The website of the
Black Country Society
Established in 1967 to Support, Record, Preserve and Celebrate the distinct
Character and Nature of the West Midlands area known since the mid nineteenth century as 'The Black Country'
Black Country Society Archives
This page and those linked to it are a framework for the presentation of the Society Archives. They are very much a work in progress and material will be added over the coming months.
Books and pamphlets
Since its inception, the Society has published almost 100 books. The Society holds individual reference copies of many all of these and copies of most of these are also available for viewing at Dudley Archive (link to catalogue above) . Many of the more recent items are available for sale in the Society on line shop. From May 2024, some of the earlier items will also be available as PDFs to Society members free of charge.
The Blackcountryman
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The Society magazine, the Blackcountryman has been published four times a year since 1967 and contains a wealth of information on the history of the Black Country and the development of the Society. Past copies have been digitized and high quality, searchable pdfs are now available (members only - password protected).
Ephemera
For many years, the Society produced Christmas cards and calendars, which are on the process of being deposited in Dudley Archives. Images of the front of the cards, and pdfs of the calendars (which each contain multiple Black Country images) can be accessed through the buttons to the right.
In addition, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Society also produced a number of First Day covers, postcards, commemorative medallions and a goblet. Images of these can also be accessed using the buttons to the right. Images of the logos used by the Society through the decades are also given.
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More details of all these items can be found via the Society Ephemera button.
Society minutes and reports
Minutes of Annual General Meetings and of the Society committee from 1967 to 2017 have been deposited in Dudley Archives and are being catalogued. Further material will be deposited in Summer 2024, including branch minutes, publicity documents etc. The button to the right links to the Dudley Archives catalogue.
Photographs and images
Over the last 50 years, the Society and its members have built up a large photographic archive. This is in the process of being collated and organised. The material that is currently available includes photographs of Black Country activities and places, and a small number of collections from individuals.
