An historical treasure has been unearthed in Dudley after a well was discovered during works to extend the Metro across Wednesbury and Brierley Hill.

The 8.5m deep fountain was uncovered during excavation works in Flood Street car park before the main construction works commence.

It is not the first time that a lost piece of history has been unearthed during works to extend the West Midlands Metro across the region. An old footpath dating back to the late 18th to mid-19th century was also found during excavations in Birmingham city centre, in summer 2018.

Councillor Ian Kettle, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise at Dudley Council, said: “Dudley has a long and fascinating history, and it is always exciting to discover items of historical interest. The unearthing of the well provides a very interesting look at Dudley in days-gone-by at a time when so much work is taking place to transform the borough through new developments and technological advances, including the Metro.”

Mosin Khurshid, Head of Utilities at the Midland Metro Alliance, which is constructing the route on behalf of Transport for West Midlands, added: “When carrying out excavation works there is always a possibility for items of historical importance to be uncovered. We paused our works for a short period while we investigated the find and the utilities have now been re-routed around it. The site will be backfilled to allow a new highway to be constructed in the area.”

Work on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension has ramped up across both the Sandwell and Dudley boroughs in recent months, and when complete, it will boost public transport in the Black Country, providing much-needed links to the existing heavy and light rail networks.

The extension will also play its part in helping to regenerate the Sandwell, Dudley and Brierley Hill areas, making it more attractive to investors and providing easy access to the region’s many and varied attractions via public transport, including Dudley’s Black Country Living Museum, Castle and Zoological Gardens and Canal and Tunnel Trust.

You can find out more about these works, including regular updates, by visiting www.metroalliance.co.uk. For further information about the wider regeneration in Dudley, visit: https://www.regeneratingdudley.org.uk/