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
A New Home; a tale of efforts to secure a permanent and suitable facility for the internationally-renowned Stourbridge Glass collection. - A talk by Graham Fisher
Monday April 28th at 7.30pm via Zoom
email societyblackcountry@gmail.com for link
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The rise of Stourbridge Glass and its subsequent decline bequeathed a unique legacy and an unparalleled assemblage of artefacts nowadays referred to as the Stourbridge Glass Collection. Graham, one of the founding Trustees of the British Glass Foundation, explains the significance of events within the Grand Scheme of conserving local heritage and explains how the Foundation is also helping maintain and develop the future of glassmaking in and around the area
The West Midlands, the Slave Trade & Anti-slavery. A talk by Malcolm Dick
Bilston Town Hall. Wednesday 30th April 2025 – 7.30pm (Free for member and £5 non-members)
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In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the West Midlands was linked with the slave trade and slavery, individuals and organisations also participated in anti-slavery activities. This presentation places the Black Country in a regional framework to explore connections to the slave economy of the Atlantic and abolitionism.
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 (Free for member and £5 non-members)
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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.
Talks later in 2025 in Bilston Town Hall at 7.30pm
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‘The Windrush Generation’ – A Walsall Connection. Jennifer Blake 25th June
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‘Wilful Murder?’ – The Sinking of RMS Lusitania in 1915. Andrew Lound 23rd July
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‘Remnants of an Empire’ – Continuity in Roman and Anglo-Saxon England. Charlotte Ball 27th August
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‘Sweet Heritage’ – A History of Confectionary (with samples!) Emma Barran-Scott 24th September
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‘An Introduction to Black Country Dialect – Across Time and Space’. Esther Asprey 22nd October
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‘Beatrice Warde – Creative and Printing Pioneer’. Jessica Glaser 26th November​​​​
A date for the diary
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Black Country History Day 2025
8 November 2025
Black Country Living Museum, 10.00am to 4.30pm
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After Agenoria: Aspects of the Railway Revolution in the Black Country
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Organised as the Society's contribution to Railways 200,which marks the 200th anniversary of Railways in Britain
