Abandoned fire station basement in Dudley rediscovered

A former fire station that was mysteriously shut away for half a century has been rediscovered.

Based in the former national works in Dudley, it housed the Co-operative Wholesale Society's company crew.

The station is believed to have been used until the 1960s before it was locked and left untouched for decades.

Matt Hornblower, operations director for Alan Nuttall Partnership, which owns the building, said the firm would see if it could restore items there.

The company is also looking to see if it can display some items at the Black Country Living Museum.

The old station was rediscovered when a set of old keys was found during renovation work on the factory.

Mr Hornblower said nobody knew how long it had been locked away.

"We've always known it was here, but this is such a large site there are little corners that no one goes into," he said.

"Recently we came in and had a good look around, and we still keep finding things that we didn't know were here."

Clare Weston, a curator with the Black Country Living Museum, said many companies in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century had their own private fire stations because public services did not exist.

"Gradually local authorities did start developing their services, but companies retained the firefighting equipment because it was there on the site and could protect valuable assets," she said.