Bostin' babies and their parents help celebrate NHS, Windrush and the Black Country Living Museum

The centre looked after expectant mothers and newborn babies, providing healthcare, maternity services, classes, advice and medication and even beds.

Call the Midwife is a popular television drama about a group of midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and there were plenty of the Black Country variety on hand at the museum to take care of the infants.

Over 450 parents got in touch when the museum appealed for '75 Black Country babbies' last month. The lucky ones - including some real life midwives – got free access to the museum for the day and the youngsters given a popular UnChained annual pass which will be valid until they are 16 years of age.

The attraction will tell stories about the foundation of the NHS, the impact of migration and the support and care that new and expectant mothers received in the Black Country - and officially opens on Monday.

Visitors will be able to explore the main hall, dispensary and doctor’s office to experience the sights and sounds of the growing National Health Service as it was in the 1960s.

Costumed characters will include Cicilyn Sinclair, who travelled to the Black Country from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation, and a health visitor, Lynne Davies, who helped expectant and new mothers.

One of the visiting families, the Kellys from Brierley Hill, had dressed up in authentic costume – mother Amy in 1960s style clothes and father James as a Peaky Blinder.

He said: "We had twins this year, Alexander and Freya, but already have a son Lucas who is two and we are regular visitors here so thought we would apply for the new arrivals to see the museum and of course the new attraction, which is very impressive."

It is very different from a modern day maternity clinic but has everything needed for expectant mothers during the time and faithfully re-creates the centre as it was in the 1960s.

"The NHS has probably changed quite a bit since then, there may be more demand on it but I don't know what we would do without it. It has certainly been very good to us in our experience of having kids and the staff have been first class.

"And it is important generally for people to remember their roots and what the area they come from was like in years gone by, whether that be in healthcare or the traditional industries like steel or coal – the museum allows for that and that is why we are regular visitors and the twins will be as well."

Carol King, the director of programmes at the museum, said they were very proud of the Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre building which had been 18 months in the planning and she was sure it would be a worthwhile addition to the other attractions.

She said: "The idea to invite 75 babies born in the Black Country this year has proved tremendously popular and I am sorry we couldn't accommodate more, but the number is significant as it signifies the birth of the NHS in 1948.

"It is also the year HMT Empire Windrush docked and that was very significant for the NHS and people living there at the time as many people from the Caribbean worked in hospitals or health centres such as Lea Road.

"But as well as looking back to the past, we like to look forward as well, which is why we are inviting the youngsters to visit us again by using the annual pass - and we are sure they will be fascinated in future years to explore the history, sights, sounds and people of the area where they come from."