The Bromsgrove Society - Pride, Preservation, Progress

Rededication of Railway Graves

The Railwaymen's Graves were rededicated at a ceremony at St John's Church on 16 July 2014.

The graves commemorate Thomas Scaife and Joseph Rutherford, who were killed in an accident at Bromsgrove Railway Station in 1840 and are buried in St.John's churchyard.

The Bromsgrove Society made a donation towards the cost of restoring the memorial, which had deteriorated over the years. These unique gravestones are now returned to condition worthy of the men killed and may be viewed at the town's cemetery.

Read on for pictures from the unveiling ceremony.

The Bromsgrove Lecture 2014

 The Bromsgrove Lecture for 2014, a premier event in the Bromsgrove Society's year, was held at Routh Hall, Bromsgrove School on the evening of 15th April and once again proved to be a very successful event.

The lecture Chatsworth House, a trust which is ancestoral home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, was given by Christine Robinson, their head housekeeper. Approximately 250 members and guests attended.

A full review will be published in the next issue of the Newsletter.

Pictured: President John Weston, Christine Robinson, Chairman Reg Longshaw.

Launch of the Bromsgrove Cemetery Walk

The Bromsgrove Cemetery was built in 1858. Over the last six years the Bromsgrove Society has been working in association with the District Council and other historical and heritage organisations to refurbish the John Adams Memorial at the centre of the Cemetery, which had to be taken down for reasons of safety. Following a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and many generous donations, the Memorial is now fully restored and has been re-erected in its original position.

A new section of our website describes the history of the Cemetery and explains the restoration project. It also describes some of the many other historic memorials in the Cemetery which can be seen on a recently created Bromsgrove Cemetery Walk.

Read more about the Bromsgrove Cemetery Walk

Town Sign Refurbished

The town sign on Kidderminster Road has been refurbished, following damage to the picture of St.John's Church.

A new reproduction of the painting by David Birtwhistle has been provided and the lettering to the top rail has been repainted by local artist Tony Turpin. The replacement work was carried out by Richard Dodd of Droitwich.

Six town signs on the main roads into the centre of the town were provided by The Bromsgrove Society over a period of ten years, supported by Bromsgrove District Council. Photo courtesy of the Bromsgrove Advertiser.

Summer School A Great Success

The 2013 Bromsgrove Summer School was held at Housman Hall and Cookes Room, Bromsgrove School, 9-11 July. The 100 students who enrolled on the six courses were blessed with perfect weather which made the afternoon excursions particularly enjoyable.

At Housman Hall on Tuesday 9 July, vernacular architecture expert Alan Petford explained the techniques of timber-framed building construction, using illustrations taken from a wide range of late medieval manuscripts and early printed books. David Cant followed with a survey of timber-framed buildings in the Bromsgrove area. In the afternoon, Alan and David explored Middle Bean Hall, Feckenham, by kind permission of Mr & Mrs Cooper.

Bromsgrove Hearth Tax Now Available

We are pleased to release a transcription of the Bromsgrove Hearth Tax for 1666/7. This transcription has been kindly provided by Bromsgrove Society member Mrs Jenny Townshend from original documents held by the National Archives and The Hive, Worcester.

It lists approximately 500 individuals living in and around Bromsgrove in the mid-17th century. As well as Bromsgrove town (known as the 'Town Yield') it covers the surrounding villages & tithings: Padstone, Burcot ('Bircott'), Timberhonger ('Tymberhonger'), Chadwich ('Chadwitch'), Catshill, Fockbury, Shepley, Burneford and Woodcoat.

You can search or browse the transcription here and via our local records section.