We took a nostalgic trip back to the 1940s with the Black Country Museum - including vintage cars, Laurel and Hardy impersonators and a classic 'press man'
It was a weekend of nostalgia and make-do-and-mend at the Black Country Living Museum as it transported guests back to the 1940s.
Fresh from its gold win at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, the Black Country Living Museum invited guests to dress in their vintage finest and step back in time for the much-anticipated return of the 1940s Weekend.
Taking place between Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the immersive celebration brought the spirit, sights, and sounds of wartime Britain to life at the UK’s Best Large Visitor Attraction of 2025.
Visitors had the opportunity to dial back the years and experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the decade as the annual event transformed the Museum’s historic streets into a vibrant 1940s Homefront community, complete with authentic re-enactments, vintage vehicles, a selection of food inspired by 1940s recipes, and live entertainment.
As the museum was transformed into a living snapshot of the 1940s, guests were able to uncover everything from ration books and identity cards to gas masks and air raid precautions.
Immersive exhibitions allowed guest to discover how wartime Britain adapted with ingenuity through the Dig for Victory campaign that turned gardens into essential food supplies, and the Make-Do-and-Mend initiative that sparked creative solutions to clothing shortages.
The Saturday evening also saw the Museum host an evening of nostalgic entertainment with live music from a variety of genre spanning acts such as The Bluebird Belles, Kalamazoo Dance Band, Natty’s Solid Four, Lissie Allsopp, Shannon – The Vocalist and local musician Joe James Thomas.
Public Programme Manager, Izzy Taylor, said: “1940s weekend and evening is one of our biggest events at the Museum.
"It’s exciting to welcome around 400 reenactors, traders, musicians, and entertainers who enliven the site even more, and give visitors a real taste of 1940s, especially with this year being the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
"It’s been a longstanding part of our calendar and we look forward to it coming back around every year.
"There’ll be something for everyone to take part in too, whether that’s filling up sandbags or getting styled with victory rolls by our hairdresser, giving the event a real flavour of the era."
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