The Bromsgrove Society - Pride, Preservation, Progress
Welcome to the Bromsgrove Society
The Bromsgrove Society exists to preserve the history and promote the sustainable development of the town of Bromsgrove in north Worcestershire.
Read more about Our Work and How to Join
Bromsgrove Summer School 2026
This year's Bromsgrove Summer School will be held on 7th-9th July. It offers three courses over the three days, celebrating the rich agricultural, industrial, architectural and cultural history of Bromsgrove and district.
This year's topics are:
- Day 1, Tues 7th July: Birmingham and the General Strike of 1926, with Andrew Reekes. Andrew followed a career in education and has now returned to studying history in the West Midlands. In the afternoon Julian Hunt will look at how the General Strike affected Bromsgrove.
- Day 2, Weds 8th July: A History of Kidderminster; a town renowned for its Carpet Industry, with Julian Hunt, local historian, founder of the Summer School and a former editor of this newsletter. The afternoon visit will include a view of surviving carpet factories and handloom weavers’ cottages.
- Day 3, Thurs 10th July: The Bromsgrove Guild - New Evidence and Insights, with Professor Ben Bennett. Ben is a former Bromsgrove resident with an in-depth knowledge of the Guild. His recent research has revealed previously unknown works. In the afternoon we will visit the site of the remaining Guild workshop and some of the Guild features at Bromsgrove School.
The standard fee for each course is £55, or £50 for members of the Bromsgrove Society. The cost for attending across all three days will be £150 or £135 respectively. This year there is a new option of attending the morning session only up to lunchtime. To access the booking form or book online, click 'Read More' below.
Read more...Latest Newsletter
The Bromsgrove Society Newsletter
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The March 2026 issue of the Society's newsletter is now available, containing details of:
Click the links to download the March Newsletter (PDF format). |
Bromsgrove Rousler 2025
The latest edition of the Bromsgrove Rousler, our popular local history magazine, is now available. To celebrate the Rousler's 40th anniversary, this year's edition is a special bumper issue packed full of stories on people and events that have helped shape Bromsgrove’s history.
Topics in this year’s Rousler include:
- Big Bertha: The Story of a Railway Icon
- Bromsgrove's influence on the poet A.E. Housman
- New research on the Bromsgrove Guild
- The Remarkable Walford Sisters
- Albert Malin's War
- Thomas Swift and the Electric Picture Palace.
Follow these links to purchase the Rousler from our online bookstall
(leaves this website) or One-click Purchase through Paypal
Bromsgrove Society Members will receive their copies shortly. Find a local stockist.
Rouslers make an ideal Christmas present, especially for friends now living elsewhere.
Back issues and a wide variety of books can be bought through our online bookstall.
Local History Talks 2025/26
The final talk in our 2025/26 season of Tuesday evening local history meetings is:
- 19 May 2026: Red for Danger, with Quintin Watt, talking about early railway accidents in the West Midlands and their impact, 1830-1860.
There is no meeting in April due to the Easter holidays. Our 2026/27 programme will be announced shortly.
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.
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.
Upcoming Events
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21.April.2026
(No Meeting - Easter Break) -
19.May.2026
Red for Danger
Remember Subscriptions!
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.
| Payment can now be made by PayPal |
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Buy Books Online
A variety of books about Bromsgrove and the surrounding area are available to purchase via our online bookstall (links to external site).
We accept payment by credit/debit card, using the SumUp gateway, or you can also pay by cheque.
Recent arrivals are: The Vernons of Hanbury, by Andrew Harris; and A History of the Bromsgrove Concerts.
Order Our New History of Bromsgrove
The Bromsgrove Society's new book Bromsgrove: The Story of a Market Town is written by well-known local historians and Bromsgrove Society members Jenny Townshend and Julian Hunt, and chronicles the history of Bromsgrove over the last one thousand years. Based on extensive original research, the authors present an exhaustive account of the town’s development, from a medieval settlement to a prosperous market town and industrial centre whose influence extended across the whole of North Worcestershire.
The book is priced £25 plus p&p and is available from our bookstall.