“The Dudley Ghost Walk”, as it was first called, was originally the brainchild of Keith Cheetham, then Director of “Black Country Tourism”. This organisation was set up in 1988 to promote tourism to the Black Country on a national and international level.
Ian Bott, local historian, and
producer of several books of historical photographs of the Black Country,
was commissioned to research stories for the project.
David Middleton, then a freelance actor and writer, was commissioned to
write a script.
Craig Denston, then only just setting out on a freelance career as a Theatre Designer, was commissioned to provide the “ghosts” that would populate the various streets and buildings to be visited.
David and Lynn Thompson, then history students at Dudley College, were the original Guides.
And so, from those very humble beginnings, “The Dudley Ghost Walk” first hit the streets on the “Press Launch”, Thursday 16th September 1993.
It has been through many changes since.
In fact, it is almost completely unrecognisable now, from that original form.
In June 1997, when the government and European funding came to its end, “Black Country Tourism” closed down.
February 1998 saw the creation of a new independent theatre company, with its own administration and bank account, “The Original Dudley Ghost Tour”.
With a new re-vamped script, new ghostly “characters”, and re-furbished masks and costumes, Craig Denston, who had been a “ghost" behind the scenes from the very beginning, became the new Director of the company, and main guide.
Even at it's creation, “The Original Dudley Ghost Tour” was as much about history as it was about ghosts. And this will always be so, just as there are a number of ghost stories on the History Tour!
I have never stopped searching for new information, both current and historical, to continue to fill the stories out, and keep the tours ever growing and evolving.
But one thing has never changed. A commitment to providing what is primarily an educative experience, but packaged in a way that is I hope, entertaining and above all, FUN!
The Ghost Tour took a new turn in 2008, with the introduction of The Annual Exhibition of Dudley History & Memorabilia
This is a free 3 day event, staged at the Station Hotel over the second weekend of September, for the "Heritage Open Days" national event for English Heritage.
Growing every year, it contains many masks and puppets from the Ghost Tour and other theatre and television projects, many of which are available to try out (or try on!)
There are also many original historical items from local railways, theatres, the old Opera House and Hippodrome, Dudley Castle and the zoo - some items going back as far as 1731!
It's also a great opportunity for the public to chat informally to us, and us to them, in a way not possible on an evening tour.
And in retrospect, it seems inevitable now, that the massive amount of information that the annual exhibition dug up, and continues to dig up, was eventually going to give birth to...
The Dudley History Tour
Launched on the 19th September 2010. Played more for laughs by comparison to the Ghost Tour, this has become a more comedic affair, concentrating on a "gossipy" and rather salacious side of Dudley's history that is guaranteed to surprise you.