Back in time – visitors experience 1960s healthcare in Black Country Museum’s new living history centre

Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, UK, has opened a life-sized replica of a
healthcare centre for infants, offering visitors an opportunity to discover how new and
expectant mothers in the early 1960s were cared for and supported.

The new Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre is housed in its own building, allowing visitors to explore a waiting room, doctor’s surgery, a dispensary and other exhibits – as well as meet costumed characters.

One of the characters, a midwife named ‘Cicilyn Sinclair’, will share experiences of travelling to the Black Country from Jamaica as part of the Windrush Generation.

In addition, a collection of archival materials, donated objects and personal memories from the period will help transport guests back to the 1960s.

The opening of the major new attraction has been scheduled to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the UK’s National Health Service, which was founded in 1948.

To mark the opening of the attraction, Black Country Living Museum invited 75 babies to celebrate the launch.

A mother of one of the babies, Beth Lucas-Pearce – who brought along her five-month-old daughter, Eleanor – said: “It has been really interesting to see what maternal care was like in the 1960s – the leaflets, the very basic toys, the heavy old-fashioned prams.

"Things have obviously moved on significantly, but the backbone stays the same"