Abraham Darby the First

The next meeting of the Society takes place on Thursday 13th February at 7:30 pm in St. Andrew's Church, Bilston Street, Sedgley. The speaker is Kyla Hislop a curator at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in Coalbrookdale.

The presentation follows the colourful life of Abraham from his birthplace on the Wren's Nest in Woodsetton to the Shropshire village where he perfected his iron-smelting technique. At the museum is the original furnace he used and Dale House built for the Darby family in 1717.

Here in Woodsetton, Abraham's achievements have been celebrated with a striking sculpture erected in 2021 highlighting his 1709 coke fired furnace.

The evening is an excellent opportunity to hear about the 'Father of the Industrial Revolution' and the Darby dynasty which followed.

Admission is £2 – exact amount appreciated.

2024 – Autumn Teaser Answer

The image shows a chapel built in 1777. It was replaced in 1830 and still welcomes worshippers today.

We asked if you could name the chapel.

This is a very old water coloured sketch of Ruiton Independent Chapel built in 1777 and used for just over fifty years. In 1830 a larger 'preaching house' was built on the same site.

Now approaching its 200th birthday the Grade ll listed Congregational Church commands a prominent position at the beginning of Hermit Street in Upper Gornal.

The SLHS 2024 / 2025 Programme

The 2024/2025 Programme promises a season of informative and stimulating talks from local experts.

Take your pick from presentations covering the Wren's Nest, transport accidents, short films, Woodsetton's pioneer of the iron industry, women in the glass industry and in May discoveries on local digs..... hopefully there's something for everyone.

Meetings take place at St. Andrew's Church on Bilston Street in Sedgley, and are scheduled for Oct / Nov 2024 and Jan / Feb / Mar / May 2025. The Society is very friendly and, as always, visitors will be most welcome.

Sedgley Heritage Trails

During 2019 two trails were researched covering nearly forty places of interest within easy walking distance of Sedgley Bull Ring.

A leaflet was then prepared by Sedgley Evening Townswomen's Guild with support from Sedgley People's Archive and Sedgley Local History Society. There was specialist help and advice from Dudley MBC who printed the final version.

The trails can be followed using the street map alongside notes and pictures.

Follow this link to download a copy of the leaflet and enjoy the trails.

2025 – Winter Teaser

The image shows a church built before 1600. It was replaced during the reign of George IV and still welcomes worshippers today. Send an email if you can name the church.

Sedgley Local History Society [SLHS]

Sedgley Local History Society [SLHS] is a Black Country group based in the village of Sedgley, which is situated at the northern tip of Dudley Metropolitan Borough and just 3 miles south of the centre of Wolverhampton.

Here, the heritage of the Manor of Sedgley, in south Staffordshire, is focused through its nine villages - Sedgley, Gospel End, Cotwall End, Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, Woodsetton, Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley. A history of people, places and events.

Please contact us if you have any comments, suggestions, contributions or questions.

Please note that genealogy isn't a prime interest of SLHS - it's a huge specialist area in its own right. We provide a list of useful sites on our genealogy links page that will help you to begin your research, however if you have a specific query drop us a line!