The website of the
Black Country Society
Promoting interest in the past, present and future of our Black Country
Future face to face and Zoom events
Public Art in the Black Country - A talk by Brian Carr
Monday 20th January 2025 at 7.30pm via Zoom
email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link
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Considering public art and sculpture featured on the Dudleyartbc.com website - some stories from behind the camera
The Renovation of Bilston Town Hall - a talk by Keith Hodgkins
Wednesday 22nd January 2025 – 7.30pm Bilston Town Hall, (Free for member and £5 non-members)
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Bilston Town Hall was opened in 1873 and extended in 1880 with such care that you can`t see the join! As well as providing a splendid ballroom and library, it housed the Council Chamber and offices of Bilston Urban District Council. Bilston proudly achieved Borough status in 1933, but in 1966 was subsumed into an enlarged Wolverhampton authority and the fortunes of the Town Hall started to decline. The building fell into disuse in 1996 and Wolverhampton tried, unsuccessfully, to sell it off.
A change of heart in the new millennium saw a desire to bring it back to life, and with grants from the Heritage Lottery and the European Regional Development Fund a comprehensive refurbishment was carried out between 2005 and 2008. Keith was working for Wolverhampton Council at the time and was engaged as Project Manager for the refurb contracts. In this presentation he tells the inside story of the restoration work and the Town Hall`s rebirth as the focal point of Bilston`s community identity.
James Keir (1785-1820): Innovation, the Lunar Society and inventing the Black Country - A talk by Malcolm Dick
Monday 17th February 2025 at 7.30pm via Zoom
email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link
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James Keir is not as well-known as other Lunar Society figures, despite his contributions to chemistry, manufacturing and managing the firm of Boulton & Watt. Keir’s local impact has been particularly overlooked. This talk explores his life and significance, focusing on his role in shaping the industrial Black Country.
‘A Cause of Immense Benefit’ – Episodes from Black Country Canal History - a talk by Phil Clayton Wednesday 26th February 2025 – 7.30pm (Free for member and £5 non-members)
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Phil Clayton, a regular contributor to The Blackcountryman magazine, traces the beginnings and development of our local canal network through particular subject areas: the first cut, early improvements, water supply and Titford tales, coal is king, Netherton and its tunnel, a matter of regret, a sad decline and a new beginning.
An Ecclesiastical Affair - A talk by Chris Baker
Wednesday March 26th (following the Black Country Society AGM- this will be a hybrid meeting taking place both at Bilston Town Hall and via Zoom)
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A story from 1870, about the Victorian Black Country parish of Pensnett where the errant clergyman had a flirtation with a pupil teacher at the local school, that led to scandal in the village, a clergy discipline trial, a series of anonymous broadsheets circulating in the village making all sorts of accusations, and a nationally reported libel trial. Wayward clergy, scandal and libel – all the hallmarks of a good story!
Talks later in 2025 in Bilston Town Hall at 7.30pm
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The West Midlands, the Slave Trade & Anti-slavery. Malcolm Dick. 30th April
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From the Black Country to Brazil: a 19th century story of Hate, Hope and Upheaval. Keith Robinson. 28th May
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