Romsley & Hunnington History Society -

Meeting Report - November 2017

Forty-eight members and visitors attended the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday, 28th November. The speaker was Alan Peace and his talk was about, Himley Hall, Past Present and Future.

As a child I had an Aunt who lived at the top of Himley Road, on the outskirts of Dudley. At the bottom of the very long road was a mysterious house, hidden from the road, known as Himley Hall. The house is no longer a mystery after Alan's talk, but as he revealed, it was full of secrets which he uncovered during the 27 years he worked there.

For many years it belonged to successive Earls of Dudley. It began as a Hunting Lodge, but in 1740 one of many reconstructions took place and in 1770 Lancelot Capability Brown landscaped the grounds and it gradually grew into the grand mansion it is today. Between 1920 and 1936 it was so grand that Edward, Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VIII, frequently visited the house for weekend shooting parties, among other activities.

After the war, the house was sold to the Coal Board to be used as their offices and many of the lovely rooms were damaged. In 1966 Wolverhampton and Dudley Councils bought the estate and many public events were held in the grounds. Today it is owned by Dudley Council and is used as a Wedding and Conference Centre. Weddings are held in the area that was the swimming pool, which has been beautifully redecorated with an inverted wedding cake ceiling and subtle lighting. Outdoor events, including a huge bonfire, are still held today. The proceeds of some these events go to charity, especially Cancer Research which is very close to Alan's heart.

As for the future, several plans are in progress. The World Owl Trust is in the process of establishing a New World Owl Centre at Himley Park, which will be open shortly, and so the old Hall is still being used and is flourishing today.

There are no meetings planned for December or January and the next meeting will be on Tuesday, 27th February at 7.30 pm in the Church Hall. The talk will be given by Mary Bodfish and the title will be, "Darling Elizabeth." Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - February 2018

In spite of the snow and bitterly cold wind, 31 members of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society attended the meeting on the 27th February when Mary Bodfish gave a talk on, "Darling Elizabeth". This was the story of H.M. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who was born on 4th August 1900, the youngest but one of nine children born to the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.

Her life was not to be without trials and tribulations but she had a happy and privileged childhood at Glamis Castle and in Hertfordshire, until the outbreak of war in 1914. Her family were part of the elite aristocracy which included, David, the Prince of Wales and his brother, Bertie, the Duke of York. She enjoyed dancing and the social life of the time and as a very beautiful young lady, she was not without her admirers! However, it was the persistent Duke of York who won her hand in marriage on 23rd April 1923.

As the second son of the King, Bertie expected to live a quiet life with his wife and two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, but this was not to be. In 1936 David, now King Edward VIII, fell in love with an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, and abdicated. This meant that Bertie and Elizabeth were now King and Queen, a totally unexpected twist of fate.

The King needed a lot of support from Elizabeth as they faced the Second World War in 1939. They became very popular with the people of the United Kingdom, but sadly the King's health began to fail and he died in 1952. Elizabeth, a widow at 52, began a new life as the Queen Mother. She continued to carry out her royal duties and supported and encouraged her daughter, who was now Queen Elizabeth II, for many years until she died, aged 101, in 2002. She had led an extraordinary life, ruled by duty and love.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 27th March when Paul Harrison will give a talk on,"Water from Wales". Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - March 2018

There were about 60 members and visitors present at the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday 27th March when Paul Harrison gave a talk on Water from Wales. Paul, a former teacher, lived in Romsley as a child and was intrigued by the large pipes carrying water from Wales to Birmingham, which can be seen in the local fields.

He discovered that at the end of the 19th Century the population of Birmingham was growing fast and it was known as, "The City of a Thousand Trades". The lack of a clean water supply became a problem and the Civic Heads began to look elsewhere for a solution.

The Elan Valley in Wales, 73 miles from Birmingham, with three times the rainfall, seemed to be the ideal source, but how could they get the water to Birmingham? The answer was to build huge dams with an aqueduct to carry the water through pipes and tunnels to a reservoir at Frankley.

A large workforce was needed to carry out this work, mostly by hand, as there were few machines in those days. Health and safety hadn't been invented either so the work proved to be very dangerous. A wooden village with a hospital and school was built and the whole project was paid for by Birmingham Corporation.

There were many problems to be overcome by the engineers and Paul demonstrated - with a jug of blue water and a length of plastic pipe, which went down from the stage, up over a table and up into a bowl - the principle of using an inverted syphon system at some stages of the water's journey. The members of the society had never seen anything like this before and were fascinated.

The work was completed early, Edward VII opened the dams and the first water started flowing in 1904. It says a great deal for the workers' craftsmanship that the water is still flowing from Wales today, through our villages, to supply the people of Birmingham with much needed water. It was a very enlightening talk.

Pat Evans