Romsley & Hunnington History Society -

Bromsgrove Town Walk

On Wednesday 11th September, 2019, a lovely sunny day, Julian Hunt gave members of the Society a historical walk around the town of Bromsgrove. He asked us to meet him outside Argos and with the aid of many old maps and photographs led the way.

He began by informing us that we were in fact standing on what was a Roman road. In the Doomsday Book all the land belonged to the King. To buy favour in heaven a King (not sure which one, I was listening but Julian gave us so many Kings and dates I should have taken a note book) gave half of the town to the Church. The side where the Post Office used to be, belonged to the Church and was the industrial part of the town with many traders. A King became aware of the prosperity and he saw an opportunity to make money on his side and subsequently this became the side of the professionals, such as doctors, bankers and solicitors. The now Slug and Lettuce once was a doctor's house. You always had to look up to see how the town buildings used to be and lots of wonderful architecture was pointed out to us by Julian. Many shoppers passing our tour listened and looked up to where Julian was referring. In 1150 Bromsgrove was a Market town and was turnpiked in 1727.

We travelled from where Wilsons used to be at the top of High Street all the way down via Worcester Street to Bromsgrove School, making the odd short excursion up an alley to see such as a nail house (now a restaurant).

We walked to the site where the Cotton Mill used to stand and by then we were all ready for a cup of tea. Julian guided us to a house, and although I had walked along the Kidderminster Road many times, I had never noticed it before. It lay just in front of St. John's Church Yard and was once the Rectory. We were all made very welcome at Rydale Mount House, the home of a member of Bromsgrove History Society with a grateful seat, tea and cake. The sun was still shining and eventually we made our way through the Churchyard back into town and home. Everyone really enjoyed our historical walk and talk, thanks to Julian and Jo Slade our kind host for tea (Jo is at present Reeve of Bromsgrove and will be Bailiff next year).

Where do we go next year?
Jean Cockin

Meeting Report - April 2019

There were 36 members present at the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday 23rd April. Mary Bodfish gave a talk on The Early Years of the Soho Foundry.

Last year we visited Soho House, the home of Matthew Boulton. Mary's talk was interesting as she told us the history of his factory and its production of steam engines and the partnership of the three great engineers, Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdock.

In 1795 Matthew Boulton chose the site of the factory, on his land, near the mill at Hockley Brook, Handsworth. At first he made small metal goods and silverware but when he met James Watt and later William Murdock, the factory expanded making steam engines to pump water out of mines. The sons of Boulton and Watt worked at the foundry too, and it became world renowned, using the canals around Birmingham to transport the goods.

The employees were well cared for. Apprentices from Charity Schools were trained at the works and the workers were provided with homes, gardens and pig sties! The Foundry was eventually bought in 1895 by the Avery Company, and parts of the factory can still be seen today. Mary illustrated her talk with many fascinating photographs.

The History Society's Annual Outing on 11th September will be a guided tour of Historic Bromsgrove. There will be meetings of the Court Rolls Group on Wednesday 18th September and Wednesday 9th October. The Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 28th May followed by Slides of Stourbridge, a talk by Julian Hunt. The meeting on the 25th June will be Remembering the Swinging 60's by Ray Sturdy. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - April 2018

There were about 60 members present at the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday, 24th April. The speaker was Max Keen and his subject was, "Alfred the Great, The Most Fortunate King." As usual Max entered into the spirit of his talk and the Church Hall was invaded by an awesome looking warrior complete with helmet, spear, sword and shield. As Max said, he could have been an Anglo Saxon or a Viking, but we were instantly transported back to the 800s AD.

King Alfred was born in 849, the 4th son of Aethelwulf, King of the Anglo Saxons. During his childhood he went to Rome and this experience influenced the rest of his life. Much of his time was spent defending his country against the marauding Vikings. Good fortune seemed to be with him throughout his life, with the help of storms, depleted Viking armies and the death of three of his brothers, against the odds he became King Alfred in 871.

His rule reflected his courage, his love of learning and culture, his sense of justice and his negotiating skills. He realised that the best defence was to fortify vulnerable towns and to build up the navy. In this way, he managed to save most parts of Anglo Saxon England from the Vikings. He became known as "Alfred the Great."

Max illustrated his talk with photographs and a fearsome arsenal of authentic weapons. When we were allowed to handle them we wondered how on earth the soldiers managed to fight, carrying all that weight! This all added colour to his fascinating talk. Perhaps Alfred's only bit of bad luck was when he burnt the cakes, which is what everyone remembers, but Max helped us to realise that Alfred's rule was one of the greatest of the early Kings of England.

The meeting on Tuesday 22nd of May will be the Annual General Meeting, followed by a talk by Bob Greathead about the work on the latest water pipeline now being installed in the surrounding area. There will be a meeting of the Court Rolls Group on Wednesday 13th June 2.30pm in the Church Hall. On Tuesday June 26th, Julian Hunt will give a talk on, "Mills in the Belbroughton Valley." The Annual Dinner will take place on 8th June and there will be an outing to Soho House on 5th July. On Tuesday24th July, at 7.30pm, in the Church Hall, we look forward to another visit by Max Keen who will give a talk on, "Dudley Castle. 1017 to 1933. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - February 2017

There were 42 members present at the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday 28th February. This was the first meeting of 2017 and we welcomed the speaker, Derek Clarke, RIBA, AABC, a retired conservation architect. This was Derek's 4th visit to the Society and the subject of his talk was, "Repair Work at the Old Naval College in Greenwich.

For many years the Royal Navy had occupied the huge buildings at Greenwich, on the banks of the River Thames. They were designed by Christopher Wren and were built between 1701 and 1751. Over the years the wind and weather had taken their toll on the Portland Stone buildings and they were in a sorry state of repair. In 2002, Derek was commissioned to inspect, supervise and advise on the work needed to conserve and repair these ancient, Grade 1 Listed Buildings.

This was no easy task and as his stunning photographs show, he didn't always manage to keep his feet on the ground, as much of the work was high on the roof, replacing the lead and the rotting wood. Derek used a hoist, which took him up to inspect the dome and weathervane on the Queen Mary building, which was 120 to130 feet high. His breathtaking photographs showed a tiny River Thames, far, far below. He also had to climb up 14 vertical ladders to inspect the work which was needed. He always kept one vital tool in his pocket, a piece of chalk which he used to mark any part of the building which was the worse for wear.

The buildings were designed to use only Portland Stone but the cost proved to be too high so bricks were used in parts, bricks made in Birmingham! A composite material, instead of stone, was used for the statues on the Nelson Pediment. These had to be restored and in order to see the original drawings Derek was taken on a cloak and dagger rendezvous to a secret place in London, where they were stored!

Inside the beautiful Painted Hall, full of naval paintings, which was open to the public, work was needed on the rain water pipes. Scaffolding was erected but the powers that be deemed it unsightly, so the ever resourceful Derek purchased some material and made a huge curtain to hide it.

After 5 years, 3 building contractors and over 11 million pounds, the work was completed and the buildings at Greenwich were restored for future generations to admire.

Derek's photographs were spectacular and once again we had a most fascinating and interesting talk but we were left wondering how those builders of long ago managed to build the original buildings and face the many hazards involved, without the use of modern equipment.

The next meeting of the Society will be on Tuesday 28th March at 7.00pm in the Church Hall when the speaker will be Mike Pearson. He will give a talk on, "The Black Country in the Great War." And the meeting on the 25th April will be, "Richard III." by Max Keen. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans.