Helen Harwood’s Illustrated Tales of the Black Country blends ghost stories, folklore and history into a rich celebration of one of England’s most distinctive regions, writes DAVID SAUNDERSON
The Black Country inspires a fierce kind of pride.
Those who live there are quick to remind you that it is not Birmingham, nor simply part of the West Midlands, but a proud and distinct region with its own stories, identity, and spirit.
I was reminded of this recently when planning articles for one of Spooky Isles’ regional sites, SpookyBirmingham.com, and learned very quickly that the Black Country demands its own stage.
Helen Harwood’s Illustrated Tales of the Black Country more than justifies that distinction.
This beautifully illustrated volume gathers together a wealth of myths, legends, and historical curiosities that could easily fill several books of their own.
From the world’s first successful steam engine, built by Thomas Newcomen, to the Titanic’s giant anchor forged in Netherton, the Black Country’s role in shaping the modern world is underscored with fascinating detail.
But this is not just a book of industrial achievements.
It is a book of atmosphere and strangeness. Dudley Castle looms large, one of the most haunted castles in England, home to the Grey Lady and countless spectral tales.
Holbeach House, site of the Gunpowder Plotters’ desperate last stand, bristles with historical drama.
And in Walsall, the story of Sister Dora — a nurse who braved a smallpox epidemic and tended railway workers — reveals a more tender side of the region’s past, one marked by resilience and community spirit.
Harwood writes with warmth and curiosity, balancing the uncanny with the everyday, the legendary with the local.
Her own connection to the area, through her family’s long association with Staffordshire’s coal industry, lends the book an authenticity that resonates.
The accompanying photographs — both modern and historical — bring the tales vividly to life and make it easy to imagine these stories unfolding in the smoky air of foundries, collieries, and cobbled streets.
This is the latest in a number of “Illustrated Tales” books that Amberley Publishing has been putting out, and the quality is always top notch.
Illustrated Tales of the Black Country is a wonderful celebration of a place that has always stood apart.
For readers of folklore, ghost stories, or local history, it’s a reminder that the Black Country is not simply a corner of the map but a legend in itself — one worth revisiting again and again.
Have you read Illustrated Tales of the Black Country by Helen Harwood? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section!
Illustrated Tales of the Black Country by Helen Harwood is available from Amberley Publishing.
