Shipways

Saltwells National Nature Reserve Black Country Geosite

Pear Tree Lane - Industrial Estate · 9.9 miles

The site offers a rare combination of natural woodland, grassland and industrial archaeology within the West Midlands. Established in 1981, the 247-acre Saltwells Local Nature Reserve lies in the Netherton area, roughly two miles south of Dudley and adjacent to the Pear Tree Lane industrial estate. Its boundaries follow the Cinderbank Road (A459) to the north-east and the A4100 to the south, while the Tipsyford and Mousesweet brooks mark its western edge. Within the reserve lie two Sites of Special Scientific Interest – Doulton’s Claypit and Brewin’s Canal Section – and a scheduled ancient monument that records medieval coal-mining activity. Visitors can walk along Hall Lane, the historic route to the demolished Netherton Hall, and encounter the small Daphne Pool set among gorse-covered slopes of Netherton Hill. The southern portion, Saltwells Wood, is an 18th-century plantation noted for bluebell carpets in spring and contains wooden and metal sculptures created with input from local schools and artists. Remains of opencast and underground coal extraction, as well as the canal cutting dating from the 1858 improvements, are visible along the paths. The Saltwells Inn, an 18th-century public house within the reserve, provides traditional British pub fare and local ales, offering a convenient stop for walkers. No specific admission fee or opening hours are detailed. Access is via Cinderbank Road (A459), the A4100 and the footpaths that run through the reserve.

The Leasowes

Webb's Green · 9.9 miles

A 57-hectare estate set on the edge of Webb’s Green, The Leasowes combines historic house, garden and open parkland within the Halesowen area. The name translates as “rough pasture land”, and the grounds are recorded on English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade I. Part of the site is occupied by Halesowen Golf Club, while the remainder is maintained as a public park under the care of the local council. The landscape originated between 1743 and 1763 as a ferme ornée created by the poet William Shenstone, whose design aimed for an unadorned, pastoral feel that later attracted commentary from contemporary writers. After Shenstone’s death, Edward Horne acquired the property, replaced the original house with a new building completed around 1776 and added a walled garden and hothouse. Subsequent owners, including Major Francis Halliday, introduced features such as a stone portico and a whimsical hermitage, though later proprietors made little effort to preserve Shenstone’s original layout, leading to a period of decline by the 1820s. The council purchased the estate in 1934, converting it into a publicly accessible park while leasing part to the golf club. A restoration programme carried out from May 2008 to January 2009 reinstated many 18th-century elements and introduced a linear lake within the former Lapal canal, enhancing the historic scenery.

Warrens Hall Nature Reserve Black Country Geosite

Springfield · 11 miles

A mixture of former industrial sites and natural habitats characterises the Warren’s Hall Country Park, a local nature reserve managed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Situated on the eastern edge of Netherton, roughly 1.5 miles south of Dudley and bordering Dudley Metropolitan Borough, the reserve lies close to the town of Springfield. The area incorporates grassland, ponds, canals and small wooded sections, and marks the entrance to the Netherton Canal Tunnel. Its landscape overlays former farmland and the locations of the Windmill Hill and Warren’s Hall collieries, with visible remnants such as Cobb’s Engine House and the Dudley No. 2 Canal. The reserve was officially designated as a local nature reserve in 1996. Visitors can reach the site by car via Dudley Road, and a visitor centre positioned beside the Dudley No. 2 Canal on the Bumble Hole side supplies information for both Warren’s Hall and the adjoining Bumble Hole Nature Reserve. Two of the small pools permit angling for a fee, subject to specific conditions. The visitor centre also offers guidance on the surrounding features, including the Blow Cold Bank Colliery spoil heap, now covered in grass. No additional admission charges are mentioned for general entry, and the facilities focus on interpreting the reserve’s industrial heritage alongside its current ecological assets.

Priory Ruins

Priory Estate · 11 miles

The ruined remains of a medieval monastic house sit within Priory Park on the edge of the Priory Estate in Dudley, West Midlands. Recognised as a scheduled monument and designated Grade I on 14 September 1949, the site is listed by Historic England and forms part of the public green space that was acquired by the former Dudley County Borough council in 1926. Founded in 1160 by Gervase Paganel as a Cluniac dependency of Much Wenlock, the priory was dedicated to Saint James and built from locally quarried limestone. Surviving fabric includes a 14th-century archway leading to the Lady chapel, a structure traditionally linked to the Sutton family. After dissolution under Henry VIII in the 1530s, the buildings passed to Sir John Dudley and subsequently fell into ruin, later being repurposed for industrial activities such as tanning and glass grinding. Archaeological work in 1939 by Rayleigh Radford marked the outlines of former walls and uncovered medieval tiles that now lie exposed on the ground surface. The ruins lie adjacent to the residential Priory Estate and are reachable on foot through the surrounding parkland. As a heritage landmark, the site does not have on-site facilities beyond the open space of the park, and its status as a public monument means it can be viewed without entry charges. The surrounding area reflects the later 19th-century development of Priory Hall and the transformation of former industrial ponds into the current landscape.

Dudley Castle

Priory Estate · 11 miles

The ruin known as Dudley Castle crowns Castle Hill on the edge of the Priory Estate in the town of Dudley, West Midlands. The defensive site dates from around 1070, when a follower of William the Conqueror is thought to have erected the first fortification on the limestone outcrop. The present earthwork mound, the motte, still marks the location of the original wooden structure, while the stone keep and gate that dominate the skyline stem from rebuilding work that began in the mid-thirteenth century. Over the centuries the castle changed hands repeatedly, passing from the de Picquigny family to the Paganel, Somery and Sutton dynasties before being seized by the Despensers in the 1320s. A major phase of construction under John Dudley in the 1540s added the Sharington Range, an early example of Italian Renaissance influence in the region. The fortifications were slighted on Parliamentary orders during the English Civil War and the residential buildings were lost to fire in 1750. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the hill served as a venue for fêtes and pageants, and today the grounds accommodate Dudley Zoo, providing the principal visitor facilities on the site. The castle and its limestone hill are protected as a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument, and it appears on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register following recent structural concerns.

Dudley Zoo & Castle

Priory Estate · 11 miles

Set within the extensive, densely-wooded grounds of Dudley Castle, the zoo occupies roughly 40 acres of a 200-acre estate in the town of Dudley, Black Country, West Midlands. Opened to visitors on 18 May 1937, the animal collection is housed in a dozen modernist enclosures designed by Berthold Lubetkin and the Tecton Group, with structural work carried out by Ove Arup. The architects deliberately chose a contemporary aesthetic, employing pre-stressed concrete to create curved forms and platforms, rather than attempting to echo the medieval ruins of the castle. The site’s steep terrain and historic limestone caverns presented challenges during construction, and the castle’s status as a scheduled monument imposed additional constraints. Today the attraction presents a variety of species, including giraffes, tigers, lions, reindeer, wallabies and three snow leopards, alongside primate displays, aviaries and a reptile house. Historic features such as a miniature railway, introduced in 1938, and a chair lift, reinstated in 2012 after refurbishment, remain part of the visitor experience. Facilities include step-free access throughout, on-site toilets and a charge for admission; detailed opening times are published on the zoo’s listing. Management is provided by the Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society, a charity founded in 1978 that operates the zoo on land owned by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.