Dudley History Festival

Celebrate the rich history of the west midlands at the first Dudley History Festival. 

This new history festival, based in the heart of the Black Country, will see renowned west midlands historians present their discoveries in your local Dudley library and archives. They'll be sharing the behind the scenes of what it's like to dive into the past and try to uncover hidden mysteries. 

Running from the 12th to the 26th of October, you'll step back in time to 1071, journey up the River Stour, explore village memories, and more.

Keep reading to find out where you can be transported back in time below.

The Coseley Tragedy with Anne Clark

What led Hannah Johnson Cox to drown her 2 daughters in Coseley Canal? What became of her & her family after that tragic day in 1901? How did the local community respond to these events? A story from my family which made the news headlines over 100 years ago, but still relevant to people today.

 
Saturday 12th October, 1.00pm - Coseley Library

Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812775

History of Dudley Castle: 1071-1933 with Max Keen

In this talk, Max will share the history of Dudley Castle between 1071 and 1933, from Domesday through civil war, to modern times.
 
Saturday 12th October, 2.00pm - Dudley Library

Reserve your seat or Call  01384 815560

Village Memories with Terry Church

Terry Church recounts his experiences living and growing up in the West Midlands village of Wall Heath in the 1950's and 1960's. Now part of the urban conurbation of Dudley,
 
Tuesday 15th October, 11.00am - Kingswinford Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812740

The historical importance of the River Stour to Cradley, with Margaret Bradley

On its way to join the mighty River Severn the River Stour flows through many towns. But what impact did this waterway have on the town of Cradley?
 
Tuesday 15th October, 11.00am - Cradley Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812885

Life and Death in Dudley’s Limestone mines, with Adrian Barrett

A story that starts 400million years ago with the creation of a mineral that helped fuel the industrial revolution and captured the evolution of plants and animal life. The resulting landscape became known as the Wrens Nest and features Dudley Castle and Priory. The mining of this material has left vast cavern underneath Dudley which have been explored for decades. The abandoned mines led to a number of tragedy. This talk gives an insight into this dark world, including tales of tragedy, kidnap and an elephant.
 
Friday 18th October, 11.30am - Sedgley Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812790

Our Stour, with John Billingham

Rivers play a huge part in the history of their region and the 25 mile long Stour is no exception. In this talk you'll find out more about  the River Stour as it flows through the southern end of the Black Country from the Clent Hills to the River Severn.
 
Saturday 19th October, 11:00am - Long Lane Library
Reserve your seat or call 01384 812880

Why the Black Country? with John Homer

With anecdotes and song John Homer will explore what it means to be from the Black Country and how that has shaped its people.
 
Monday 21st October, 11:00am - Brierley Hill Library
 
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812874

Farewell Eve Hill with Ned Williams

Local historian Ned Williams pays tribute to Dudley's satellite area in this talk, Farewell Eve Hill.
 
Saturday 26th October, 10.45am - Dudley Archives
Reserve your seat 

Around and about Netherton, with Rob Broadbent

Netherton is known as the place where the anchors and chains for the Titanic were forged. Netherton however has a rich industrial history, much of which is now replaced by nature reserves, canalside housing and industrial estates. It has many places of interest and is home to one of the greatest atheletes to ever come from the Black Country, not to mention one of the Black Countries most notable pubs. This walk and talk reveals much about the history of the Black Country and how things have changed.
 
Wednesday 23rd October, 10.00am - Netherton Library
 
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812845

At the bottom of the Hill: The memorials and graves of St Edmund's Church, with Craig Denston

St Edmunds Church in Dudley is one of the towns two principle churchs and is almost 1000 years old. This fascinating talk explores the history of the memorials and graves at this important venue.
 
Saturday 26th October, 12.15pm - Dudley Archives
 
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812771

The Gunpowder Plot and its midlands connection, with David Cox

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is an important part of British history. Its discovery and failure is the subject of the yearly Bonfire Night. But did you know there are connections to this pivitol moment in British History in the West Midlands? 
 
Saturday 26th October, 1.00pm - Wordsley Library
 
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812765

Quacks and Cures with Kevin Goodman, author and medical historian

Once, before easy and cheap access to medical help people depended upon Quack Doctors and Folk Cures to treat their illnesses and ailments. Meet some of the memorable Quacks and learn about the strange Folk Cures and discover why medicine sold by chemists could be just as bad.

Wednesday 16th October, 7:00pm - Gornal Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812755

The Diggum Uppers: Body snatching and Grave robbing in the West Midlands, with Kevin Goodman, Author and Medical Historian

The grave robbers trade was to keep the ever-demanding medical schools supplied with the bodies of the recently deceased. But they weren’t confined to Edinburgh and London. They ranged across the West Midlands from the heavy industrial areas of Birmingham, the Black Country, and the Potteries, to the rural shires of Herefordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. Discover the identities of the most infamous resurrectionists of the West Midlands; the medical men who supported them ; the methods used to stop them, and the terrible truth of what happened when body snatching and grave robbing were outlawed
 
Saturday 26th October, 1.45pm - Dudley Archives
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812772

Radio and TV in 1950s and 1960s with Terry Church 

Television and radio in the 1950s and 60s defined many childhoods and produced some iconic productions from The Goon Show to Thunderbirds. This talk will be a fascinating trip back to that important era of British Culture
 
Thursday 17th October, 2.00 pm - Lye Christ Church Hall
Reserve your seat 

Exploring Entertainment History with Ned Williams

In this talk Ned Williams will tell you how he goes about researching a topic that affects us all, changes daily, is often not recorded and is sometimes mobile in nature; entertainment
 
Thursday 24th October, 6.30pm - Stourbridge Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812945

Churchill's escape in the Boer War, with Dr Spencer Jones

Winston Churchill is best known as the Prime Minister during WW2. Forty years earlier however he was captured in South Africa and had to make a miraculous escape. This talk will tell you all about this often untalked about history of one of Britains most enduring and iconic figures.
 
22nd October, 6.30pm - Stourbridge Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812945

57 Black Country Sportsmen with Terry Church

Join Terry Church to hear all about the 57 sportsmen who have made the Black Country proud, the subject of Terry's book '57 Black Country Sportsmen'
 
Saturday 26th October, 2.00pm - Halesowen Library
Reserve your seat or Call 01384 812980