Lectures for the season 2023 – 2024

13th September 2023 Evening Lecture
Hotel with a Famous Guest List – John Butterworth 

The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury, made famous by the arrival of the stagecoach, has a fascinating history.  In a lively talk, John related many stories of the characters that stayed there including ‘Mad Jack’ Mytton, Shrewsbury’s eccentric MP who would always enter through a window.  There were tales of how various landlords commissioned art works and then refused to pay the agreed price and how the artists gained their revenge, the results of which are still on show today.  The hotel’s most famous guest was Charles Dickens but the hotel’s guest list read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of politicians, prime ministers, actors, pop stars and even a future king of England.  As a bonus, John gave everyone a copy of his book ‘Four Centuries at the Lion Hotel’.  An excellent read and recommended by the editor of this website. 

28th September 2023 – Afternoon Lecture: Beasts of the Battlefield – Charlotte Ball  

Unfortunately, Charlotte’s projector was not strong enough to suit a room of this size but with the addition of a hastily-erected screen we were able to see some of the exquisite objects of the Staffordshire Hoard.  We were in no doubt, however, about the content of this excellent lecture.  Delivered clearly and concisely, Charlottes talk was about animal symbolism in the Staffordshire treasure and the links to Anglo Saxon medicine and magic. She started by giving us the background history of Anglo-Saxon times and suggesting that the hoard might have been the spoils of battle.  She explained the finely-worked designs showing eagles and many serpents which were symbols thought to convey protection or power to the owner.  As Charlotte said, this wonderful collection was, of course, discovered ‘on our doorstep’.

11th October 2023 – Evening Lecture: The Great Fire of Warwick
Gillian White

Dr. Gillian White has entertained and enlightened us on many occasions and tonight she did not disappoint. Her talk examined the causes of the great fire in 1694 when much of the centre of Warwick was devastated.  She showed pictures of the timber-framed houses with narrow gaps between them. She then used original documents to show how compensation claims were submitted to the town’s leaders who endeavoured to bring relief to the citizens and how they rebuilt Warwick to be one of the most modern and elegant towns in the Midlands. A serious subject but Gillian managed to add a lot of humour in her inimitable style.

26th October 2023 Afternoon Lecture – Stafford and Stone’s Boot and Shoe Industry
by Chris Copp 

Many of us, particularly the ladies, in the audience have heard of Lotus shoes but not many were aware that they were made in Stafford and Stone.  Chris Copp is collections manager for Stafford Museum and Art Collections.  He has built up a large collection of photographs of the shoe-making industry in the area.  Many of the images were donated by people who worked for Lotus.  Chris took us expertly through the history of the industry from small, house-based beginnings to modern factories until its demise in 1988.  We learned a great deal.  There were associated industries such as Dove shoe polish which later reversed its letters to become Evod and led to the development of the adhesive, Evo-Stik.  Chris’s presentation was very clear and informative.

8th November 2023 – Evening Lecture:
A perfect Paradise: Shaping Shugborough

Caroline was unable to attend so Derek gave the talk, after he eventually found the venue. He outlined how Shugborough was built by the Anson family particularly with Admiral  George Anson’s wealth gained from ‘Spanish gold’.  The final member of the family was, of course, Patrick Anson, Earl of Lichfield. He then outlined the proposed changes to the entrance and car park.  National Trust properties rely on volunteers and Shugborough has a hundred of them.  A great deal of work has gone into conserving monuments and designing gardens and the future plans for the Shugborough estate include the creation of an orchard.

23rd November 2023 – Afternoon Lecture: The Medieval Churches of Staffordshire 
David Wilkinson

David delivered an interesting talk outlining the different styles of architecture from Saxon times through the medieval period and up to the 17th century.  He showed on a map of Staffordshire the location of Parish and Collegiate churches.  He started with Anglo-Saxon cross shafts and then looked at churches mentioned in the Domesday book.  Staffordshire has a rich heritage of medieval Church architecture and David showed pictures of many examples.  I think we all know now what a Norman arch looks like.

13th December 2023 – Evening Lecture – Walsall: Town of a Hundred Trades
Mike Glasson

We all know that Walsall is famous for the leather industry, particularly saddlery which developed from the making of bits, stirrups, buckles and spurs, made locally for centuries.  This was known as the lorinery trade. Mike informed us of the many trades in Walsall’s history that we didn’t know about. He looked at some of the trades in detail, celebrated the skilled craftsmen and women behind them and highlighted the work of companies such as Old Hall (stainless steel) and Launer (Royal handbag makers) which became a byword for quality. Many of the sites are well-known to us, both in the town and in places such as Bloxwich, Darlaston and Aldridge Airport.  He told us of the link between the Wiggin factory who owned the Old Hall factory in Bloxwich and the National Trust.   The family bought Moseley Old Hall and transferred it to the National Trust in 1962. Mike’s slides reflected the research he had carried out.  Two photographs in particular were note-worthy.  One featured Princess Grace of Monaco (in the film, Rear Window) and the other featured our late queen.  Both had handbags made in Walsall.  This excellent lecture had something for everyone.

10th January 2024 – Evening Lecture – Wightwick and the Acquisition of its collections 
Helen Bratt-Wyton

Helen was due to give this talk in October 2022 but was unable to attend because of Covid, so it was a pleasure to welcome her to Aldridge.  Helen is Senior Collections and House Manager at Wightwick Manor, a property that has close connections with WNTA.  This is not her first visit to us.  This time Helen explained the collaboration between the Mander family and the National Trust. 

Sir Geoffrey and Lady Mander were instrumental in building connections with the descendants of both the Pre-Raphaelite artists and Morris family which led to the development of a large collection.  In a very interesting talk Helen showed us many of the amazing treasurers held at the Manor and explained the history behind their transactions.  For example, in 1937 Victorian art was so unpopular that a painting by Rossetti was bought for £14, the equivalent of two weeks working wages. Wightwick is in the process of important renovations.  The stained-glass bay window needs to be removed and repaired which means emptying the parlour and storing the precious art work.  Thank you, Helen, for a fascinating talk.

25th January 2024 – Afternoon Lecture – English Civil War in Bewdley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge and Worcester
with Max Keen

Max grabbed everyone’s attention immediately by entering the hall dressed as a Royalist officer, carrying a huge standard.  He dispelled the accepted view that supporters of the King and Cromwell wore different costumes.  The one thing that distinguished them was the colour of their sashes, red for royalists and orange for parliamentarians. He demonstrated the lobster-tailed helmet which was worn by both sides.  Max is one of the best speakers on the circuit, and certainly one of the most popular and it is easy to see why.  He concentrated on activity around Bewdley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge and Worcester.  There were many important events happening in these places including visits by King Charles and Prince Rupert.  Max bemoaned the lack of blue plaques to commemorate these.  Max completed this fabulous talk by describing the battle of Worcester and the escape of Charles II.

14th February 2024 – Evening Lecture
The Prehistoric and Roman periods in Birmingham and the Black Country
Dr. Mike Hodder

Mike Hodder is an Honorary Lecturer in Archaeology at Birmingham University.  His talk explained all the ways in which evidence is collected from several geological ages.  He showed us pictures of stone tools and mysterious burnt stone mounds, used thousands of years ago by hunters.  The fact that they were found in our area, some near Aldridge church, made it particularly interesting.  In the second half Mike concentrated on the Roman occupation.  Many sites such as Roman forts, including Wall and roads have been discovered by archaeological excavation and are still visible.  

22nd February 2024 – Afternoon Lecture – Pilots ‘n Petticoats – Women Masters of the Sky
by David Skillen

This was a fascinating talk which covered the history of aviation and the role of women in its development.  We may all have heard of Emelia Earhart and Amy Johnson, but today David informed us of many more women who played crucial roles in our history.  They were courageous, determined people who had to battle against the prevailing attitudes of the time.  For example, when a ground crew member suggested that a plane was too big for the woman pilot, she replied I’m going to fly it, not carry it.  Some women were outstanding in the development of aircraft engines.  Beatrice Shilling invented a simple device which prevented engine cut-out during dives and brief inverted flight.  This improved the efficiency of fighter planes during the Battle of Britain. This was a most informative and enjoyable talk.

13th March 2024 – Evening Lecture – When The Lights Went Out – Birmingham Goes To War
Andrew Lound

Andrew’s presentations are always dramatic.  Today he dressed as an ARP warden and outlined the main events which caused the conflict.  He then focussed on the effect it had on the ordinary people of Birmingham. Using archive images with sound effects and music, Andrew presented an atmospheric and sometimes depressing picture of the city through these troubled times.  The images of destruction by bombs were particularly depressing but the spirit of the people and the willingness to carry on as normal was heartening.

28th March 2024 – Afternoon Lecture – Policing in Birmingham in WW2
Corinne Brazier

Corinne treated us to an outstanding talk about how the Police service helped to protect the people of Birmingham and preserve law and order while hundreds of their experienced officers left to join the forces.  Although there was no general increase in crime during the war, certain crimes such as looting, fraud and bigamy were common. The photographs of bombed houses, from the museum archives, showed the devastation that was inflicted on the city.  Two thousand citizens were killed in air raids.  Corinne related some fascinating anecdotes which showed the bravery of the special constables and the auxiliary services.  The Police Auxiliary Messengers were made up of boys who were too young to join the police force.  They required a ‘bicycle and a smart pair of trousers’ and did a very dangerous task in the blackout.  Corinne delivered this talk with great clarity and empathy and even managed to inject some humour into a very serious subject.  This was a brilliant finale to an excellent season of lectures.