We visited a Black Country town with Titanic history, friendly people and natural beauty on its outskirts
It's a town which has a lot to offer visitors looking for history, community and nature and which has potential to grow.
Set near the Sandwell/Dudley border, the town of Netherton can feel like one that you just pass through heading out of Dudley towards Old Hill or Cradley Heath or onto the Dudley Southern By-Pass.
While the road does flow with traffic in both directions, the town is one which is something of a hidden gem, full of history and friendly people and sitting advantageously on the edge of several nature reserves and waterways.
Netherton means "lower farm" in Old English and for most of its history, it was a small village centred around the point where a brook crossed the Baptist End Road, near the boundary of Pensnett Chase, a partially wooded common.
It was mentioned in legal records back in the early 15th century and built up over time, being given a charter by King Charles II to hold an annual market fair and was incorporated into the borough of Dudley in 1865.
Netherton expanded rapidly in the industrial age and the thick seams of coal underlying the region were extensively mined, while blast furnaces were constructed in for iron making, and the area became home to many industries including chain making, anchor making, nail making, brick making, enamelling, and the construction of boilers.
This includes the Netherton Anchor, which was part of Titanic when it set sail in 1912 and which was crafted in Netherton, and a replica now takes pride of place in the centre of the town with Hingley on the side, paying tribute to Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd, Netherton Ironworks, which created the anchor.
