Brierley Hill Community Forum

These People, This Place - art unveiling and documentary world premiere!
2023-09-10 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Brierley Hill Civic Hall, Bank Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3DH, United Kingdom
View and celebrate four art installations, using materials specific to the industrial/historical elements of Brierley Hill and a mini documentary exploring personal connections to the town.
Commissioned by Historic England, Dudley MBC and Brierley Hill Cultural Consortium, a group of residents have created four art installations whilst exploring their personal identifies with particular reference to what brings them to Brierley Hill.
Four groups have gathered to produce large scale, 6 foot DNA strands incorporating: Steel; Wood, willow, buttons and leather; Glass; and hardware fabric and jewellery.
A documentary has been produced to go along with the project and tonight will be the word premiere!
Harry’s Women’s Discovery Group create flowers for their sculpture – recognising the agricultural past of our town.
How could any project about the history of Brierley Hill ignore glass! Not this one!
One of the DNA structures participants in These People, This Place have been working with.
PLUS
100 Faces of Brierley Hill…a chance to see the portraits of over 100 local people collected as part of the Cultural Consortium Programme.

Graves at Night!
2023-09-11 19:45 - 21:15, 2023-09-12 19:45 - 21:15 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Did you miss last year’s Grave’s by Night walks? If so, nows your chance to learn about the history of Brierley Hill through the stories of the people who lived here, all whilst walking around the atmospheric churchyard of St Michael’s at night! Of course, it might be cold so come dressed for the occasion: sensible footwear, torch, dress warm and be prepared if it should rain.
Booking is required for this event – click on RSVP
Testimonials
This is what attendees last year said about Graves at Night
“Our thanks for a fascinating walk. We learned so much on Wednesday evening about local history. Tim did an amazing job with details research of local events and people.”
“I’ll be back … So informative. Thank you Tim.”
“It was a really interesting walk around the graveyard. Learnt some new things about Brierley Hill.”
“It was brilliant, I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot.”
“Really enjoyed it.”
“Graveyard tour was amazing! Thank you!”
“Was very good, really enjoyed it.”

The Brierley Hill Songbook
2023-09-13 19:15 - 20:45 | West Midlands
The Brierley Hill Song Book.
Come and hear Brierley Hill’s stories in song, celebrating our colourful heritage, present and future with Dan Whitehouse and the Brierley Hill Songwriters.
All of the songs were written around local characters and stories and include:

I Don’t Want to be a Scratching (Marsh and Baxters) – not all the pigs wanted to be there!
The Waters of Brierley Hill – celebrating the Fens Pools and the local canals.
The Sun Always Shines on Brierley Hill – OK, sometimes you have to look beyond the clouds, but it’s always there – honest! The song was inspired by the feelings of that first pint of. Bathams Bitter after a long hot day.
The Pubs of Brettell Lane – from an 1852 poem by Samuel Paskin
Duty Calls – what was it like to be an ambulance driver in the days of Round Oak
The Wobbly Vicar – building on a story from the historic journal
Hope Pill – a song of optimism for regeneration in the town

Please book for this event by clicking here.
Doors open 7pm, music starts at 7.15pm. There will be a short break for refreshments during the performance.

Visit a Bell Ringing Practice
2023-09-15 19:00 - 21:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
A chance to learn about church bell ringing. There have been bells at St Michaels for over 250 years. The present set date from 1899 and were one of the first sets of bells manufactured using the Simpson Five Tone method. This makes the bells sound much more harmonious.
The Brierley Hill ringers practice every Friday evening.During your visit you will be able to watch the ringers at work; learn how they remember different orders of bells; and view the historic peal boards in the ringing room. You might even get a chance to chime a bell yourself. There are two sessions, one at 7pm, and one at 8pm.
Because of the limitations of the ringing room only ten visitors per time are allowed, hence the need to book.
Click below to book.

100 years of Brierley Hill Market - variety show
2023-09-16 08:00 - 16:00 | Brierley Hill Market, High Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5, United Kingdom
Singing and tap dancing celebrating Brierley Hill’s market history.

Tuesday 12th September – noon – Dan Whitehouse with the Brierley Hill Songbook pop up performance.
Saturday 16th September
1130-1600 Natalie Knight sings songs though the decades PLUS Katie Lewis, tap dancer extraordinaire returns with four brand new routines she has created just for this event.
Great fun whilst taking advantage of the historic market’s fantastic and unique retail offer.

Family Fun and Free BBQ at Albion Street Church
2023-09-16 09:00 - 14:00 | Albion Street Church, Albion Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EE, United Kingdom
A chance to look inside this church.

Badge Making
2023-09-16 09:00 - 15:30 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Brierley Hill Library invites you to make your own badge! Creative, therapeutic and all round just good fun. Design your own from scratch, perhaps bring a photo of a loved onre or a selfie. Or use one of our designs. Fun for all ages.
Thanks to Brierley Hill Library for running this fun activiity. Drop in at any time.

Memory Bank and Old Photos Exhibition
2023-09-16 09:30 - 15:30 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Preserve your memories for posterity and gift them to future generations.
The library, in its temporary home whilst improvements take place, will also be displaying historic photographs of Brierley Hill. Perhaps these will inspire you to record your memories too!
Wouldn’t it be lovely to hear stories in orginal voices from 50, 100 or 200 years ago. What was it like growing up in Brierley Hill? Or to work here? Or tales of what people did for fun?
We’d love to capture your memories to share on Social Media and to deposit for future generations in Dudley Archives. What stories would you like to tell you children and grandchildren.
Drop in to the library in its temporary home at St Michael’s Church and gift your stories to future generations.

Teddy Bear Parachuting
2023-09-16 10:00 - 12:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Sat 16th, 0809: UPDATE: NO RAIN FORCAST FOR TODAY…WIND LIGHT AND IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION – SO THIS EVENT IS ON….
Give your teddy a treat with a parachute experience. Bring you teddy along and hand them to one of our organisers at the foot of St Michael’s tower. They will be given a treat of being put in a basked and pulled to the top of the tower.
After having a parachute attached they will parachute gently back to the ground. Bring your phone to video this special event. Commemorative certificates also available.
Important note: Your teddy bear’s health is important to us. This event is weather dependent and relies on dry and calm weather for it to provide. We don’t want your teddy hurt or lost. Check on our website on the day!
Learn more about our test jumps here.

Chime A Church Bell
2023-09-16 10:00 - 12:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Have you heard the Church Bells ringing on Sunday Morning. On a clear day they can be heard up to 2 miles away!
This is a chance to chime a bell yourself. You will visit the historic ringing room to be greeted by one of our ringers who will, literally, show you the ropes! You will also learn something about the art of bell ringing.
Under careful supervision you will then be given a chance to chime one of the bells yourself. Why not record it for posterity? Share your efforst with your friends and family?
Suitable for ages 5 to 90…but be aware that to reach the ringing room you have to be able to negotiate an unevern stair case (sorry there’s nothing we can do about that.)

Crafting at Harry's
2023-09-16 10:00 - 14:00 | Harry’s, 65a High Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3AE, United Kingdom
Crafts for all!

Bracelet making
Bookmarks
Card making with heritage photos
Rock painting

PLUS refreshments available: Hotdogs, burgers, cakes, drinks, veggie alternatives.

Brierley Hill Technical Institute and Library, Moor Street
2023-09-16 10:00 - 14:00 | Technical Insitute and Library, Moor Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, United Kingdom
An extraordinary opportunity to view the inside of this landmark building in Brierley Hill. The building served for 70 years as the town’s library and also housed Brierley Hill Technical Institute and Art School. Recent social media posts illustrate the many happy memories this building holds. This may be the last opportunity to see the inside of the building before a new use is found.
1904 tour
To whet your appetite here is a transcription of a 1904 newspaper article which describes the building at its opening. The rooms and features are still recognisable today:
The new buildings are imposing block, and constitute the finest erection in the urban district.
The only regret felt is that the structure is not erected in High Street, but, as was stated at the time the negotiations for a site were in progress, it was impossible to obtain land in the main street at anything like the cost which it was proposed to spend in this direction. In one instance a sum of £3,000 for an acceptable site was mentioned, but this, as well as one or two other offers, were deemed to be far beyond the means at dispose, and eventually the Bell Street and Moor Street site was adopted.
The buildings give the appearance of great strength and durability, and are rich in ornamentation and most pleasing to the eye.
They have an elevation to Moor Street, on the technical side, of 95 feet, whilst the free library elevation to Bell Street extends for a length of 54 feet.
The whole of the exterior walls are of best red Ketley bricks and terra cotta, also supplied by the Ketley Brick Company.
The entrance to the technical school is in Moor Street and that to the free library in Bell Street.
The richly-ornamented terra-cotta around the respective doorways constitutes one of the striking features of the structure.
There are heavy semi-circular arches supported by ornate buildings, and surmounting each entrance is an ornamental niche, that over the free library containing a shield upon which is described “Libri,” and over the technical institute is a similar figure grasping a shield with the inscription “Art.” These figures were modelled by Mr. A. Gibbons, master of the art classes, and Mr. A. Oakden, his assistant.
The corner of the building is nicely rounded off by a circular window in each of the two storeys, and above rises a fine terra-cotta dome of imposing proportions.
The roof of slate is bounded by an ornamental parapet wall, and a turret of oak springs from the centre. The foul air from all the rooms is carried to the turret by shafts.
Inside the main entrance in Moor Street is a vestibule spanned by an elliptical arch leading into the corridor from which access is gain to the rooms on the ground floor.
The first of these – a small one – is directly on the left, and is set apart for the private use of the master for interviews with intending pupils, and other purposes.
The floors of the corridors are of Terasso paving, and the sides from the vestibule, also up the staircase and upper corridors are lined with a dado of fancy glazed tiles of green tints, manufactured by Messrs Gibbons, Hinton and Co., by who part were given as a contribution to the building. A special feature, too, has been made of the plastering, to which reference has previously been made in our columns as the work has proceeded.
The ceilings and cornices are finished with beautiful mouldings, this work being most commendably done by Mr. V. Lydiatt, Dudley.
The room directly in front of the Moor Street entrance was originally intended as a cloak room for students, but has now been devoted to clay-moulding, for which no other room was available, and cloak room accommodation will be made elsewhere.
To the right is the laboratory, 41ft by 25ft, which will be fitted up by Messrs W. and J. George, Ltd., Birmingham with the latest and most approved apparatus for chemical, physical and metallurgical experiments.
Adjoining is the lecture theatre, where class instruction in science, languages, etc, will be given. Returning along the corridor and beyond the vestibule, there is on the left a dark room, which is let to the Brierley Hill Camera Club.
The other portions of the technical side are upstairs, reached by two wide flights of stone steps, bounded by an artistic iron balustrade.
At the top of the first flight of steps is a semi circular topped window with coloured glass, 17ft high by 9ft wide, the large centre panel bearing the emblem of painting.
On reaching the upper storey there is a ladies’ retiring room, two art rooms run along the portion of the structure facing Moor Street, and there is a third spacious room above the lecture theatre.
At the junction of the two streets is the committee room, 30ft by 25ft, where in the future the monthly meetings of the Urban Council and Free Library Committee will be held. It is intended to have this room elaborately fitted as a Council Chamber.
Descending the stairs, a door to the right admits to the reading room of the free library, and from this by way of the vestibule inside the entrance doors the lending library is reached, both rooms being spacious and light, and, like those of the technical school, lofty and richly-ornated in cornicing and mouldings.
The entrance doors to the Free Library and Technical Insitute are of Spanish mahogany.
Messrs. Skelding and Co., Dudley, have laid the electric light fittings throughout and a gas service is also laid on. Under the lecture theatre is a chamber containing a low pressure heating apparatus supplied by Messrs. Jones and Attwood, Stourbridge.
Commemorative Tablets
Three brass commemorative tablets were erected in the building, one in the Technical Institute and two in the Free Library.
That in the Institute was inscribed as follows:-
“This tablet commemorates the opening on the 15th day of February, 1904, of the Brierley Hill Technical Institute by County Alderman John Addison, who was chairman of the Technical Instruction Committee from its foundation in 1891 to 1903.”
In the vestibule of the free library the tablet bears the following:-
“This public library was erected by the munificence of Andrew Carnegie, Esq., L.L.D., of Skibo Castle, N.B. ; opened 15th February, 1904.”
The third tablet, which is in the reading room of the library contains an inscription as appended:-
“This tablet commemorates the opening on the 15th day of February, 1904, of this Public Library and Reading Room by Mark Rollinson, Esquire, Chairman of the Free Library Committee.”
The key which was presented to Mr. Mark Rollinson contained the following inscription:-
“Presented to Mark Rollinson, Esq., by J. L. Harpur, architect, February 15th, 10904, on the occasion of the opening of the new Free Library, Brierley Hill.”
The inscription on the key presented to Mr Addison, who opened the Technical Institute, was in similar terms.
The Cost
It is not possible to give more than an approximate estimate of the cost which the buildings will entail, but roughly the round figure of £7,000 will not be far from the sum involved.
The principal contributions are: Mr Carnegie’s munificent gift of £2,000, the executors of John Hall (from whom the site was acquired) £130, the Earl of Dudley, £100, Mr W. H. Foster £100, Mr. E. E. Cooper £50, the Ketley Brick Company £50, Messrs Gibbons, Hinton and Co., tiles to value of £20, Mr Alfred Marsh, £20, Messrs John Hall’s Glazed Brick Works Limited, materials valued at £20 etc.
The Staffordshire Country Council gave a building grant of £800, and in addition a sum of £300 to the provision of furniture, apparatus, etc, in the Technical Institute. Both these grants are, however, subject to alteration, and in the event of the ultimate cost being an increase on the original estimate, these amounts will, it is believed, be raised to one-third each of the actual expenditure on the technical instate building. The bazaar which was held last year with the primary object of raising the money required for the site yielded, with donations, a sum of nearly £600, and these items, together with subscriptions of small value to those above enumerated, provide a sum of about £4,000. The balance required for the outlay will be the subject of a public load.
County Express 20 Feb 1914

Heritage Open Day, St Mary's RC Church
2023-09-16 10:00 - 15:00 | St Mary’s RC Church, 26 High Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3AE, United Kingdom
An opportunity to see the extraordinary beautiful interior of this Pugin designed church – it will take your breath away. Tours available throughout the day.
Plus:

1030-1100 Helen Barley Harp Recital, Helen will also let people have a go at playing harp during the day.
1130-1230 Richard James organ recital, and a chance to stand by the organist on the balcony whilst he is playing (children must be accompanied by an adult)
Mouse trail – every trail wins a prize
Refreshments.

St Michael's Church - Explore, take part, enjoy!
2023-09-16 10:00 - 15:00 | West Midlands
Visit Brierley Hill’s oldest building. Built in 1765 almost all historic events have passed through this church. There’s lots of things to do for all ages:
1000-1200 Teddy bear parachute jumps from the top of the tower (weather permitting)
Handbells 1030, 1130 and 1230
1000-1200 Visit the ringing room and chime one of the 125 year old church bells
Badge making with the library – all day
Rattle and Rhyme 1000
Heritage Poetry at noon

Helen Barley Harp Recital - PLUS - have a go at playing the harp
2023-09-16 10:30 - 11:15 | St Mary’s RC Church, 26 High Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3AE, United Kingdom
As part of St Mary’s contribution to Heritage Open Day we are delighted to announce the return of Helen Barley. She will be playing her harp in the church from 1030-1115 on 16th September. Helen has also kindly agreed to allow people to have a try at playing the harp after her performance. This will be from 1115 in the Community Room adjacent to the church.
Hear Helen Play – how can this music not inspire you!!!
https://brierleyhill.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Greatest-Showman-Helen-Barley-4.m4a

About Helen
Helen is a graduate of the Royal Manchester College of music, later doing post graduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Her work with a group of autistic children led mher to buy a small harp as an experiment. Both the children and Helen completely fell in love with the harp and so a period of intensive training followed, including lessons from some of the country’s top harpists.
Helen now plays with several local orchestras and enjoys singing at weddings and other functions. Her unique style of singing and playing covers many different genres of music, offering a wide range of styles in my repertoire. Helen also teaches harp and is director of the successful 12 – strong Dudley Harp Ensemble.

Handbell ringing
2023-09-16 10:30 - 12:30 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Fancy a go at handbell ringing…well now’s your chance AND use some very special bells.
When the church bell ringing at Brierley Hill was revived in 2017, ringers came across a set of dilapidated handbells in the ringing room.
Some of the bells were cracked; some had clappers missing; many leather handles had rotted away.
Thanks to a grant from the Fisher Trust and support from St Michael’s Church grants were achieved to refurbish the bells. To our amazement it was discoverd that the bells were 150 years old and manufactured by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry – the same company that made Big Ben and the Liberty Bell!
The bells have been loaned to schools for Christmas activities and the song writers compling the Brierley Hill Songbook.
NOW IS THE CHANCE FOR YOU TO HAVE A GO ON THESE HERITAGE BELLS. IN THIRTY MINUTES OR LESS WE THINK YOU WILL MANAGE TO GET A GOOD TUNE FROM THEM! You are welcome to use your phones or other gadgets to record your performance!!!

Richard James - Organ Recital
2023-09-16 11:30 | St Mary’s RC Church, 26 High Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3AE, United Kingdom
Listen to the beautiful organ of St Mary’s Catholic Church being played by the magnificent Richard James. Share a special sound that has been heard for 150 years in this beautiful church’s 150th anniversary year.
And whilst you listen cast your gaze on the extraordinary artwork within building, which rich symbolism all around you. It really is an eye (ear) opener.
A snipet from last year’s recital

Poetry Walk and Workshop - Lee MacKenzie
2023-09-16 12:00 - 14:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Brilliant poet Lee Mackenzie has agreed to work with Brierley Hill Library through the Poetry on Loan Scheme. This session will allow you to brush up your poetry skills – even if you are starting from Scratch. Secure your place by clicking RSVP.
Lee is an artist and poet living in Birmingham. He works on interdisciplinary projects combining poetry and the visual arts. He has been awarded Arts Council funding for research into the practice of ‘Poetry Mapping’, and worked on a number of societally-engaged projects, producing commissioned work for The National Trust, Elan Links and Multi Story.
His poems have been published in the New European, Birmingham Poetry Literary Journal and Coast to Coast to Coast, and he was formerly, Assistant Editor at Neon Books.
Artist Statement

Mackenzie’s work is a celebration of place. It observes the ordinary and spectacular occurrences that occur within spaces and travels along their interconnections tugging at absurdities, revering fragility. Confronted with entropy and the numbing practices of economic growth, his work reconstitutes the miraculous nature of the quotidian through the practice of mapping; where evocative questions and a sense of wonder are attached to location through a range of media. Through this process, Mackenzie simultaneously reveals and creates layers of meaning which reaffirm our existence and celebrate spaces as places.
An audience faced with his work is asked to both reflect and act: to shed their day-to-day assumptions as to what is and is not valuable, to become playful and child-like and to re-engage with their own process of attaching meaning to place. He challenges his audience to create counter- narratives and recalibrate their sense of happiness and the good.
To achieve this, Mackenzie uses a qualitative, poetic style in the creation of his artworks and encourages others to map their own worlds via slow engagements with their environments. This is mapping that reminds us what is it like to be the most clever and yet inattentive of animals; to invest spaces with our stories, our hopes and our fears and to be connected to a pale blue dot, too often forgotten.

Lee talking about his work.

Walk of Remembrance
2023-09-16 14:00 - 15:30 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Learn the story of Brierley Hill’s war memorial and the men commemorated on it. Visit the Commonwealth War Graves and family memorials in St Michael’s Churchyard. Visit the memorials inside the church too in this wonderful, emotional and moving walk. Sensible footwear needed, and be prepared for all weathers. Booking required for safety reasons as there is a little bit of road walking to the memorial.

Phoenix Project Sharing (Pt 1) - Brierley Hill Market - The Story Shop
2024-09-07 11:00 - 15:00 | Brierley Hill Market, High Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5, United Kingdom
Working with landscape theatre specialists Wildworks, local community artists have been gathering stories from Brierley Hill residents to create multi-venue performances over a whole afternoon and early evening.
Part one starts in the market and is based on stories discovered by local primary school children and with our addictive story capturers on hand to capture any stories you may like to contribute.

Phoenix Project Sharing (Pt 2) - Brierley Hill Library - Performance
2024-09-07 15:30 - 15:50 | Brierley Hill Library, 122 High St, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3ET
Working with landscape theatre specialists Wildworks, local community artists have been gathering stories from Brierley Hill residents to create multi-venue performances over a whole afternoon and early evening.
Part 2 is a performance at the library, featuring one woman’s journey by Lorna Rose.

Phoenix Project Sharing (Pt 3) - St Michael's Church - Performance
2024-09-07 18:00 - 18:20 | West Midlands
Working with landscape theatre specialists Wildworks, local community artists have been gathering stories from Brierley Hill residents to create multi-venue performances over a whole afternoon and early evening.
Part 3 takes place at St Michael’s Church where lead artist Kim Archer will be performing a work based on stories collected at Oakfield Community Centre, during an afternoon bingo session.

Phoenix Project Sharing (Pt 4) – Delph Locks Stables – Performance
2024-09-07 19:00 - 19:40 | Delph Locks Stables, Mill Street, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 2TD, United Kingdom
Working with landscape theatre specialists Wildworks, local community artists have been gathering stories from Brierley Hill residents to create multi-venue performances over a whole afternoon and early evening.
Part 4 is led by Jake Oldershaw who has worked with tales of the canal and the surrounding areas told to him by walkers and visitors to the Delph Locks stables in July.

Graves at Night 2 - Commonwealth Graves and the War Memorial
2024-09-09 19:45 - 21:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Building on the popular Heritage Open Days Graves at Night walks held in the last two years, this successor walk looks at some the most significant graves in the churchyard: The Commonwealth War Graves. The walk will look at some of the 21 CWGC graves in the churchyard and tell the stories behind them. We will also visit the town War Memorial to learn of the fight to get it funded and erected, plus details of the more than 300 names on it. As a special added bonus, participants will receive a copy of the 36 page War Memorial Centenary Booklet. Please note: YOU MUST RSVP to register for this walk – there are limited spaces.

Graves at Night 2 – Commonwealth Graves and the War Memorial
2024-09-10 19:45 - 21:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Building on the popular Heritage Open Days Graves at Night walks held in the last two years, this successor walk looks at some the most significant graves in the churchyard: The Commonwealth War Graves. The walk will look at some of the 21 CWGC graves in the churchyard and tell the stories behind them. We will also visit the town War Memorial to learn of the fight to get it funded and erected, plus details of the more than 300 names on it. As a special added bonus, participants will receive a copy of the 36 page War Memorial Centenary Booklet.

Graves at Night - the original
2024-09-12 19:45 - 21:30 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Explore the history of Brierley Hill through the stories of the people who, literally, made the town. This guided walk is delivered after dusk to give added atmosphere as we walk around the graveyard. This walk has “sold out” (there’s no fee for the walk) in previous years and has received rave reviews (blushes!). Bring your own torch – some are available to borrow, but your own may be better and dress appropriately for an evening walk. Remember there may be rainy weather too. Good footwear essential. RSVP to book your place.

Brierley Hill Library - badge making, old photos, artefacts
2024-09-14 09:00 - 16:00 | Brierley Hill Library, 122 High St, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3ET
Have you visited our wonderfully refurbished library since it reopened. This is your chance. The building has been transformed and today it will be holding a display of its old photographs, challenging you to help put together a jigsaw of an aerial photograph of Brierley Hill from 1931, and gifting the opportunity to make a badge of your own design or using one of ours. On top of all of that it houses the town’s local history collection and some remarkable historic artefacts.

Brierley Hill Market - 40 Faces
2024-09-14 09:00 - 16:00 | West Midlands
Markets have been at the heart of Brierley Hill for almost 200 years. Presently undergoing a refurbishment as part of the towns Heritage Action Zone with support from Dudley Council and Historic England, the market has 40 stall holders – making it still one of the most thriving markets in the Black Country. To celebrate its historic role in the town singer Natalie Knight and magician Thomas Dixon will be adding to the magic of the market. Plus an opportunity to grab yourself a bargain from one of its stalls.
The origins of the market (extract from the Clulow Journal – available from the library)
“A tall, inoffensive young woman, a stranger to us, with a large white apron, came with basket and stores. She also brought a small round table, and placed it on the corner of the foot road at the top of Moor Street, on the side of the Brickmaker’s Arms, now a winery shop (actually now the site of the Moor Centre). Her first table was furnished with penny pies, halfpenny cakes, and half-penny long sucks. On account of the novelty of the stall, she soon disposed of all of her wares to eager looking customers.
“The next Saturday, she came also, with her dainties and white apron and white table cloth. This time she was joined by a vendor of fruit and other items. Soon these eatables were disposed of. On the third Saturday, half-a-dozen vendors of different sorts, were to be seen. Soon after that, stalls began to be created and erected by our shop neighbours from and around the place, causing a little jealousy to the High Street shopkeepers. So, at last, they nearly all turned out with stalls or tables, well-stocked, on a Saturday evening.”

Ring a Church Bell
2024-09-14 10:00 - 12:00 | St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 3EX, United Kingdom
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to ring a church bell? How do church bell ringers know when to ring their bell? How many different orders can you ring seven bells in? This is an opportunity to answer those questions, to visit the normally closed ringing room, and to have a go at ringing a church bell yourself. Free “I’ve rung the bells of St Michael’s” badge to all who have a go!!!! Each visit lasts about 15 minutes – no need to book.
