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The Bromsgrove Society exists to preserve the history and promote the sustainable development of the town of Bromsgrove in north Worcestershire.

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Latest Newsletter

The Bromsgrove Society Newsletter

 Sept2024

The September 2024 issue of the Society's newsletter is now available, containing details of:

  • Avoncroft Open Air Art Competition
  • Court Leet Archives Launched
  • Familiar Lives in Bromsgrove Project
  • Heritage Open Days
  • Town Centre Improvement Works
  • Worcestershire on Demand
  • ..and more!

Click the links to download the September Newsletter (PDF format).

Read more...

Annual Lecture Now Online

 
Alastair Moseley's lecture on the history of the Wychbold masts is now available on our YouTube channel.

The long-wave radio masts at Wychbold, near Droitwich were erected in 1934. With plans announced to decommission the masts by 2027, Alastair Moseley of the Bromsgrove Society looks back at their history, as well as campaigners' hopes to preserve the masts for future generations.

This presentation was given at Routh Concert Hall, Bromsgrove School on Tuesday 9th April 2024, as the 37th Annual Bromsgrove Lecture. In the presentation, Alastair describes how the BBC Transmitters came to be located near Bromsgrove, explains their role, and why they have been important, both nationally and internationally, for the past 90 years.

The presentation includes the 1935 film "Droitwich: The World's Most Modern Long Wave Transmitter", by John Griegson. A high-resolution version of the film is available at the British Film Institute website.

Society Review 2023-24

The Bromsgrove Society’s AGM was held at Avoncroft Museum on Wednesday 3rd July 2024 at 7.30pm. Twenty-eight members attended.

The Chairman, Jo Slade, read her review of the year, thanking the committees and society members for their work and support in what had been another successful year. John Gerner gave a review on environment matters and Chris Nesbitt delivered her final review as chair of the Local History Group. Chris was thanked for all her contributions and was given a token of appreciation. The reports are  available here. Members agreed to give the Executive Committee authority to sign off the Annual Accounts which were still to be finalised. They will be made available on the website.

Members re-elected the officers and committee members: Chairman Jo Slade, Vice-Chairman Pat Tansell, Treasurer Julian Dyer, Secretary Sue Beaumont, Membership Secretary Sue Skidmore, Executive Committee John Gerner, Julian Hunt, Alastair Moseley and Mike Sharpe. Mike agreed to chair the Local History Group.

After the meeting Helen Voyle gave a very interesting talk about her work in cataloguing boxes of documents relating to the Court Leet going back to the 1700s. She related fascinating anecdotes taken from letters, which gave some idea of the people involved, their attitudes and activities in days gone by.

Summer School Success

At the Summer School three speakers gave interesting and informative talks. Tony Condor spoke on ‘The Canal World’ and led a rainy afternoon visit to Tardebigge. On day two Pat Tansell looked at Benjamin Sanders and button making in Bromsgrove with a visit to sites associated with the Sanders family and their legacy. On the final day Julian Hunt and Jenny Townshend spoke about ‘The Inns and Public Houses of Bromsgrove’ with a visit to sites occupied by inns and pubs past and present.

Everyone involved was delighted to receive very positive notes of thanks. One person said “Another brilliant Summer School! Well planned, delivered, and universally enjoyed! My favourite time of the year!” Another said “Thank you very much for organising a super Summer School this year. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the three days and learnt so much - even about subjects that I thought I already knew a lot about! The hospitality was good too and I thought the lunches were excellent.

Thank you to Chris Nesbitt for ensuring the Summer School ran smoothly; to everyone who assisted with practical tasks; to Bromsgrove School for accommodating us so well; to the speakers for all their hard work in preparing and delivering their subjects; and to Julian Hunt for arranging the programme.

 

Remember Subscriptions!

Annual subscriptions for all members are due from 1st June.

Please consider paying by standing order as this significantly reduces administration time.

You can renew online and check the current subscription rates on our Membership Page.
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