Past events

Recordings of past Virtual Heritage Group meetings on the Society YouTube channel or via the buttons to the right

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

Future Events

Our venue for talks (unless otherwise stated) is Bilston Town Hall.Bilston Town Hall, Church Street, Bilston. WV14 0AP.The Town Hall is fully accessible, there are free car parking facilities in the town centre. Thevenue is a 2 minute walk from Bilston Central Metro Stop and Bilston Bus Station.

From the Black Country to Brazil: a 19th century story of hate, hope and upheaval. A talk by Keith Robinson

Bilston Town Hall 28th May 2025 – 7.30pm (£3 for members and £5 non-members)

The talk tells the astonishing story of the migration of 300+ men, women and children from Wednesbury in 1868. Seeking a new life in South America, they crossed the Atlantic and made their way to a newly formed colony in the heart of the Brazilian jungle. Keith will cover the reasons why they made such a move, how they fared and delve into the lives of some of those who undertook the journey.

Black Country Society Walk. A Gentle Stroll Around Darlaston

Led by Ian Bott, Wednesday 11th June 2025 7.15pm for a 7.30pm. Meet at King Street Pedestrian Precinct, Outside Asda, WS10 8UZ Access to free store parking in St. Lawrence Way.

It would be fair to say that the humble Black Country town of Darlaston holds the world together; for its chief industry is the production of metal fastenings, such as bolts, nuts and screws. Earlier products included buckles, stirrups and gun locks, laboured over in backyard workshops, which over time were superseded by renown companies employing many thousands, like Garringtons, Richards, GKN, and perhaps the most celebrated, Rubery-Owen, whose organisation still has a great presence in the town today. Join us to uncover the fascinating secrets of this Black Country town.

St George and the Dragon statue, Darlaston.jpg

Black Country Society Walk. A Wander Around Wordsley

Led by Adrian and Kathryn Skelson-Reece, Wednesday 18th June 2025, .15pm for a 7.30pm start Meet at Dudley Tool Presswork & Engineering carpark, Mill Street, Wordsley DY8 5SX

Following on from last year’s successful Wordsley walk, this wander around the Glass Quarter will cover the end of the Crystal Mile. We will be visiting the graveyard of the Glass Makers’ Church, learning about the buildings pubs and people of the area, and gaining an insight into the history the Red House and White House museums.

The Windrush Generation – A Walsall Connection. A talk by Jennifer Blake

Wednesday 25th June 2025 – 7.30pm Bilston Town Hall Black Country Society Members: £3 Non-members: £5

Jennifer Blake will discuss the results of her research into the lives of Caribbean migrants to the Black Country; the pioneers now known as the “Windrush Generation.” She will share sad and happy stories about these hard-working people, who first arrived in the Walsall area in the 1950s and 60s. Jennifer will also highlight the challenges involved in this oral history project, where many eye-witnesses were reluctant to speak about their experiences. The resulting book, ‘Through Sweat, Tears and Triumphs’, is an invaluable addition to the library of histories of the Black Country.

Black Country Society Walk. Over and Under in Coseley

Led by Keith Hodgkins, Wednesday 9th July 2025, 6.45pm for a 7.00pm start. Meet at Coseley Railway Station car park, Gough Road’ Coseley’ WV14 8XP

The centre of Coseley sits on rising ground at 520 feet above sea level. This is barely noticeable in the motor age, but in the 1770s it caused the engineer James Brindley to lay out the Birmingham Canal on a wide sweeping loop which followed the 473-foot contour around the eastern side of the hill. In 1837 the Coseley tunnel was built to bypass the loop as part of Thomas Telford`s improvements to the BCN, which cut the canal mileage between Bloomfield and Deepfields by three miles. Then in 1852 the railway sliced through the hill in a steeply sided deep cutting. The walk will meander over the top of the hill alongside the top of the railway cutting and explore beneath through the 360-yard canal tunnel. The walk length is about two miles with a very steep, stepped descent onto the canal towpath.

Wilful Murder? – The Sinking of RMS Lusitania in 1915

A talk by Andrew Lound

Wednesday 23rd July 2025 – 7.30pm Bilston Town Hall Black Country Society Members: £3 Non-members: £5

Andrew Lound will examine the conspiracies relating to the fate of the R.M.S. Lusitania. This Cunard ‘passenger’ liner was sunk by a German U-boat on 7 May 1915; an event that shocked the world and outraged neutral opinion. At the time, few people realised that ‘Lucy’ had been built to RN specifications and was used by the British government to transport war materials as well as civilians. It has even been suggested the liner was deliberately exposed to danger, in order to shock the U.S.A. into abandoning its policy of neutrality and join the Great War against Germany and its Allies. If the sinking of ‘Lucy’ was murder, who was the murderer?

Remnants of an Empire – Continuity in Roman and Anglo-Saxon England A talk by Charlotte Ball

Wednesday 27th August 2025 – 7.30pm Bilston Town Hall Black Country Society Members: £3 Non-members: £5

Dr. Charlotte Ball will challenge the myth that the fall of the Roman Empire led to the immediate start of the ‘Dark Ages’, like the flicking of an historical time switch! Instead, she will argue there was much continuity between Roman and Anglo-Saxon Britain. She will focus on how this can be seen in art, literature and people’s sense of identity. Recent research has also shown the departure of the Legions, in 410 AD, did not mark the abrupt end of Roman influence in either culture or civic organisation. It was the beginning of two centuries of transition and integration.