Willenhall History Society

About WHS

 

All are welcome to attend meetings or join the Society. The Annual Subscription is £10.00. Non members pay £1.00 to attend each meeting.

The affairs of the Society are run by an elected Committee.

We are always on the lookout for old photographs or records of Willenhall to be copied and added to our substantial collection - please contact a committee member for details.

The Committee

Les Burrows Chairman 01902 630338

John Shercliff Secretary and Vice Chairman 01922 653107

Jan Morgan Treasurer 01902 631566

Hazel Groves Minutes Secretary 01902 609630

Paul Kidson 01902 605079

June Worthington 01922 407621

Mollie Bishop 01922 446755

Vera Birch

Email willenhallhistory@gmail.com

Correspondence John Shercliff, 3, Bentons Lane, Great Wyrley, Walsall WS6 6EF

Meetings

Take place at Willenhall Community and Youth Foundation, Gomer Street, Willenhall in the Memorial Hall on the second Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm unless otherwise notified.

The first ten years

In spite of its historical purpose Willenhall History Society has only been in existence for ten years, dating from a meeting on 11th December 1990, when a constitution was adopted, volunteers for the committee were cajoled into taking part and the first few speakers were decided. From that date the Society has gone from strength to strength. There has been a meeting open to the public virtually every month, with a speaker, trip, walk or (at Christmas) a party! The Society has always had a very friendly atmosphere and this must be one of the main reasons for its success, along with the intense interest and pride in Willenhall of the people of the town.

The monthly meetings have been the main regular feature of Willenhall History Society. There have been a lot of interesting talks about different aspects of the history of the town from its famous lock industry, explained by Jim Evans; the local Police Force by John Mellor; Sam and Mary Clayton talked about their book on Willenhall; Peter Arnold on the buildings of Willenhall and Harry Cotterill showed slides of Portobello, Shortheath and Willenhall itself.

There have also been many talks about other historical matters from country houses to fairgrounds and canal tunnels to Churches. All have been very interesting and we must thank all the speakers for keeping us informed and entertained and Hazel Groves for organising the meetings.

There have also been a lot of other events. The walks around Willenhall conducted by Lay Marston and Horace Davis have been a great success. Now we have walked along every street and looked at every building it must be time to start again! There have also been trips further afield - for example to Lichfield for a tour with John Wright or to the Houses of Parliament with David Winnick. All have been very enjoyable.

In May 1992 the Society celebrated the centenary of the Memorial Clock, erected in May 1892 to the memory of Doctor Tonks, a very popular local doctor. A booklet about his life and tragic death as well as the story of how the clock came to be built was written by Horace Davis and published by the Society and became very popular. On Sunday May 10th 1992 a commemorative plaque on the clock tower was unveiled by Mrs Kathleen Boswell, the granddaughter of Doctor Tonks and the occasion was marked by the town crier and suitable speeches, followed by refreshments in the Willenhall Council Chamber.

The Christmas Social events have also been very pleasant with our brains being kept active by a series of quizzes (very easy!) about Willenhall and general knowledge and entertainment to go with the excellent food provided by members. Maureen Burrows has always been the main organiser behind these events - with a lot of help from the others.

The Society is run by a committee, who work very well together under the able chairmanship of Lay Marston. Financial matters are dealt with by Jan Morgan, minutes by Irene Bowen and Horace Davis receives, stores (in an ever expanding series of filing cabinets) and lists records. Les Burrows combines vice chairman with welcoming members at meetings (and making sure they pay!) The hard work of all the committee has made the development of the Society possible.

One of the most interesting aspects of the work of the Society has been the collection of old photographs and documents about the town. Many people have kindly donated material or allowed it to be copied and we now have a large collection, all of which is listed in a publication. We are also lucky to have acquired old movie footage of events in the town during the war and in the fifties and sixties. This has now been transferred onto video and makes a very interesting record, especially the film taken by Alan Carter.

All the books we have published have been very popular with the people of Willenhall and have been sent all over the world to ex Willenhall people as well. John Spooner, our printer, has made an excellent job of the production and has allowed us to sell them at a reasonable price.

We have also made available a series of old postcards of Willenhall, dated c1903 and printed from the original copper plates kindly donated by the Cartwright family, the original printers.

There never seems to be any shortage of ideas for new projects, though some of them seem to take longer to put into practice than others! In the pipeline at present are books on the railways of Willenhall and the lost pubs of Willenhall and a video about the town.

We have always enjoyed a close relationship with Walsall Local History Centre and a lot of the research for books has been done there. Several talks from staff past and present, visits to the centre and the Photographic Time Machine at which old photos of Willenhall were copied have been very popular. We also took part in several of the much lamented Local History Fairs, which gave us a chance to meet other local history fans and see what their societies had been doing. It is good to know that the Local History Fair will take place again this year.

The Society has always had a close connection with the Library, having been started with the help of John Shercliff, then Library Manager, and the meetings are still held in the Library. Thanks to all the library staff for their support and help. We have had lots of help from many people and businesses in the town and without them the Society would not have been the success it has.

As well as providing a pleasant, enjoyable and informative series of meetings and all the other activities mentioned here it is gratifying to realise that the Society has had an influence on the preservation and development of Willenhall, especially the Memorial Park, Market Place and Wood Street Cemetery. This has only been possible through the hard work and dedication of many people in the town but especially Jan Morgan and Paul Kidson, members of the society committee.

There is a good future in prospect for Willenhall History Society and with the support of the people of the town it will continue to make a valuable contribution to the wellbeing of Willenhall and its people.

Willenhall History Society Website 15.1.08