Nelson comes inland - SLHS expects!

Lord Horatio Nelson - 'Britain's Greatest Naval Hero'

The next meeting of the Society takes place on Thursday 14th March at 7:30 pm in St. Andrew's Church, Bilston Street, Sedgley. The speaker is Max Keen with his unique take on events in British history.

Max's illustrated talk follows the life of Nelson from his birth in the Norfolk village of Burnham Thorpe to his death on HMS Victory.

The naval victories are well known, Nelson's colourful personal life and complex character less so.

Meet Max in his period costumes as he takes us through this epic story - a 'dramatic' evening not to be missed.

Admission is £2 – exact amount appreciated.

2024 – Winter Teaser

This was a scene in Hurst Hill in February 2009. The recreation ground attracted the usual winter activities.

Send an email if you can find the actual location and its proper name.

2024 Winter Teaser

The SLHS 2023 / 2024 Programme

The 2023/2024 Programme promises a season of informative and stimulating talks from local experts.

Take your pick from presentations covering body snatchers, entertainment venues, local films, working in coal mines, life and times of Nelson and, in May, the Windrush Generation in Walsall ... hopefully there's something for everyone.

Meetings take place at St. Andrew's Church on Bilston Street in Sedgley, and are scheduled for Oct / Nov 2023 and Jan / Feb/ Mar / May 2024. The Society is very friendly and, as always, visitors will be most welcome.

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.

2023 – Autumn Teaser Answer

The sketch was drawn in 1985 by Andrew Barnett, co-founder of Sedgley LHS.

Naming the pub is far too easy, but naming the person who caused the building to tilt four feet in a southerly direction is not so straightforward.

We asked if you could find his name.

Old Coppice Mill, a water powered corn mill, was built in 1765 and became a public house c.1830. It was called the 'Glynne Arms' after its owner Sir Stephen Glynne (1807 - 1874). By the 1850s the Oak Farm coal mine he owned had caused damage to his own property!

Recent research suggests the building may also have been weakened by water movement and vibrations from the water wheel as well as Glynne's miners.

Although by 1900 the pub was well known as 'The Crooked House' this name only became official about 1993. In August 2023 the building suffered a double tragedy - a fierce arson attack and two days later the brickwork still standing was demolished. A replica has been suggested.

(Sir Stephen was born in Flintshire and became a landowner and part owner of Oak Farm brick and iron works. However, his main interest was visiting over 5,000 English churches. He published his notes county by county and it is these books, not his activities in Himley, for which he is remembered. This suggests he spent hardly any time on his business interests concentrating on church architecture and serving in public capacities.)

2023 Autumn Teaser

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!