Building Stones of the Black Country Area

The twentieth Andrew Barnett Memorial Lecture takes place on Thursday 8th October 2009 at 7:30 pm in St. Andrew’s Church, Bilston Street, Sedgley. The speaker is Keith Hodgkins vice chairman of Tipton Civic Society and passionate campaigner for retaining the character of the Black Country towns and villages.

His slide show looks at the ‘faces’ of some much loved buildings – churches, chapels, public houses and dwellings large and small. One of your favourites is certain to be there.

As usual visitors are invited to come along – admission £1. Annual membership of the Society costs £4 and gives free access to the programme of talks.

[Andrew Barnett:1909 - 1989 ~ Headteacher of Red Hall Junior School in Lower Gornal, founder member of the Society and keen researcher of Sedgley Manor’s history. Barnett's History of Sedgley is available in local libraries.]

2009 Summer Teaser

We asked about this picture: what’s it represent? where is it? The underlying news story has a community up in arms.

The sculpture was outside Coseley Swimming Pool above the entrance canopy. Designed by a student at Birmingham College of Art for the 1963 opening it depicts a swimmer. The facilities were closed on August 31st 2009 when Dudley MBC was unwilling to fund roof repairs and improvements calculated to cost two million pounds. A vigorous campaign failed to stop the closure. The sculpture is now in safe storage and the whole complex due for demolition in early 2010.