One of our members, Dave Bowdley, will be telling us about his experiences in the mines as an Engineer and of his later work with a mine rescue team. Dave will tell us how his skills, and those of his colleagues, have been in demand around the world in recent years and he will be […]

A very interesting presentation about this scheme to record historic finds.   Learn how the scheme started, what is recorded and how.  When does the coroner become involved and what is classed as 'treasure'.   Perhaps you will learn about local finds and discover how you can access this resource and information. Victoria Allnatt from the Birmingham […]

Join us for a talk about the curiosities & oddities wrapped up in Dudley's history, using dozens of images from a huge collection of engraved prints, postcards, photographs, maps and memorabilia from the town. Our presenter Craig Denston has a back ground in Creative Arts with experience in puppet and mask making, sculptural costume and […]

CHANGE TO ORIGINAL PLANNED MEETING We now have a talk from one of our own group members, Joy Petit-Gittos, entitled Human Archeology and are you really who you think you are? This is about our journey into the past and the need to go further to find the truth! It will show that we don’t […]

Tonight our presentation is given by Corrine Brazier who you may have seen on Jay Blades History of the Black Country when she shared information about criminals in Birmingham. This evening Corrine is going to tell us about the history of the museum and its archives, and about how Wolverhampton features within these records.  Join […]

Robert Clive was born near Market Drayton in 1725 and has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British East India Company (EIC). Clive's actions on behalf of the EIC have made him one of Britain's most controversial colonial figures. His achievements included checking French imperialist ambitions on the Coromandel Coast and establishing […]

This is the last meeting of 2024 for the Wolverhampton group so will have a Christmas theme with seasonal nibbles (bring your own soft drink - it will not be checked!) At the moment the current plan is that Penny will provide a presentation of websites that you may wish to explore over the festive […]

John "Iron-Mad" Wilkinson was an English industrialist who pioneered the manufacture of cast iron and the use of cast-iron goods during the Industrial Revolution. John Wilkinson started life inauspiciously in 1728, born in a cart as his mother was on her way to market in Workington, Cumbria. The adult Wilkinson was involved from the start […]

In Victorian times Carribee Island was a notorious part of Wolverhampton, home to the city's Irish migrants.  The neighbourhood was stigmatized as a problem space using public health language that was shot through with racial and social stereotypes.  In fact, it was home to ordinary people doing ordinary things.  Once the myths that were layered […]

Join us for this, the second part of a presentation from March 2025, about John “Iron-Mad” Wilkinson by Richard Sells The adult Wilkinson was involved from the start in the ‘new’ iron industry, eventually operating nine ironworks including the New Willey Ironworks near Broseley, which was established in 1757. He was a man of huge […]