UNESCO Global Geoparks

Ruiton Windmill sits within the Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark. The UK's Geoparks are part of a global network of a 177 areas of exceptional geological significance in 46 countries. The Black Country is a special place in the heart of England, where the minerals on our doorstep and the geology beneath our feet helped shape the industrial revolution and the world. Ruiton Mill lies within the heart of the Industrial Revolution with both Dud Dudley (1600 - 1684) and Abraham Darby (1711 - 1763) born just a short distance from Ruiton. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has eight National Geoparks: The Black Country is a Geological, Industrial and Cultural Heartland with a number of places within the Black Country Geopark just a short distance from the Mill including Sedgley Beacon Hill and quarries, Sedgley Gorge, Coseley Canal Cutting and Tunnel, Wrens Nest National Nature reserve, Singing Cavern and Dudley Canal Tunnels, Dudley Zoo and Castle, Holloway Street and Vale street Quarries, Cotwall End Valley Local Nature Reserve, Ketley Quarry and Barrow Hill and Tansey Green Claypit. All the locations are pinpointed on our map of local attractions so if you’re interested in visiting try checking out a few locations or use the page in Google Maps The Geopark is a special urban landscape in the heart of England with geology spanning 428 million years that is well known for its exceptionally well-preserved fossils. The Black Country is also rich in coal, ironstone and limestone, resources which inspired discovery, invention and innovation and placed the region at the centre of the Industrial Revolution which continues to shape the modern world. Unesco Website