]]
There are several secondary schools in and around Dudley. The [[Dudley Academies Trust]], created in association with Dudley College, runs four of these: [[Beacon Hill Academy, Dudley|Beacon Hill Academy]] in Sedgley, [[The Link Academy]] in Netherton, [[Pegasus Academy]] in Holly Hall, and [[St James Academy, Dudley|St James Academy]] near the town centre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Dudley Academies Trust |url=https://dudleyacademiestrust.org.uk/ |website=Dudley Academies Trust |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref>

[[Bishop Milner Catholic College]] is a [[Roman Catholic]] secondary school in the town. Opened in 1960, it became one of the first Roman Catholic secondary schools in the region and is the oldest existing secondary school&nbsp;– by name&nbsp;– in Dudley.

===Special schools===
There are several [[special school]]s within Dudley, to cater for students with special educational needs. The [[Old Park School]] serves pupils from the age of 3 to 19,<ref>[http://www.old-park.dudley.gov.uk/ Old Park School website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205062841/http://www.old-park.dudley.gov.uk/ |date=5 February 2007 }}</ref> and was originally located in the Russells Hall Estate, but relocated to new premises in [[Quarry Bank]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome |url=http://www.oldpark.org/welcome.asp |publisher=Old Park School |access-date=21 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126011628/http://oldpark.org/welcome.asp |archive-date=26 November 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> The Rosewood School also caters for children within the age range. It was built on the Russells Hall Estate during the 1960s, but relocated to the former Highfields Primary School site in Coseley in March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/local/2252090.Special_school_in_move_to_new_home/ |title=Special school in move to new home|publisher=Dudleynews.co.uk |date=7 May 2008 |access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref>

The Woodsetton School near Sedgley caters to pupils from ages 4–11.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.woodsetton.dudley.sch.uk/WoodWebAboutUs.asp|publisher=Woodsetton School|access-date=21 August 2013|archive-date=18 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618025522/http://www.woodsetton.dudley.sch.uk/WoodWebAboutUs.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Sutton School]], built in 1962 in Russells Hall, caters only for pupils from 11 to 16.<ref>[http://www.sutton.dudley.gov.uk/ Sutton School website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205184638/http://www.sutton.dudley.gov.uk/ |date=5 February 2007 }}</ref>

===Further and Higher Education===
[[File:Dudley College, Evolve Campus.JPG|thumb|Evolve Campus of [[Dudley College]]]]
Originally established as a [[Mechanic's Institutes|Mechanics' Institute]] in 1862,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/universities-and-colleges/9980876/Dudley-College-guide.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/universities-and-colleges/9980876/Dudley-College-guide.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=''Universities and Colleges guides: Dudley College guide''|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=9 December 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Dudley College|Dudley College of Technology]] provides [[further education]] for the town. Plans to establish a 'learning quarter' saw several new campuses built in the town centre in 2012, replacing previous sites elsewhere in the borough.<ref>{{cite news|title=New sixth form opens at Dudley College|author=Alex Ross|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/education/2012/09/27/new-sixth-form-opens-at-dudley-college/|newspaper=Express & Star|date=27 September 2012|access-date=9 October 2012}}</ref>

[[Dudley Training College for Teachers]] was opened in 1909 on a site on [[Eve Hill]].  In 1965 it was renamed Dudley College of Education, a period when it trained over 600 students a year.  It was taken over by Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1977, which then became the [[University of Wolverhampton]].  The campus was closed in 2002 and the main college building was demolished, leaving the town and borough without higher education provision. A new Institute of Technology, offering higher education courses, was due to open in 2021 in the Castle Hill area.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us – IoT |url=https://www.blackcountryandmarchesiot.ac.uk/about-us |website=Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology |access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Farrington |first1=Dayna |title=Work progresses on Dudley College's Institute of Technology |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2020/11/13/work-progresses-on-dudley-colleges-institute-of-technology/ |access-date=6 May 2021 |publisher=Express & Star |date=13 Nov 2020}}</ref>

==Public services==
===Libraries===
[[File:Public Library, Dudley.jpg|thumb|Dudley Library]]
Dudley Library is situated on St. James's Road, in the town centre. The present building, a [[listed building|Grade II listed]] [[Edwardian Baroque architecture|Edwardian baroque]], was designed by [[George H. Wenyon]], and opened in 1909 to replace the older site in Priory Street.<ref>{{cite web|title=Public Library&nbsp;– Dudley|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-217995-public-library-dudley|publisher=British Listed Building|access-date=10 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Clare|first=David|title=Images of England: Dudley|year=2005|publisher=Tempus Publishing|isbn=0-7524-3534-5|page=106}}</ref> The statuary above the main entrance depicts "philosophy, science and the arts" and was put in place by [[H.H. Martyn & Co.]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/philosophy-science-and-the-arts-268701/ | title=Philosophy, Science and the Arts &#124; Art UK }}</ref> The town has had a public library since 1878. The library underwent a major expansion in 1966, and significant refurbishment in 2002<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.localhistories.org/dudley.html |title=A History of Dudley |publisher=Localhistories.org |access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref> and 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dudley Library due for £200k revamp|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2012/05/16/dudley-library-due-for-200k-revamp/|access-date=27 December 2012|newspaper=Express & Star|date=16 May 2012}}</ref>

The library service also operates eight branch libraries and four self-service 'Library Links', along with four other main libraries situated throughout Dudley Borough, including Netherton Library, which moved buildings to the Savoy centre in 2012. A controversial re-structuring and modernisation of the service between 2006 and 2009 lead to the closure of several smaller borough libraries in favour of the 'Library Links'.<ref>{{cite web|title=Libraries|url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/libraries/find-a-library/|publisher=Dudley MBC|access-date=10 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204231925/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/libraries/find-a-library/|archive-date=4 December 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley libraries modernisation |url=http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/raising_standards/improvement/library_support/Dudley |work=Museums, Libraries & Archives |access-date=10 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320060434/http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/raising_standards/improvement/library_support/Dudley |archive-date=20 March 2011 }}</ref>

===Medical===
[[File:Hospital Entrance - geograph.org.uk - 363896.jpg|thumb|left|Russells Hall Hospital]]
Dudley is served by several [[National Health Service]] facilities. The main general hospital is [[Russells Hall Hospital|Russells Hall]], located to the south of the town. It was constructed in 1976, though financial difficulties prevented it from opening until 1983. A major expansion of the hospital was completed in 2005 when it incorporated all inpatient services from the other hospitals in the borough.

The [[Guest Hospital]] was initially created as a charity hospital by the [[Earl of Dudley]] in 1849 to accommodate blinded miners. It was taken over by local chainmaker Joseph Guest in 1871, and converted for general hospital use. It remained in use throughout the twentieth century, but was downgraded to an outpatient-only centre in the 2000s following the construction of a new block; the original hospital site was re-developed for private housing in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Farrington |first1=Dayna |title=Dudley Guest Hospital site transformed into homes as work complete |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2018/12/19/transformation-of-iconic-dudley-guest-hospital-into-homes-reaches-completion/ |access-date=7 March 2019 |agency=MNA |publisher=Express & Star |date=19 December 2018}}</ref>

[[Bushey Fields Hospital]] provides psychiatric care for the area. It was developed adjacent to Russells Hall Hospital in the 1980s and early 1990s to replace facilities at [[Burton Road Hospital]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.specialistinfo.com/thget.php?t=t_chst&r=DUBCH1 |title=Bushey Fields Hospital |publisher=Specialist Info |date=1 April 1974 |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215454/http://www.specialistinfo.com/thget.php?t=t_chst&r=DUBCH1 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref> Approximately one mile west of the town centre, Burton Road Hospital was built in the mid-19th century, initially as a workhouse, before becoming a hospital in 1859. It closed in December 1993, and was demolished the following year for re-development.

[[File:Joseph Guest Hospital Victorian wing.JPG|thumb|right|The Guest Hospital's Victorian wing, pictured in 2011]]

===Emergency services===
Law enforcement in Dudley is carried out by [[West Midlands Police]], with the borough's sole police station located in [[Brierley Hill]]. Closure of Dudley Police Station was announced in 2017 as part of cost-cutting measures, though a small number of officers are set to remain in the town centre from a shared base with the local council.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ross |first1=Alex |title=Dudley police station to relocate into council offices |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2017/11/13/dudley-police-station-to-relocate-into-council-offices/ |access-date=7 March 2019 |agency=MNA |publisher=Express & Star |date=13 Nov 2017}}</ref> 

In 2019 plans were put forward to build a new police station in the town centre, although disputes between Dudley Council and West Midlands Police have delayed the project.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Parkes |first1=Thomas |title=Police plan for 'super station' in Black Country to move forward after red tape delay |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2021/03/15/police-plan-for-super-station-in-black-country-to-move-forward-after-red-tape-delay/ |access-date=25 May 2021 |work=Express & Star}}</ref>

Fire and rescue services are provided by the [[West Midlands Fire Service]], with the fire station situated on Burton Road on land previously occupied by Burton Road Hospital. The former fire station site on Tower Street now forms part of a campus of Dudley College.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Dudley College building hits the high point|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/education/2011/12/15/new-dudley-college-building-hits-the-high-point/|access-date=17 August 2012|newspaper=Express & Star|date=15 December 2011}}</ref> 

==Religion==
[[File:Top Church. - geograph.org.uk - 27946.jpg|thumb|left|[[Church of St. Thomas, Dudley|St. Thomas' Church]]]]


The oldest church in the town is St. Edmund's, dating back to [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] times, although the present building was not constructed until 1724, following its demolition during the English Civil War.<ref name="Worcester BMSGH">{{cite web|title=Dudley St Edmund|url=http://www.worcesterbmsgh.co.uk/parish/dudley-st-edmund|work=Parish Records|publisher=Worcester Branch of the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref> St. Thomas' church dates from the 12th century,<ref>{{cite web|title=Saint Thomas's Church|url=http://www.edu.dudley.gov.uk/gisweb/gallery/History/Dudley_Town_Trail/Saint%20Thomas.pdf|publisher=Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref> and was rebuilt in the 1815 after the original building was declared 'unsafe'.<ref name=BritishHistoryOnline>{{cite web|title=Parishes&nbsp;– Dudley|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43093#s6|work=A History of the County of Worcester|publisher=British History Online|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref> Both sites are now Grade II* listed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Church of St Edmund&nbsp;– Dudley|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-217926-church-of-st-edmund-|work=Grade II* Listed Buildings in Dudley|publisher=British Listed Buildings Online|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Parish Church of St Thomas&nbsp;– Dudley|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-217947-parish-church-of-st-thomas-|work=Grade II* Listed Buildings in Dudley|publisher=British Listed Buildings Online|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref>

[[Dudley Priory]] was a [[Cluniac]] priory founded circa 1160 by the Lord of Dudley, Gervase de Paganel, and controlled several churches in the surrounding area. After its initial dissolution in 1395, it reopened as a denizen priory, and remained in use until the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. The ruins stand within [[Priory Park, Dudley|Priory Park]].<ref>{{PastScape|mname=Dudley Priory|mnumber=118937|access-date=8 November 2012}}</ref>

The Revd [[Robert Jones (Archdeacon of Worcester)|Robert Jones]], [[List of Archdeacons of Worcester|present Archdeacon of Worcester]], inducted in November 2014, was previously Vicar of St. Francis Church in Dudley for eight years.<ref>[http://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/news/news.php?i643 Diocese of Worcester Press release 17/11/2014 ''Hundreds welcome the new Archdeacon of Worcester'' Accessed 18.11.14]</ref>

[[St James' Church, Eve Hill|St James's Church]] at [[Eve Hill]] was consecrated on 27 July 1840. It has been declared redundant and its final service took place on 28 July 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Worcester |first=Diocese of |title=St James' Church, Eve Hill, Dudley - Diocese of Worcester |url=https://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/st-james-church-eve-hill-dudley.php |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=www.cofe-worcester.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> 

Roman Catholics in the town are served by a church dedicated to Our Blessed Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury situated in St Joseph Street near the bus station.<ref name="Catholic church dudley">{{cite web|title=Parish Directory – Our Blessed Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury, Dudley|url=http://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/parish-directory/our-blessed-lady-and-st-thomas-of-canterbury-parish-dudley/|website=www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/|publisher=The Archdiocese of Birmingham|access-date=17 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222182455/http://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/parish-directory/our-blessed-lady-and-st-thomas-of-canterbury-parish-dudley/|archive-date=22 December 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The church, designed by architect [[Augustus Pugin]], dates from 1842 and has been Grade II listed since 1949.<ref name="Catholic church listing">{{cite web|title=Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Thomas, Dudley|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-217996-roman-catholic-church-of-our-lady-and-st#.VnLJ2NLhBkg|website=www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/|publisher=BritishListedBuildings.co.uk|access-date=17 December 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Dudley Central Mosque.JPG|thumb|right|Dudley Central Mosque]]


Dudley also has places of worship for other religious groups and Christian denominations, including a [[Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witness]] [[Kingdom Hall]], two [[Sikh]] [[gurdwara]]s, and a [[Hindu]] temple. The old St Edmund's Church School, which closed in 1970 on a merger with St John's Church School, was converted into a [[mosque]] for the town's [[Islam]]ic community, with an additional mosque also opening in the Queen's Cross area of the town.{{Clear}}

===Proposed mosque===
In 2003, plans were unveiled for the construction of a new mosque (which become known as the "Super Mosque" locally) in Hall Street, a site that had been leased by Dudley Council to the Dudley Muslim Association, in exchange for a site impacted by a proposed bypass.<ref>Societies, doi:10.3390/sco3020186, section 4</ref> The mosque proposals were scrapped in May 2010, after a long dispute, in favour of an expansion to the existing Dudley Central Mosque in Castle Hill.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/05/03/dudley-mosque-plan-is-scrapped/ |title=Dudley Mosque Plan is Scrapped|work=Express & Star|date=3 May 2010 |access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref> An appeal was lodged by the Dudley Muslim Association against the High Court ruling,<ref>{{cite news |title=Appeal granted over rejection of mosque |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2012/07/27/appeal-granted-over-rejection-of-mosque/ |access-date=17 August 2012 |newspaper=Express & Star|date=27 July 2012}}</ref> and failed in February 2014.<ref>{{cite news |date=17 February 2014 |title=Appeal fails on plan for Dudley mosque |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/02/17/appeal-fails-on-plan-for-dudley-mosque/ |work=Express & Star}}</ref>

==Media==
Dudley is served by a number of local newspapers. The town has its own version of the ''[[Express & Star]]'', published daily Monday to Saturday. There are also ''[[Dudley News]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dudleynews.co.uk/ |title=Dudley News |access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref> which is published weekly, and (based at Dudley Archives and Local History Centre on Tipton Road in Dudley) the ''[[Black Country Bugle]]'', which looks at the history of Dudley and the rest of the Black Country. 

[[BBC Radio WM]], Free Radio (formerly Beacon Radio),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freeradio.co.uk |title=freeradio.co.uk |publisher=freeradio.co.uk |access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref> [[Heart West Midlands]], [[Greatest Hits West Midlands]], and [[Smooth Radio 105.7]] are some of the local [[radio station]]s that can be received in Dudley, also serving the wider West Midlands. [https://archive.today/20131121065611/http://www.blackcountrycommunityradio.co.uk/ Black Country Community Radio] broadcasts online from its Dudley Studios serving The Central and Northern [[Black Country]]. The Kates Hill Press, founded in 1992 and named after a famous Dudley landmark, is a small press concentrating on the publishing of fiction and non-fiction of mainly local and regional interest. {{Clear}}

==Economy==
===Retail===
[[File:Dudley Market - geograph.org.uk - 1110379.jpg|thumb|Dudley Market in 2008]]
As a commercial centre, Dudley's town centre has become increasingly run down; in 2012 nearly a third of its shop units lay vacant, the highest figure for a centre of its size in England.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dudley 'worst among medium centres' for empty shops|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-19470562|access-date=8 November 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=4 September 2012}}</ref> Retailing was particularly hard hit by the opening of the [[Merry Hill Shopping Centre]] {{Convert|2.5|mi|km|abbr=}} away, between 1985 and 1990. This led to the exit of the majority of major retailers, including [[British Home Stores]] (June 1990), [[Marks & Spencer]] (August 1990), [[Sainsbury's]] (August 1989), [[C&A]] (January 1992), and [[Littlewoods]] (January 1990), all of which closed before or soon after new stores opened at Merry Hill.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roger Tym and Partners |title=Merry Hill Impact Study |publisher=HMSO |year=1993 |isbn=0-11-752786-6}}</ref> Although the town was already in slight decline at the time following the recession of the early 1980s, the opening of the Merry Hill Centre resulted in a 70% decline of the town's market share in retail between 1985 and 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chase & Partners Report Appendix 4&nbsp;– Dudley |url=http://www.the-blackcountry.com/images/Study/chase%20and%20partners%20report%20appendix%204.pdf |publisher=Black Country Consortium |access-date=8 November 2012 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Successive economic downturns have led to most remaining major retailers leaving the town centre. Department store [[Beatties]] closed in 2010,<ref>{{cite news|title=Tears as Beatties shuts for final time|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/01/25/tears-as-beatties-shuts-for-final-time/|access-date=10 November 2022|newspaper=Express & Star|date=25 January 2010}}</ref> [[WH Smith]] in 2013,<ref>{{cite news|title=WH Smith store in Dudley is to shut|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2013/06/29/wh-smith-store-in-dudley-is-to-shut/|access-date=29 July 2013|newspaper=Express & Star|date=29 June 2013}}</ref> River Island in 2020,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thandi |first1=Gurdip |title=Revealed: What will replace River Island in Dudley? |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/revealed-what-replace-river-island-20666006 |access-date=25 May 2021 |work=Birmingham Mail |date=24 May 2021}}</ref> and [[Argos (retailer)|Argos]] in 2021;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Attwood |first1=Helen |title=Blow for town as Dudley Argos is set to close |url=https://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/19147694.blow-town-dudley-argos-set-close/ |access-date=25 May 2021 |work=Dudley News |date=10 Mar 2021}}</ref> the town centre is now largely occupied by take-away restaurants, charity shops, and gambling centres. The variety of businesses left led to Dudley being named 'the worst place to shop in the UK' in a 2014 study, which drew condemnation from the local council.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saul |first1=Heather |title=The 10 'worst' places to shop in the UK |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/10-worst-places-shop-uk-9847129.html |access-date=25 May 2021 |work=The Independent |date=7 Nov 2014}}</ref>

The town's market remains a prominent local shopping destination. Established in the 12th century,<ref>{{cite web|title=Dudley Market&nbsp;– Our History & Future |url=http://www.dudley.gov.uk/business/dudley-market/ourhistoryandfuture/ |work=Business |publisher=Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=8 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114053812/http://www.dudley.gov.uk/business/dudley-market/ourhistoryandfuture/ |archive-date=14 November 2011 }}</ref> it is situated on a wide part of the High Street. It has undergone numerous developments in its history, including pedestrianisation in 1982, removal of 12th-century cobblestone paving,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nmtf.co.uk/market-near-me/dudley-outdoor-market/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213003428/http://www.nmtf.co.uk/Dudley/|url-status=dead|title=Dudley Outdoor Market|archive-date=13 December 2006}}</ref> and a large-scale redevelopment scheme in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=DUDEY'S £6.7M MARKET PLACE REDEVELOPMENT|url=https://hardscape.co.uk/market-place-dudley/ |website=Hardscape |date=5 March 2018 |access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref>

===Industry===
The [[Bean Cars]] factory was opened in the first years of the twentieth century and remained in use until the 1930s, but survives to this day for other industrial use.

==Notable people==
[[File:Catherine Payton Phillips.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Catherine Payton Phillips]]
[[File:John Badley, Surgeon of Dudley taken ca. 1865.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|John Badley, Surgeon 1865]]
[[File:Showcase dudley.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Sculpture for James Whale, outside Dudley Showcase Cinema.]]
[[File:Cedric Hardwicke fsa 8b09659.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Cedric Hardwicke]]
[[File:Self Portrait (Mephistopheles) - Percy Shakespeare.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Percy Shakespeare]]
[[File:Maurice Vincent Wilkes 1980 (3).jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Maurice Vincent Wilkes 1980]]
[[File:Sue lawley.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Sue Lawley]]
[[File:Rog Patterson + Nigel Mazlyn Jones - 2004-05-26 - Andy Mabbett - 04.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Nigel Mazlyn Jones]]
[[File:Rosemary Hollis.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Rosemary Hollis]]

=== Early times to 1800 ===
* [[John Sutton II|Sir John de Sutton II]] (1310–1359) the first [[Baron Dudley#Predecessors|Baron Sutton of Dudley]]
* [[John Sutton IV|Sir John de Sutton IV]] (1361–1396) the 3rd [[Baron Dudley#Predecessors|Baron Sutton of Dudley]] and heir of [[Dudley Castle]] 
* [[John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley]], (1400–1487) English nobleman, diplomat and councillor of [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] 
* Sir [[Edmund Sutton]] (1425 in Dudley – c.1485) the eldest son of [[John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley]], fought in [[wars of the roses]]
* [[Henry Dudley (conspirator)|Sir Henry Dudley]] (1517 in Dudley Castle – 1568) English soldier, sailor, diplomat, and conspirator of the Tudor period.
*[[Abraham Darby I]] (1678 in Woodsetton – 1717), industrial pioneer,<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Darby, Abraham |volume= 14 |last= Espinasse |first= Francis |author-link= Francis Espinasse |pages= 42-43 |short= 1}}</ref> developed the first practical method to produce iron using coke instead of charcoal
* [[Henry Sanders (historian)|Henry Sanders]] (1727 in Dudley – 1785) English curate <ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Saunders, Henry |volume= 50 |last= Seccombe  |first= Thomas |author-link= Thomas Seccombe |page= 325 |short= 1}}</ref> and local historian, curate of [[Shenstone, Staffordshire]]
* [[Catherine Payton Phillips]] (1727 in Dudley – 1794) [[Recorded Minister|Quaker Minister]],<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Phillips, Catherine |volume= 45 |last= Seccombe  |first= Thomas |author-link= Thomas Seccombe |pages= 195-196 |short= 1}}</ref> travelled the UK, Holland and the American colonies
* Reverend [[Luke Booker]] (1762 in Nottingham – 1835). Vicar of [[Church of St Edmund, Dudley|St. Edmunds, Dudley]] and author<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last1=Alexander |first1=Gordon |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/2866 |title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |last2=Ellis |first2=Mari |date=24 September 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/2866 |access-date=7 September 2023}}</ref>
* [[Ben Boucher]] (1769 in Horseley Heath – 1851), folk poet, wrote about Dudley life in the 19th century
* [[Thomas Phillips]] (1770 in Dudley – 1845) leading <ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Phillips, Thomas |volume=21 |page=407}}</ref> English [[Portrait painting|portrait]] and subject painter 
* Reverend [[Joseph Cooke]] (1775 in Dudley – 1811), a [[Free Christians (Britain)|Free Christian]], expelled by the [[Methodism|Wesleyan Methodists]] on doctrinal grounds, became the inspiration of the Methodist [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] movement
* [[John Badley (surgeon)|John Badley]] (1783 in Dudley – 1870), surgeon of Dudley and medical pioneer.
* [[Samuel Cook (Chartist)|Samuel Cook]] (1786–1861), moved to Dudley in 1819, prominent local political campaigner against social inequality and for workers' and women's rights<ref>[http://www.thepeoplescharter.co.uk/profiles.htm Website of Chartism & The Chartists] retrieved Feb 2016</ref>
*[[Theophilus Dunn (fortune teller)|Theophillus Dunn]] ({{circa|1790}} – 1851) Fortune teller and magical healer from Netherton, known as the "Dudley Devil".<ref name="raven">{{cite book |last=Raven |first=Jon |title=Stories, Customs, Superstitions Tales, Legends & Folklore of the Black Country & Staffordshire|publisher=Broadside|year=1986 |isbn=0-946757-03-8}}</ref><ref name="tump">{{cite book |last=Tump |first=Aristotle |title=A Memorable Medley of Great Black Country Characters |publisher=A Bugle Publication |year=1986}}</ref>
* [[Robert Wallace (Unitarian)|Robert Wallace]] (1791 in Dudley – 1850) English [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] minister.<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Wallace, Robert (1791-1850) |volume= 59 |last= Gordon  |first= Alexander |author-link= Alexander Gordon (Unitarian) |page= 103 |short= 1}}</ref>

=== 1800 to 1900 ===
* [[Thomas William Booker-Blakemore]] (1801 in Dudley – 1858), MP, industrialist, landowner, and politician, son of Reverend [[Luke Booker]]
* [[Joseph William Moss]]  (1803 in Dudley – 1862) was an English [[physician]].<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Moss, Joseph William |volume= 39 |last= Marchant  |first= Edgar Cardew |author-link= |pages= 182-183 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[John Berryman (VC)|John Berryman]] (1825 in Dudley – 1896) British Army officer, awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/21971/page/655   The London Gazette, Publication date:24 February 1857, Issue:21971, Page:655] retrieved December 2017</ref> and a recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]] for action in the [[Crimean War]] 
* [[Brooke Robinson]] (1836 in Dudley – 1911) solicitor, county coroner and Conservative MP for Dudley from 1886 to 1906
* [[Frank Evers Beddard]] (1858 in Dudley – 1925) English zoologist,<ref>[http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/chronob/BEDD1858.htm   Chrono-Biographical Sketches, Beddard, Frank Evers (England 1858–1925)] retrieved December 2017</ref> he became a leading authority on [[annelids]], including [[earthworms]] and [[oligochaetes]].
* [[Genie Sheppard]] (1863 in Dudley – 1953), militant force-fed suffragette and medical doctor<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/7814/LNDRG13_109_111-0446?pid=21329050&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D7814%26h%3D21329050%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv2790%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv2790&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.50035238.1657389991.1582664881-1197399642.1515349816 1901 England Census for Genie Sheppard – London, St Marylebone – Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref>
*[[John Haden Badley]] (1865 in Dudley – 1967), Educator, founded (1893) and Headmaster (1893–1935) of [[Bedales School]]
* Sir [[William Charles Angliss]] (1865 in Dudley – 1957) butcher,<ref>[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/angliss-sir-william-charles-18   Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, (MUP), 1979, Angliss, Sir William Charles (1865–1957)] retrieved December 2017</ref> pastoralist, pioneer meat exporter, politician and philanthropist in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, knighted in 1939
* Captain [[H. J. Round]] (1881 in Kingswinford – 1966) English engineer,<ref>[https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/history/pioneers/captain-h-j-round.php   Electronics Notes website Captain H.J. Round]  Retrieved December 2017</ref> pioneer of radio, reported observation of [[electroluminescence]] from a diode 
*[[James Whale]] (1889 in Dudley – 1957), [[Horror film]] director,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001843/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> known for his films ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'', [[The Old Dark House (1932 film)|The Old Dark House]]'', [[The Invisible Man (1933 film)|The Invisible Man]]'' and ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]''
* Sir [[Cedric Hardwicke]] (1893 in Lye – 1964) stage and film actor <ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362567/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> whose career spanned nearly fifty years

=== 1900 to 1950 ===
*[[Bert Bissell]] (1902 in Dudley – 1998), mountain climber,<ref>[http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=16&refresh=xR1204TpBo81&EID=f9f500ab-62ab-4db1-88f6-64088e0b35eb&skip=&p=16   Windows of peace and friendship, Lochaber Life, 26 August 2009 Digital Edition]  Retrieved 12 October 2011</ref> peace campaigner. Dudley was twinned with [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]] in his honour.
*[[Percy Shakespeare]] (1906 in Kates Hill – 1943), artist <ref>[https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/search/actor:shakespeare-percy-19061943   14 Painting(s) by or after Percy Shakespeare at the Art UK site] retrieved December 2017</ref> with a talent for [[figure drawing]] and [[portraits]]
*[[Charles Coulson]] (1910 in Dudley – 1974) British [[applied mathematician]],<ref>[http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Coulson.html    University of St Andrews, Scotland, 2005, Charles Alfred Coulson] retrieved December 2017</ref> [[theoretical chemist]] and religious author
*[[John Coulson|John Metcalfe Coulson]] (1910 in Dudley – 1990) British chemical engineering academic and twin of [[Charles Coulson|Charles Alfred Coulson]]
*[[John English (theatre director)|John English]] (1911 in Dudley – 1998), theatre director <ref>[https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Midland+Arts+Centre+and+Highbury+Theatre+founder%3B+OBITUARY.-a060547538    Midland Arts Centre and Highbury Theatre founder; OBITUARY.." The Free Library. 1999 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd] retrieved December 2017</ref> and founder of the [[Midlands Arts Centre]]
* [[Maurice Wilkes|Sir Maurice Wilkes]] (1913 in Dudley – 2010) a significant British <ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/nov/30/sir-maurice-wilkes-obituary    The Guardian, 30 Nov 2010, Sir Maurice Wilkes obituary] retrieved December 2017</ref> [[computer scientist]] 
*[[Ian Messiter]] (1920 in Dudley – 1999) BBC Radio producer <ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/nov/25/guardianobituaries1    The Guardian, 25 Nov 1999, Obituary, Ian Messiter] retrieved December 2017</ref> and the creator of a number of panel games, including most famously Radio 4's ''[[Just a Minute]]'' 
*[[Billy Dainty]] (1927 in Dudley – 1986) British comedian,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0197417/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> dancer, physical comedian and pantomime and television star
* [[Roger Cashmore]] (born 1944) went to school in Dudley,<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority/about/our-governance  UK Atomic Energy Authority's governance structure] retrieved December 2017</ref> Chair of the [[United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority]], previously the Principal of [[Brasenose College, Oxford]] and Professor of Experimental Physics at the [[University of Oxford]] 
*[[Sue Lawley]] (born 1946 in [[Sedgley]]) is an English TV <ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/aug/25/broadcasting.bbc  The Guardian, 25 Aug 2006, The Guardian profile: Sue Lawley] retrieved December 2017</ref> and radio broadcaster.

=== 1950 to present ===
* [[Nigel Mazlyn Jones]] (born 1950 in Dudley) English guitarist, singer and songwriter, also did part-time work at [[Dudley Zoo]]
* [[Rosemary Hollis|Professor Rosemary Hollis]] (born 1952 in Dudley - 2020) political scientist,<ref>[https://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/rosemary-hollis   City, University of London, Professor Rosemary Hollis, Professor of International Politics] retrieved December 2017</ref> professor [[Middle East]] Policy Studies [[City University London]]
* [[Norman Pace]] (born 1953 in Dudley) English actor <ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0655154/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> and comedian, one half of the comedy duo [[Hale and Pace]]
* [[Will Duckworth]] (born 1954 in Dudley) [[Green Party of England and Wales]] politician 
* [[Susan Price]] (born 1955 in Dudley) English author, she mainly writes [[children's literature]] and [[young adult fiction]]
* Sir [[Lenny Henry]] (born 1958 in Dudley), stand-up comedian,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377901/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> actor, blues singer, writer and TV presenter
* [[John Barnes (English broadcaster)|John Barnes]] (born 1961 in Dudley) [[radio broadcaster]] and [[journalist]] for the BBC.
* [[Jim MacCool]] (born 1963) British dramatic poet in the [[Seanchaí|shanachie]] or travelling [[bard]] tradition, also poet-in-residence for Dudley 
* [[Jason Bonham]] (born 1966 in Dudley), drummer,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0094495/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> son of [[Led Zeppelin]] drummer [[John Bonham]]
* [[Carl Trueman]] (born 1967 in Dudley), Reformed theologian and historian, professor at [[Grove City College]], [[Pennsylvania]]
* [[Andrew Griffiths (politician)|Andrew Griffiths]] (born 1970 in Dudley) Conservative MP <ref>[https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/andrew-griffiths/3936  Parliamentary Profile, Andrew Griffiths MP] retrieved December 2017</ref> for [[Burton (UK Parliament constituency)|Burton]] since 2010
* [[Jas Mann]] (born 1971 in Dudley) British songwriter,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2168572/  IMDb Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> singer, record producer, film producer and lead singer of [[Babylon Zoo]] 
* [[Shafiq Rasul]] (born 1977 in Dudley) a detainee held at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]]{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
* [[Warren Nettleford]] (born 1982 in Dudley) television presenter and reporter

=== Sport up to 1950 ===
*[[Joseph Darby (jumper)|Joe Darby]] (1861 in Windmill End, Netherton – 1937), Champion spring jumper (jumping starting from a stationary position)<ref>{{cite news|title=A few of the athletic feats achieved by Joe Darby, Achilles of the Black Country|url=http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News/A-few-of-the-athletic-feats-achieved-by-Joe-Darby-brAchilles-of-the-Black-Country-2.htm|access-date=6 December 2012|newspaper=Black Country Bugle|date=5 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112080348/http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News/A-few-of-the-athletic-feats-achieved-by-Joe-Darby-brAchilles-of-the-Black-Country-2.htm|archive-date=12 January 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* [[Bert Baverstock]] (1883 in Dudley – 1951) English footballer, spent sixteen years with [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.]] making 369 appearances 
* [[Charles Mayo (golfer)|Charles Mayo]] (1884 in Dudley – 1977) English [[professional golfer]]
*[[Joe Smith (football manager)|Joe Smith]] (1889 in Dudley – 1971), footballer and football manager of [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] for the [[FA Cup Final 1953|1953 FA Cup final]] victory over [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton]], dubbed the "Matthews Final"
* [[Herbert Homer]] (1895 in Dudley – 1977) cricketer and cricket administrator, 85 appearances for Staffordshire
* [[Dorothy Round Little|Dorothy Round]] (1909 in Dudley – 1982), tennis player and [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] women's singles champion in 1934 and 1937
* [[Gladys Morcom]] (1918 in Dudley – 2010) British swimmer in the women's 400 metre freestyle at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Audrey Hancock]] (born 1919 in Dudley - 2017) British swimmer in the women's 100 metre backstroke at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Dennis Stevens]] (1933 in Dudley – 2012) English footballer, played mainly for [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.]] and [[Everton F.C.]]
* [[Albert Broadbent]] (1934 in Dudley – October 2006) footballer, scored 99 goals in 485 appearances mainly for [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]]
*[[Duncan Edwards]] (1936 in Woodside – 1958), [[England national football team|England]] footballer who died in the [[Munich air disaster]]. One of the members of Manchester United's popular [[Busby Babes]]<ref>[https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football%3A+Dudley's+jewel+in+the+crown...+Busby+Babe+Duncan+Edwards...-a0175120455    The tragedy of Munich, The Free Library, 2008 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd] retrieved December 2017</ref> The Dudley Southern Bypass was renamed 'Duncan Edwards Way' in his memory, and a statue of him was erected in the town Market Place in 1999
* [[George Andrews (footballer)|George Andrews]] (born 23 April 1942) English former professional footballer, making over 400 appearances, scoring 149 goals mainly at [[Southport F.C.]], [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.]] and [[Walsall F.C.]]
* [[Phil Parkes (footballer, born 1950)|Phil Parkes]] (born 1950 in Sedgley) is a former football goalkeeper for [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.]] and [[West Ham United F.C.]] making 743 appearances

=== Sport since 1950 ===
[[File:Sam Allardyce in shades.jpg|thumb|175px|Sam Allardyce, 2014]]
*[[Sam Allardyce]] (born 1954 in Dudley), English football player and manager as well as a former England football manager.
* [[Clive Allen (basketball)|Clive Allen]] (born 1961 in Dudley) British basketball coach and former player with [[Birmingham Bullets]] 
* [[Adrian Rollinson]] (born 1965 in Dudley) British strongman competitor, repeat competitor at the [[World's Strongest Man]]
* [[Michael Rosswess]] (born 1965 in Dudley) retired English sprinter, in the 200 metres event at the [[1988 Summer Olympics]]
*[[David Burrows (footballer)|David Burrows]] (born 1968 in Dudley), retired professional footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=1158  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> played mainly for [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]
* [[Richard Forsyth]] (born 1970 in Dudley) English footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=2614  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> made nearly 250 appearances for [[Stoke City F.C.]] [[Peterborough United F.C.]] and [[Cheltenham Town F.C.]]
* [[Robert Norton (boxer)|Robert Norton]] (born 1972 in Dudley) British professional boxer, southpaw cruiserweight
* [[Chris Westwood]] (born 1977 in Dudley) footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=9563  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> made over 500 appearances, most for [[Hartlepool United F.C.]]
* [[Darren McDermott]] (born 1978 in Dudley) English middleweight boxer and the current holder of the English middleweight title 
*[[Reanne Evans]] (born 1985 in Dudley) English former professional snooker player, won [[WLBSA]] [[Ladies World Snooker Championship]] twelve times between 2005 and 2019
* [[Russell Penn]] (born 1985 in Dudley) professional footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=36465  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> mainly played for [[Kidderminster Harriers F.C.|Kidderminster Harriers]], [[Cheltenham Town F.C.|Cheltenham Town]] and [[York City F.C.|York City]] 
*[[Kaleigh Grainger]] (born 1986 in Dudley) is a British [[unicyclist]], learning her many skills from her father, a [[circus skills]] veteran
* [[Matthew Barnes-Homer]] (born 1986 in Dudley) English professional footballer <ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39640  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> who mainly played for [[Kidderminster Harriers F.C.]], [[Luton Town F.C.]] and [[Macclesfield Town F.C.]]
* [[Asa Hall]] (born 1986 in Dudley) professional footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=41645  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> mainly played for [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]], [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]] and [[Cheltenham Town F.C.|Cheltenham Town]]
* [[Luke Tilt]] (born 1986 in Dudley), footballer
* [[Reece Brown (footballer, born 1996)|Reece Brown]] (born 1996 in Dudley) English footballer <ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=72476  SoccerBase Database] retrieved December 2017</ref> who plays for [[Peterborough United F.C.]], on loan from [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.]]
* [[Tyler Bate]] (born 1997 in Dudley) British [[professional wrestler]] currently signed to [[WWE]]

==In popular culture==
*The front and inner photographs for the 1971 [[Led Zeppelin IV]] album were taken in the Eve Hill area of the town; the main [[tower block]], shown side on, is Butterfield Court off Salop Street, and still stands.<ref>{{cite web|author=Emporis GmbH |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=butterfieldcourt-dudley-unitedkingdom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930172307/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=butterfieldcourt-dudley-unitedkingdom |url-status=usurped |archive-date=30 September 2007 |title=Butterfield Court entry |publisher=Emporis |access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref> The two other blocks were demolished in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/image_galleries/bc_in_pictures_4_gallery.shtml?40|title=Gallery four: Black Country|work=BBC Black Country Website&nbsp;– Photo Galleries|author=Keith Slater|access-date=27 December 2006}}</ref>
*The [[borehole]] in local author [[Hugh Walters (author)|Hugh Walters]]' juvenile [[science fiction]] story ''[[The Mohole Mystery]]'' was sited in Dudley.
*The television comedy series ''[[The Grimleys]]'' was set in Dudley,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Grimleys (TV series)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187643/|publisher=Internet Movie Database|access-date=12 October 2011}}</ref> and was filmed approximately {{Convert|80|mi|km|abbr=}} away in [[City of Salford|Salford]].
*Dudley is the home town of a famous comedy TV character, Barry, in the 1980s series ''[[Auf Wiedersehen Pet]]''.

==Sport==
===Association football===
[[File:DuncanEdwards1.jpg|thumb|upright|Footballer [[Duncan Edwards]] (1936–1958), was born in Woodside, Dudley, and is commemorated by a statue in the town centre.]]
The town's key football teams are [[Dudley Town F.C.]] formed in 1888<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=29 November 2007 |title=Dudley Town football club |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/articles/2007/11/29/dudleytown_nov2007feature.shtml |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=bbc.co.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref> and [[Dudley Sports F.C.]] formed in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Dudley Sports |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2007/10/03/about-dudley-sports/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20171008232325/https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2007/10/03/about-dudley-sports/ |archive-date=2017-10-08 |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=www.expressandstar.com |language=en}}</ref>

Dudley Town FC's most notable success came in 1985 when they won promotion to the [[Southern Football League Premier Division|Southern Premier League]]. In the same year they were forced to quit [[Dudley Sports Centre]] (at the junction of Tipton Road and Birmingham Road) due to [[Coal mining|mining]] [[subsidence]] and have ground-shared outside the town ever since.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warburton |first=Olivia |date=2025-06-14 |title=Football club on mission to come back home 'cautiously optimistic' |url=https://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/25239253.dudley-town-fc-cautiously-optimistic-hopes-returning-town/ |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=Dudley News |language=en}}</ref> Home matches are played at Noose Lane in Willenhall.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dudley Town Men’s |url=https://www.dudleytownfootballclub.co.uk/teams/dudley-town-men%E2%80%99s |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=www.dudleytownfootballclub.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 1981, when still playing at Dudley Sports Centre, Dudley Town played a prestigious game against [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] to commemorate a refurbishment of the stadium, with the new [[Floodlights (sport)|floodlight]]s being switched on by legendary former Wolves player [[Billy Wright (footballer born 1924)|Billy Wright]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}} 

===Rugby football===
The Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club is the local rugby team, which play at their grounds in [[Wall Heath]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Location |url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/dudleykingswinfordrugbyclub/location/ |publisher=Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club |access-date=2 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120110629/http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/dudleykingswinfordrugbyclub/location/ |archive-date=20 January 2013 }}</ref>

===Motor sports===
For a short period, a [[Motorcycle speedway|speedway]] team called Dudley Heathens attempted to find a site to race in Dudley.<ref name="heathens back">{{cite web|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/other-sport/speedway/2013/12/11/heathens-come-back-at-cradley/ |title= Heathens come back at Cradley |publisher=Express and Star|access-date=17 March 2014}}</ref>
The team plays in Wolverhampton and Birmingham due to the lack of a speedway track within the Dudley borough. The team were originally called the [[Cradley Heath Heathens]], due to the proximity of their home track at [[Dudley Wood Stadium]] to the [[Cradley Heath]]/Dudley boundary. The stadium was demolished in the mid-1990s to make way for housing development, with the club disbanding shortly afterwards, before it re-formed with the name Dudley Heathens in 2010.<ref name=CradleyHeathens>{{cite news|title=Cradley Heathens from a Stoke Potter's perspective|url=http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/Sport/Cradley-Heathens-from-a-Stoke-Potters-perspective.htm|access-date=2 January 2013|newspaper=Black Country Bugle|date=18 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315131413/http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/Sport/Cradley-Heathens-from-a-Stoke-Potters-perspective.htm|archive-date=15 March 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Though there have been attempts by the club to move back into the town, they have so far been rejected by the local authority.<ref>{{cite news|title=Council leader: I'm not ignoring Heathens|url=http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/10293863.Council_leader__I_m_not_ignoring_Heathens/|access-date=30 June 2013|newspaper=Halesowen News|date=15 March 2013}}</ref> The team re-adopted the name Cradley Heathens in 2013.<ref name="heathens">{{cite web|url=http://www.dudleyheathens.co/homepage |title=Cradley Heathens |publisher=Cradley Heathens |access-date=17 March 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030125145/http://www.dudleyheathens.co/homepage |archive-date=30 October 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> Former World Champion riders from the team include [[Erik Gundersen]] and [[Bruce Penhall]].

===Volleyball===
Following a merger with the Coseley Volleyball Club, [[Wombourne V.C.]] play at the Evolve campus of Dudley College, in the town centre. They compete in the West Midlands Volleyball Association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wombournevolleyball.co.uk/|publisher=Wombourne Volleyball Club|title=Wombourne Volleyball Club|access-date=14 November 2013}}</ref>

==Twin towns==
Dudley is [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]], Scotland<ref>{{cite web|title=Our History |url=http://www.gsmvc.org.uk/history.htm#1980 |publisher=Gentlemen Songsters Male Voice Choir |access-date=12 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005213815/http://www.gsmvc.org.uk/history.htm |archive-date=5 October 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Citation |last1=Lloyd |first1=David |title=A History of Worcestershire |date=1993 |publisher=Phillimore |location=Chichester |ol = 1140253M |lccn = 94109314 |isbn = 9780850336580 |oclc = 30027275}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.dudley.gov.uk/ Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]

{{West Midlands County}}
{{Wards of Dudley}}
{{History of local government districts in Worcestershire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dudley| ]]
[[Category:Towns in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Metropolitan Borough of Dudley]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in the West Midlands (county)]]