This open-air museum, made up of historic local buildings reassembled brick-by-brick on a picturesque site, includes a traditional 1930s fish and chip shop lit by gas lamps and a sweet shop where delicacies are hand-made daily. There is also a pub, the Bottle and Glass Inn, serving Holdens, one of the many local beers for which the area is acclaimed.

The area, which got its name when the area was ‘black’ from the concentration of coal-mining and heavy industry which has now disappeared, is also known for The Pie Factory, Tipton. This restaurant serves two-pound “Desperate Dan Cow Pies”. Nearby, sausage maker Boxley’s of Wombourne holds the title of national supreme champion sausage for its 1939 pork recipe, a favourite breakfast dish of the Prince of Wales at the time.

Many of the Black Country’s attractions are free of charge – notably the recently opened New Art Gallery, Walsall with its works by Picasso and Van Gogh. Admission to the Black Country Living Museum is £8.25. Tel: 0121 557 9643. Websites: www.blackcountrytourism.co.uk; www.bclm.co.uk.