The Gornals

The first 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 Ned Williams the well-respected Black Country historian and author.

Ned explores the Gornals, (the subject of his fiftieth book), and shares his warm affection for the villagers and their traditions. This illustrated presentation reflects a flavour of Black Country life still around, but fast disappearing.

For past and present Gornal folk it is an evening not to be missed.

As usual visitors are invited to come along – admission £1. Annual membership of the Society costs £5 and gives free access to the programme of talks.

[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 villages of Sedgley Manor. Both were avid researchers and staunch supporters of conservation projects.]

2015 Summer Teaser

The photograph, from around 1900, shows two buildings vital to village life. We asked if you could identify them.

On Kent Street in Upper Gornal the church of St. Peter still stands while the National School next door was replaced by a parish hall in 1935.

St. Peter’s foundation stone was laid in March 1838. The school was opened a few years later – a log book covering the years 1866 to 1893 is deposited at Dudley Archives.

(Edwin Albert Underhill, the author of The Story of the Ancient Manor of Sedgley, received his early education at the school.)