AIMS
The aim of the Sedgley Local History Society (SLHS) is to promote an interest in the history of Sedgley and the surrounding areas which originally formed part of the greater Sedgley Manor in south Staffordshire.
A programme of monthly talks, held at St. Andrew’s Church, Bilston Street Sedgley, starts each September with the Andrew Barnett Memorial Lecture.
The last meeting, in June, is usually a guided walk through one of the nine villages that make up the Ancient Manor of Sedgley.
CONTACT US
For more information on the Society, or if you have any contributions, suggestions, comments or questions please drop us an
e-mail.
PROGRAMME 2007/2008
The 2007/2008 programme can be found here:
Visitors are always welcome! The talks take place in St. Andrew's Church, Bilston Street, Sedgley in the main body of the church.
Don't hesitate to drop us an e-mail if you've any questions.
SLHS ONLINE
In the future we hope to be able to present certain SLHS presentations in an online form. For the moment all we have are programmes from previous seasons, to give you a taste of what SLHS has previously covered.
Society reaches its China Anniversary
The Society was formed in 1984 ‘over a cup of tea’!
Trevor Genge, now Sedgley’s leading local historian, suggested to Andrew Barrett, the retired headmaster of Redhall Junior School and keen researcher of the Manor’s past, that there might be enough interest in local history to hold regular meetings.
They were both well aware of disappearing buildings and the loss of local memorabilia. The first get together did not disappoint and a programme of talks and visits soon followed. The Society’s ‘home’ has always been St. Andrew’s Church in Bilston Street, Sedgley.
Andrew was committed to a public display of items and records. His enthusiasm was rewarded in November 1988 with the opening of the Sedgley Local History Museum. Unfortunately he died in 1989 leaving behind a legacy of unpublished work. In September of the same year the Society inaugurated the Andrew Barnett Memorial Lecture with a talk given by Dr. John West.
Membership has stayed near the fifty mark with some names ever present – Trevor Genge, Chairman and Ron Baker, Treasurer throughout the twenty years. Marie Bates was the Secretary for well over ten years before leaving Sedgley, while Bryan Hollies and Marjorie Ellis have maintained the Museum collection for around fourteen years.
The Society’s members have given talks, published books, written articles, photographed & drawn every nook & cranny throughout the Manor, collected an amazing array of items, campaigned on a wide range issues and encouraged a strong interest in recording the past & present for future generations.
The website is SLHS’s long-term project. It went online in April 2003 and has already attracted a ‘virtual’ membership willing to send material as well as request help. This method of accessing local history resources is still in its infancy, yet has quickly become a remarkable research tool.
Who can guess where this will lead the Society over the next two decades.