There were 37 members present at the Annual General Meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday 28th May. Paul Share, the Chairman, reported that the Society had had a good year and now had 60 members. Work on the Court Rolls, by members of the society, had continued throughout the year. The History Society had also held a very interesting exhibition celebrating 100 years Remembrance of the First World War.

There were now 60 members of the Society and the Financial Report was good. The annual subscription will remain at £6.00, with members paying £1.00 per meeting and visitors now paying £3.00. All the Committee Members were re-elected.

After the formal part of the meeting our President, Julian Hunt, gave a very enlightening talk on, "Stourbridge." Today Stourbridge is a very unremarkable town but Julian gave us a glimpse of Stourbridge in the 19th Century and beyond, when it was a very different place. Because of the natural resources it was the site of several industries, glass, iron, leather, linen and bricks as well as foundries and mines.

The owners became very wealthy and built grand houses for themselves as well as schools, hospitals and churches. In the High Street they built many expensive houses, inns, banks and a Town Hall and these can still be seen today, behind the facades of the present day shops. Stourbridge was a prosperous town, the focus of roads, canals, railways, from Dudley, Wolverhampton, Halesowen, Birmingham and the surrounding area.

Julian's photographs showed a thriving town with buildings and factories on a grand scale, which can hardly be imagined today. It was a very impressive talk. The next meeting of the Society will be on Tuesday 25th June at 7.30pm. in the Church Hall, when Ray Sturdy will be, "Remembering the Swinging 60's." The Annual Outing, "A Walking Tour of Bromsgrove." will be on Wednesday 11th September. The next Court Rolls Group will be on Wednesday 18th September.

Everyone is welcome
Pat Evans