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'
Forthcoming events
Black Country Dialect across time and space: an introduction. Esther Asprey
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Wednesday 27th September 7.30pm. Bilston Town Hall
(Non-members £4.00 / Members free)
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Esther Asprey from the University of Wolverhampton will introduce non-linguists to the main concepts in dialectology. We will see how the Old English spoken in the western Midlands developed, how the label Black Country arose to denote a still contested area, and how this label got transferred to the local language variety. Across the talk illustrations of the dialect will be given and we will see how today’s dialect fits in with its neighbours in terms of its grammar and words, and how it might develop in future.
An animated video premier - Old Hill by David England
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Monday 16th October 7.30pm Virtual Heritage Group via Zoom
(No charge for members or non-members - email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for Zoom log in details)
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A twenty minute animated video giving the impressions of a young boy growing up in Old Hill during the mid-sixties. David will give an introduction to the video, describing the length of time it took to materialise and its rough ‘objective’, and will also describe the process of making the film and its content.
Lost Pioneers: A History of Wolverhampton's Victorian Jewish Community. Andy Sloane
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Wednesday 25th October 7.30pm. Bilston Town Hall
(Non-members £4.00 / Members free)
This talk covers the period 1835 - 1900 and details the key families, buildings and stories involved in the foundation and development of Wolverhampton's lost Orthodox Jewish community.
John Louis Petit (1801-68) – A unique artist of the 19th Century Black Country. Chris Baker and Philip Modiano
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Monday 20th November 7.30pm Virtual Heritage Group via Zoom
(No charge for members or non-members - email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for Zoom log in details)
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As the first son of a wealthy local landowner, John Louis Petit never needed or tried to sell his art and it was lost for 120 years. Now he is being hailed as the greatest discovery in British Art for a generation, especially for his Black Country industrial pictures. In this talk Chris Baker will give a historical background to the Petit family and their Black Country estates in Ettingshall and Bilston, and Philip Modiano, chair of the Petit Society, will describe John Louis Petit’s artistic life and output, and discuss the ongoing importance of this work for Wolverhampton and the Black Country.
The President's Entertainment Evening - The Rotundas: A Black Country Folk trio
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Wednesday 22nd November 7.30pm. Bilston Town Hall
(£5 for members and non-members)
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Join us for an fantastic folk-filled evening in the company of The Rotundas, who play traditional industrial and social songs of Birmingham and the Black Country, capturing the vitality, character, history and lives of extraordinary people and places.
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A Black Country Christmas quiz led by Andrew Homer
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Wednesday 13th December 7.30pm. Virtual Heritage Group via Zoom
(No charge for members or non-members - email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for Zoom log in details)
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Talks in 2024
The Brunels, the Great Western and the Black Country. Felix Schmid 24th January 7.30pm
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British Bhangra Music as Soundscapes of the Midlands, Rajinder Dudrah, 28th February 7.30pm
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Black Country and Birmingham Skies, Andrew Lound 27th March 7.30pm
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A History of Dudley Castle, Max Keen 24th April 7.30pm
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The Sandfields Pumping Station, David Dimeloe 22nd May 7.30pm
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Beasts of the Battlefield: animal imagery in the Staffordshire hoard, Charlotte Ball 26th June 7.30pm
Banner bright, Ned Williams 24th July 7.30pm
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The Stourbridge Glass Industry, Kate Round 25th September 7.30pm
From the Punjab to the Black Country, Narinder Singh 23rd October 7.30pm
Virtual Heritage Group via Zoom in 2024
Two centuries of boat building. Geoff Taylor 15th January 7.30pm
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Poetry open microphone with Emma Purshouse, 19th February 7.30pm
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Gornal Wood - the transformation of a Black Country village, Ward Jones 18th March 7.30pm
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Black Country Memories - an opportunity to share photos, poems, stories or any other memories 15th April 7.30pm
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Black Country ghosts and hauntings. Andrew Homer 20th May 7.30pm