The website of the
Black Country Society
Promoting interest in the past, present and future of our Black Country
Virtual Heritage Group - Recordings of meetings 2024
Crooked Britain: The Crooked House at Himley and some crooked survivors by Steve Roughton
18th November 7.30pm
​
The Crooked House at Himley was a cultural icon which symbolised the beating heart of the Black Country. A Midland, National and Global treasure. Now lost. The owners served an enforcement notice to rebuild. A replica. Precious vernacular oddities remain - out there for all to enjoy - gems set in the landscape, representing our heritage. The essence of place. The presentation is a wake to the Crooked House -that-was, and a wake-up call to the crooked survivors. No more should be lost.
The Life and Legacy of Eliza Tinsley – Black Country Nail Mistress (1813-1882) by Rebecca Wilton
21st October 7.30pm
​
Eliza Tinsley is a local legend, part of the fabric of Black Country folklore. Rebecca Wilton reinvestigates the type of woman she really was, what shaped her, and how she was able to grow her nail making empire making her one of the most successful business-woman of her time.
The Irish in the Victorian Black Country by Simon Brierlcliffe 16th September 7.30pm
​
In the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of Irish people settled in the Black Country fleeing famine at home and seeking a new life. This talk will look at their experiences, the prejudice they faced and the way they developed a community in their new home. It will focus particularly on Wolverhampton’s Carribee Island, but draw in experiences from across the region.
Black Country Memories
20th May 7.30pm
​
Photos, poems, stories and other Black Country memories.
​
​​
Gornal Wood - the transformation of a Black Country village by Ward Jones
15th April 7.30pm
​
The underlying theme of the talk is how, especially in Victorian times, the village changed dramatically after centuries of isolation. The talk explores the unchanging years, why and how the changes came, and some of the consequences.
​​
Annual General Meeting follows by Black Country Ghosts and Hauntings; Haunted Highways by Andrew Homer
18th March 7.30pm
​
The Black Country and surrounding area has more than its fair share of haunted highways. This talk explores the eerie area known as Fir Tree Hill, a contemporary report of a phantom hitchhiker, the notoriously haunted Hagley Road and other reports of locally haunted highways.
​​
Poetry Open Mic Night - Emma Pursehouse
February 19th 2024
​​
​
Two Centuries of Boat Building - Geoff Taylor
January 18th 2024
​
This talk outlines the history of a boatbuilding family that had its origins in the Black Country in the early 19th C. It brings together many years of research and includes oral history, family documents and many original photographs. Geoff Taylor is the Great Grandson of Joseph Taylor, who had a boatyard at Herbert’s Park, Darlaston in the late 1800s.