Top five Black Country smells revealed

The favourite smells of the area were revealed as part of a study by the University of Wolverhampton, the Black Country Living Museum and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Members of the public were asked what they thought were associated with the Black Country as part of the £2,200 'Snidge Scrumpin' project.

The project revealed the top five smells are coal, breweries, foundry and metalworking, chips and chippies and pork scratchings.

Research events were carried out at the Black Country Living Museum and Wolverhampton Art Gallery in November, as part of the Being Human Festival.

The study is designed to build on research into the so-called Proust Phenomenon, which suggests odours can trigger childhood memories.

In Black Country dialect, ‘Snidge’ means ‘nose’ and ‘Scrumpin’’ is ‘foraging.

People were exposed to various smells as part of a test and then asked what feelings and memories the odours evoked.

University of Wolverhampton psychologist Dr Tom Mercer analysed the data collected at both events and made the reveal on Friday, as part of the Wolverhampton Literature Festival.

A total of 52 participants, 29 women and 23 men, took part in the study – with half born in the Black Country and 24 spending their childhood there.

Test

The test involved eight jars containing different smells – four were lemon, paint, curry paste and carbolic soup – and four were designed to be specific to the Black Country, with canal water, burnt rubber, Teddy Gray's and faggots.

For each smell, participants tried to identify what it was, and rate it on its familiarity, intensity and pleasantness

Next, they tried to recall a memory evoked by the smell, describe and date it, and then rate the memory on its significance, detail and pleasantness

Finally, participants tried to place the memory.

Memories

Sebastian Groes, Professor of English Literature in the School of Humanities at the University of Wolverhampton, said: "I've led on a project called Snidge Scrumpin' and we explored the so-called 'Proust Phenomenon' which suggests that odours can trigger childhood memories.

"“Smell is unique because it has the ability to take us right back to our childhood. The two Snidge Scrumpin’ events looked at mapping the specific smells that belong to the Black Country by asking participants to smell odours that had been captured by our researchers.

“The community events were designed to build on research into the so-called ‘Proust Phenomenon’, which suggests that odours can trigger childhood memories. We conducted an interactive psychological experiment and people that attended were asked to retrieve and describe their memories, rate their intensity and emotionality as well as pin point on a map where they experienced the smell.

“Our aim through the Snidge Scrumpin’ research is to demonstrate the importance of the smell and taste for our sense of regional history, and how place shapes us."

The smell of paint and Teddy Grey's elicited more significant memories for people who spent their childhood in the Black Country, in comparison to those who grew up elsewhere.

The memories brought forward by the smell of Teddy Grey's were more detailed, according to the study, with the smell of paint leading to more pleasant memories.

At the end of the study, participants were asked to write down any smells associated with the Black Country.

University Psychologist Dr Tom Mercer said: "We asked them can you think of any smells that you associate with the Black Country.

"It was very individual.

"It was good fun and most of the research I tend to do was very lab-based, so it's nice to do something with the general public and it's something they enjoyed.

"People seemed to quite get into it as well."