2026 Barnett-Genge Lecture: Beers and Breweries of the Black Country

The eleventh Andrew Barnett & Trevor Genge Memorial Lecture takes place on Thursday 8th October at 7:30 pm in St. Andrew's Church, Bilston Street, Sedgley. The speaker is Keith Hodgkins chairman of Tipton Civic Society and passionate Black Country heritage campaigner.

The Black Country has suffered a decline in beer sales since at least the 1980s. The habit of 'going out for a drink' is losing out. Keith uses his collection of archive photographs to follow the fortunes of the local beer trade.

Keith's presentation looks at fifty years of changes covering sad losses like Banks's & Hanson's, heritage revivals such as Sarah Hughes beers and welcome newcomers including Black Country Ales.

Meanwhile Bathams brewery in Brierley Hill and Holden's brewery in Woodsetton have bucked the trend surviving as family run businesses for over a century.

Admission is £2 – exact amount appreciated. Visitors are always welcome.

[Schoolteachers, Andrew Barnett and Trevor Genge were co-founders of the Society in 1984. Andrew launched the Sedgley Local History Museum (closed 2004) and Trevor published five books on the Sedgley Manor villages. Both were avid researchers and staunch supporters of conservation projects.]

Sedgley Beacon Tower

After over 25 years of campaigning by Friends of Sedgley Beacon and Sedgley LHS the tower and surroundings are having a makeover.

The SLHS 2026/2027 Programme

The 2026/2027 Programme promises a season of informative and stimulating talks from local experts.

Take your pick from presentations featuring Black Country beers, metal detecting, short films, the Titanic disaster, a British Empire war and in May football in the Black Country. As usual there's something for everyone.

Meetings take place at St. Andrew's Church on Bilston Street in Sedgley, and are scheduled for Oct / Nov 2026 and Jan / Feb/ Mar / May 2027. The Society is very friendly and, as always, visitors will be most welcome.

2026 – Spring Teaser

The White Chimneys pub on Abbey Street, Lower Gornal was demolished over 40 years ago. The site remained empty until this Spring.

Send an email if you know anything about the replacement building or pub.

Sedgley Local History Society [SLHS]

Sedgley Local History Society [SLHS] is a Black Country group based in the village of Sedgley, which is situated at the northern tip of Dudley Metropolitan Borough and just 3 miles south of the centre of Wolverhampton.

Here, the heritage of the Manor of Sedgley, in south Staffordshire, is focused through its nine villages - Sedgley, Gospel End, Cotwall End, Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, Woodsetton, Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley. A history of people, places and events.

Please contact us if you have any comments, suggestions, contributions or questions.

Please note that genealogy isn't a prime interest of SLHS - it's a huge specialist area in its own right. We provide a list of useful sites on our genealogy links page that will help you to begin your research, however if you have a specific query drop us a line!

Sedgley Heritage Trails

During 2019 two trails were researched covering nearly forty places of interest within easy walking distance of Sedgley Bull Ring.

A leaflet was then prepared by Sedgley Evening Townswomen's Guild with support from Sedgley People's Archive and Sedgley Local History Society. There was specialist help and advice from Dudley MBC who printed the final version.

The trails can be followed using the street map alongside notes and pictures.

Follow this link to download a copy of the leaflet and enjoy the trails.