Netherton, United Kingdom
Netherton is a town of 2,587 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Netherton
Townapedia lists 23 museums and landmarks, 42 parks and trails, 181 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 10 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dudley Hippodrome, Opera House, Black Country Living Museum and Brierley Hill War Memorial.
Weather in Netherton
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Netherton
Netherton is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, 2 miles (3 km) south of Dudley in the West Midlands of England. It was historically part of Worcestershire. The town is part of the Black Country, Netherton is bounded by nature reserves to the east and west, and an industrial area and the Dudley Southern By-Pass to the north.
From the Wikipedia article Netherton, West Midlands (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do10
Dudley Hippodrome
Cinema and theater · 2.1 mi
Former theatre in Dudley, England, later used as a bingo hall
Opera House
Cinema and theater · 2.1 mi
Former theatre in Dudley, England (1899-1936)
Museums and landmarks23
Black Country Living Museum
Museum · 2.7 mi
Open-air museum of manufacturing history in Dudley, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
Brierley Hill War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 1.8 mi
Memorial in Dudley, West Midlands, England, UK
Dudley Castle
Monument and historic site · 2.2 mi
Grade I listed castle in Dudley, United Kingdom
Red House Glass Cone
Museum · 3.1 mi
Glass cone in Wordsley, West Midlands, England, UK
Haden Hill House Museum
Museum · 1.4 mi
Historic house museum, United Kingdom
Apr-Sep: Th,Fr 10:00-17:00; Apr-Sep: Sa,Su 14:00-18:00; Oct-Nov:...
Mushroom Green Chainshop
Museum · 0.7 mi
19th century chainshop which is open to the public
Apr-Oct: Su
11 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds42
Haden Hill Park
Park · 1.5 mi
Public park in Cradley Heath, Sandwell, England
Buckpool and Fens Pool Local Nature Reserve
Park · 2.1 mi
Park in Pensnett, United Kingdom
Priory Park, Dudley
Park · 2.3 mi
Public park in Dudley, West Midlands, England, UK
Sheepwash Urban Park
Park · 3.3 mi
Local Nature Reserve in the West Midlands, England
Barrow Hill Local Nature Reserve
Park · 2.4 mi
Park in Pensnett, Dudley, West Midlands, England
Bumble Hole Local Nature Reserve
Park · 0.8 mi
Nature reserve in the West Midlands of England
30 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes181
Wheelie Thirsty
Bar and pub · 0.9 mi
215 Halesowen Road, Old Hill
Mo-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-22:00; Su 12:00-20:00; PH 12:00-20:00
Mama Lj’s
Cafe · Sandwich, Cake, Breakfast, Tea, Brunch, Fries · 0.8 mi
117 Highgate Street
Tu-Fr 08:00-14:00; Sa 08:30-14:00; Su 09:00-14:00
The Old Swan
Bar and pub · 0.5 mi
89 Halesowen Road, Netherton Dudley
Mo-Sa 11:00-23:00; Su 12:00-22:30
169 more on the map.
History
Netherton means "lower farm" in Old English (the corresponding upper farm may have been Dudley itself). For most of its history, Netherton 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. Netherton is mentioned in legal records dating from 1420 and the first mention of a Netherton nailor, an occupation that became very important locally in later years, is dated 1559. The village is called 'Nederton' in the earliest available documents. The village was included in the Manor of Dudley, a Lordship of the Barons of Dudley who once owned a manor house in the area. This property is mentioned in documents dating from the 15th–17th centuries.
In the 17th century, a Baptist Congregation (the Messiah Baptist Church) started meeting in Netherton. The church book for this congregation lists the names of those baptised from the year 1654.
Netherton is shown in Joseph Browne's 1682 map of Staffordshire, although like all of Dudley at the time, it lay in a small exclave of Worcestershire. In 1684, King Charles II of England granted a charter to allow the village to hold an annual market fair. The fair was held in Netherton's central square in the last week of October until 1848.
Read more of the history
Although records of historic local government in Netherton are rather scarce, records exist of the procedures of the Court Leet of the barons of Dudley from the year 1701. Two juries were sworn in: one to deal with the town of Dudley itself, and one to oversee the 'foreign', the name given to areas of the manor outside the town. In 1729 the court ordered the construction of a pair of stocks at Netherton to 'punish such as the Law directs'.
Following the Inclosure Acts of the late 18th century, allowing construction in Pensnett Chase, the present-day settlement began to develop further up the hill than its original site. Netherton expanded rapidly in the industrial age and the thick seams of coal underlying the region were extensively mined. 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.
In 1874, Dr. Ballard, sent by the Local Government Board to inspect the sanitary conditions of the Borough of Dudley, described Netherton as 'a village of such size it almost deserves to be termed a town'.
In the mid-19th century, the area was notorious for its bad sanitary conditions. In 1852 an inquiry into the sewerage, drainage and supply of water was carried out, reporting to the General Board of Health. Its conclusions were very damning for Netherton. A typical comment was: 'Old Netherton Town, Mr. Thomas Woodall's buildings.- Drainage very horrible, with privies and piggeries as usual, and no pavement. Procure water from a horse-pit nearly half a mile, and it has to be carried up hill, mostly by girls, in little pails of about three gallons, on their heads. This was a bad place for cholera'.
In 1844, Netherton became an ecclesiastical parish, and was made an Electoral ward of the Borough of Dudley in 1865 after the town's incorporation as a municipal borough.
The 20th century saw the gradual decline of mining and the heavily polluting industries such as iron-making. At the same time, Dudley Council sought to redevelop areas of Netherton for housing, either by demolishing existing older housing and rebuilding, or by reclaiming abandoned industrial areas. Other former industrial sites were transformed into parkland (Netherton Park) or nature reserves (e.g. Bumble Hole).
Some of the first council houses in Dudley were constructed around Netherton Park in the early 1920s, around the same time as the Yew Tree Hills area, to rehouse families from older and dilapidated houses around the town.
From the History section of Netherton, West Midlands on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Netherton
Education
The first school in Netherton was a Church of England establishment built in 1836 at the corner of Halesowen Road and Church Road, providing education for children aged 5 to 11 years. The school was rebuilt in 1907 following problems with subsidence and remained in use until December 1988, by which time it was an 8–12 middle school and merged with a nearby 5–8 first school to form a new primary school. The old school building is still in existence and currently houses a furniture store.
Netherton's comprehensive school, The Link Academy (formerly The Hillcrest School), was considered one of the worst secondary schools in the West Midlands during the 1990s, but improved dramatically following the arrival of head teacher Maureen 'Mo' Brennan. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for her outstanding efforts, which saw the school become one of the most successful schools in the borough just five years after an OFSTED report had placed it in special measures. In 2002, it was mentioned in parliament for its substantial turn-around. Other schools in Netherton include Netherton C of E Primary School on Highbridge Road, Northfield Road Primary School, and Netherbrook Primary School on Chester Road.
Netherton is also home to Saltwells Education Development Centre, the Dudley EDC which was Saltwells Secondary School until 1986.
From the Wikipedia article Netherton, West Midlands, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Netherton
- Sammy Stevensfootballer (1890-?)
- Tom GrosvenorEngland footballer (1908-1972)
- Isaiah TurnerEnglish footballer (1876-1936)
- Stephen BrookesEnglish cricketer (born 1956)
- Hannah GaleCanadian politician (1876–1970)
- Billy WooldridgeProfessional footballer (1878-1945)
- Joseph DarbyEnglish jumper
Born in Netherton, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship53
Shopping39
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries38
Healthcare17
Murray's Healthcare
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.2 mi
37-38 High Street, Brierley Hill
Map of Netherton
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Birmingham Airport (BHX) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.
- Dudley 1 mi north, about 2 min by car
- Brierley Hill 2 mi west, about 3 min by car
- Rowley Regis 2 mi east, about 3 min by car
- Halesowen 3 mi southeast, about 4 min by car
- Stourbridge 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- Tipton 3 mi north, about 5 min by car
- Oldbury 3 mi east, about 5 min by car
- Kingswinford 4 mi west, about 6 min by car
- West Bromwich 4 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Smethwick 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Netherton
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Hippodrome, LivingInMediocrity, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Blackcountrystreet, Jack1956, Public domain
- Sea of poppies helps commemorate war memorial centenary (51669043932), Dudley Council from England, CC BY 2.0
- Dudley Castle Courtyard 2 (5511627203), Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0
- Redhouseglasscone, Nozza, Public domain
- Haden Hill Park 070110 009 (4292823109), Sandwell Council, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Fens Pools Middle Pool 3, Oosoom, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dudley Zoo entrance, pic 2, England, Brian Clift, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Sheepwash Urban Park island, Sjwells53 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Halesowen Church 4 (4205849913), Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0
- Church Of St Martin And St Paul 1 West face, RexxS, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dudley - Saint Edmund King and Martyr Church, Dave Bevis, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St James the Great's Church, Church Street, Lower Gornal (NHLE Code 1270306) (August 2025) (4), User:Hassocks5489, CC0
- Netherton Church of St Andrew, Oosoom, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cradley Heath Baptist Church 01, R J Higginson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Pensnett Canal near Round Oaks, Oosoom, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rowley Regis Hospital from the SWBH NHS Trust archives, Abigail.swbh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rowley Regis Cemetery War Memorial - 2024-06-02 - Andy Mabbett - 01, Andy Mabbett, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Merry Hill entrance, Wikical14, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dudley Priory Park Stag, Brianboru100, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fighting from Home at St Luke's Churchyard, Cradley Heath (54946856128), Elliott Brown, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
_(August_2025)_(4).jpg){kind=link}
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.