The Bromsgrove Society - Pride, Preservation, Progress

Bromsgrove on the Home Front

10.00 a.m. – 4.00pm, Saturday, 15th November
Methodist Centre, Stratford Road

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Bromsgrove Society will host a free drop-in event highlighting how the conflict affected the town.

Join us for a fun-packed and informative day looking back at what life was like in Bromsgrove from 1939 to 1945.

Displays will include:

• Dig for Victory
• ‘Make Do and Mend’ and the Girls Land Army
• Bromsgrove’s War
• Air Raid Protection
• Evacuees
• Bromsgrove men and women who served
• Woolton Pie – a wartime staple
• Americans in Bromsgrove
• Impact on the Austin and other local industries.

In addition to the Bromsgrove Society, participants include: All Saints Church; Austin at War; Avoncroft Museum; Bromsgrove British Legion; Bromsgrove School; Lickey Hills Local History Society; The Norton Museum; Remember the Fallen; and Worcestershire Police History.

We are grateful to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund administered by the District Council, and the Andrew Harris Charitable Trust for granting funding to support this event.

Local History Talks 2025/26

The 2025/26 season of Tuesday evening local history talks starts with

•  16th September :Recent Discoveries at Hartlebury Castle, speaker Tim Cornah.

Further talks until the end of the year are:

• 21st October 2025: Herbert Austin and the Longbridge Story with Max Hunt
• 18th November 2025: Bromsgrove Boulders, Born of Fire, Carried by Ice with Julie Schroder
• 2nd December 2025: Over by Christmas with Quintin Watt.

The full programme is available here.

The talks are held at The Methodist Centre, Stratford Road, B60 1AS. Doors open 7.15pm, all talks begin at 7.45pm. All welcome. Admission: Members £3, Non-Members £4.

Special General Meeting, 2nd Dec

The Bromsgrove Society’s Annual General Meeting was convened on Wednesday 2nd July at Avoncroft Museum. Unfortunately, the formal business could not be completed because not enough members were present.

A Special General Meeting will be held to formally conduct the business of the AGM on Tuesday, 2nd December at 7.30pm at the Methodist Centre, Stratford Road, Bromsgrove prior to the Tuesday Talk.

Agenda for the Meeting:

1. Agree the Year End Accounts, dated 5th April 2025
2. Vote on the updated Constitution
3. Elect Officers and Accountant

Copies of the accounts, the updated constitution and nominations for Officers will be made available in advance at the Tuesday Talks in September, October, November and are available via the links below.

We hope that members will arrive in time to support the SGM, which we anticipate will be concluded before the scheduled talk start time.

• SGM Announcement, agenda including nominations and constitution
• Accounts to April 2025
• AGM Minutes from 2024
• Review of the Year 2024/25
• AGM Minutes from 2025

Latest Newsletter

The Bromsgrove Society Newsletter

The September 2025 issue of the Society's newsletter is now available, containing details of: Bromsgrove Youth and Community Hub Danzey Green Windmill Sails Again Heritage Open Days Home Front Event Preview Lammas at Avoncroft Planning and Environment News St. John’s Spire Project VJ Day Commemoration Click the links to download the September Newsletter (PDF format).

Annual Lecture Now Online

Kevin Ward's lecture on the history of town criers and his 40 years as Bromsgrove's Town Crier is now available on our YouTube channel.

 

This presentation was given at Routh Concert Hall, Bromsgrove School on Tuesday 8th April 2025, as the 38th Annual Bromsgrove Lecture. In the presentation, Kevin looks back at some of the highlights he has experienced since taking the role of Bromsgrove Bellman and Town Crier in 1985, as well as his town crier heritage.

 

Kevin's recent interview with Tom Edwards of BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester is also available .

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.