Past events

PDFs of web pages relating to past AGMs, society talks and walks, conferences etc

Event archive

Recordings of past Virtual Heritage Group meetings on the Society YouTube channel or the button below.

Virtual Heritage Group 2023

Future face to face and Zoom events

The Irish in the Victorian Black Country by Simon Brierlcliffe

16th September 7.30pm via Zoom.

email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link

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.

The Stourbridge Glass Industry by Kate Round – Outreach and Tour Guide, Red House Glass Cone.

25th September 7.30pm. Bilston Town Hall, (Free for member and £5 non-members)

Kate will trace the roots of Stourbridge glass-makers back to the 8th century BC, from the Alabastron of Sargon II to their arrival in Stourbridge, considering how the glass industry shaped the history, wealth, health and working lives of the people of the town.

The Life and Legacy of Eliza Tinsley – Black Country Nail Mistress (1813-1882) by Rebecca Wilton

21st October 7.30pm via Zoom.

email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link

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.

“Over by Christmas?” Black Country Civilians and the Outbreak of the Great War by Quint Watt

23rd October 7.30pm. Bilston Town Hall, (Free for member and £5 non-members)

This illustrated presentation examines the civilian reaction to the outbreak of the Great War in the Black Country. Was it ‘business as usual’ on the Home Front, or did war hysteria sweep across the region? Did the war bring out the best, or the worst, in local people? What happened to ‘foreigners’ living in the area? What were the myths and what was the reality? Come along and find out what you don’t know about the Great War!

Black Country History Day - Buildings, Heritage and the Built Environment in the Black Country

9th November at the Black Country Living Museum 10.00 to 4.30. £30 for members and non-members. Details and booking at https://tickets.bclm.com/103715

Programme

Tube Town Tales - what the world owes to Wednesbury, Keith Robinson

Rev John Louis Petit’s 19th-century Black Country art: the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the built environment, Philip Modiano

The challenges of rescuing industrial heritage buildings, Mark Davies

Rubery Owen: Exploring the archives of one of Britain’s largest historic privately owned companies - documents, photographs and film

Forging Ahead: Bringing the Halesowen & Hasbury Co-op to Life, Clare Weston

The Black County environment of the mid-20th century through the poetry of Jim William Jones, Chris Baker

Crooked Britain: The Crooked House at Himley and some crooked survivors by Steve Roughton

18th November 7.30pm via Zoom.

email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link

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.

A Black Country Christmas by Ian Bott

27th November 7.30pm. Bilston Town Hall, (Free for member and £5 non-members)

Join Black Country Society committee member, Ian Bott, as he recalls the school nativities, toyshop windows, and Santa’s grottos of the past. As well as touching on frozen canals, ‘real’ snowdrifts, office parties, and panto season, Ian will also take a delightful delve into the Dickensian yuletides of our Black Country ancestors.

The blue brick industry of the Black Country by Elizabeth Thomson

9th December 7.30pm via Zoom.

email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link

Staffordshire blue bricks were typically known for their strength and use on engineering structures on the railways, canals and in sewers. An overlooked element of the blue brick trade in the Black Country was the production of special bricks specified by architects to replace of sandstone. This talk will discuss the origins of the blue brick trade through to the 21st century and the production of these bricks today.

The Rotundas Live at Bilston Town Hall

11th December, Bilston Town Hall

The Rotundas are an English folk band that plays traditional industrial and social songs of Birmingham and the Black Country. They draw heavily on the primary research of song collectors such as Roy Palmer, Jon and Michael Raven, as well as their own settings of tuneless lyrics. The Rotundas play folk songs that capture the vitality, character, history and lives of extraordinary people and places.

The band comprises: Nick (Guitar/Vocals), a Brummie lad by birth and Yam Yam by heritage; Ian (Lead Vocals), a Brummie chap by birth and heritage; Matt (Bass/Accordion/Percussion/BV's) comes from a long line of Aston Boat people; Emily (Fiddle and BV's) is an honorary Black Country wench by inclination rather than birth.The Rotundas are returning to play for the BCS, after their triumphant appearance at Bilston Town Hall last year. Tickets for this concert cost £10 for everyone, even BCS members, as this is an important fund-raising event for the society. Please buy a ticket and encourage your friends and family to come too. It will be a great night!