Birmingham events held in July/August 2015

Pubs, Priests, and Prostitutes: a walking tour of Lichfield

On 19 June 2015, members of the Birmingham History Network partook in a walking tour of Lichfield. This tour was conducted by a volunteer guide from the Lichfield District Tourist Association. 18 members attended and positive reviews were received.

Selly Manor tour

On 9th August 2015, members of the Birmingham History Network experienced a guided tour of Selly Manor, a renovated fourteenth-century country manor now located in Bournville. The tour was conducted by an employee of Birmingham Heritage. 13 members attended and positive reviews were received.

Medieval Birmingham - a lecture by Sarah Hayes

On 22nd August, Birmingham Cathedral is offering a lecture on the medieval history of Birmingham. The talk will be given by Sarah Hayes, a curator who has been heavily involved in various Birmingham museums in recent years.

Birmingham's pre-industrial past is often neglected in favour of the dynamism and turmoil that characterised the city during England's industrial revolution. This talk should not be missed by anyone curious about Birmingham's deeper history and how it still affects our present. 

You can book tickets and find further information at the website below:

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birmingham-cathedral-tercentenary-lecture-series-medieval-birmingham-by-sarah-hayes-tickets-14895564033?aff=eac2

Please note that this lecture has been organised by Birmingham Cathedral, not the Birmingham History Network. You need to book your own tickets (£4 pp.) through their site: this is the only way you can guarantee a place. At present, there are 28 seats remaining. Once the tickets have all gone, I will close RSVPs to the event. If you want to sell/buy tickets after this, post here and hopefully you can find a buyer/seller from among our members. 

Please go directly in to the talk when you arrive. After the talk, we will meet outside the cathedral to go for drinks and discussion in The Old Contemptimbles on Edmund Street. 

 

Date and Time: Saturday 22nd August 2015, 1400

Place: Birmingham Cathedral, Colemore Row, Birmingham.

The Real Peaky Blinders - Birmingham Group Walking Tour

"Meeting at The Old Crown on Deritend High Street. On arrival, you are welcome to have a drink and relax in area set aside exclusively for Peaky Tours. Our associate tour guide, Rosie Poklington, will talk you through a brief history of Birmingham and its growth into one of the world's greatest cities. With the use of images dating back to Victorian times, you will be able to see for yourself how the Real Peaky Blinders lived, worked and plied their trade!

From there, you will begin the walking tour where you will see the sights and transported to Victorian Britain where you will hear the rise and demise of the Real Peaky Blinders. The walking element of the tour lasts around 45 minutes to one hour (dependent on questions).

Rosie will then lead you to The Anchor Inn, a stunning Victorian public house. Here you will have the chance to taste the fine ales, including the infamous Peaky Blinder!!!"

Tickets: £12.95 pp. Please note that you MUST buy your own tickets for this event through the link below. You will need PayPal. As of writing, there are 17 tickets available.

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peaky-tours-tickets-17004405635?ref=ebtnebtckt

Date and Time: Friday 3rd July 2015: 1900.

Place: The Old Crown, Deritend High Street, Digbeth, Birmingham.

Stratford-upon-Avon­ Town Walk - Birmingham event

The Birmingham History Network is happy to present its members with an opportunity to go on the Stratford upon Avon walking tour. For more information, read on:

"As you walk in William Shakespeare's footsteps from Birthplace to grave, along the historic spine of ancient Stratford, your guide will unravel the Shakespeare story.  You will see the houses connected to William Shakespeare and his family - The Birthplace, Nash's House and the site of New Place, and the beautiful Hall's Croft. If you have free time after the walk, you may wish to visit the houses and take advantage of a special discount offered to Stratford Town Walk customers (2FOR1 entry).Other highlights include the picturesque River Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Theatres, 15th century timber-framed buildings, the Guild Chapel, Shakespeare's grammar school and a visit to Holy Trinity Church.  See where William Shakespeare is buried in the Chancel and find out why there is a 'curse' on his grave.  There is a small fee to enter the Chancel (payable to the Church on the day), but the Chancel visit is optional, subject to Church opening times, and can be decided on the day.  

Discover Stratford's American connections and the unique collection of lampposts from around the world.  A tour of many cities and countries! Hear fascinating stories of fire, flood, plague, medicines to kill or cure, the origins of sayings and Stratford's history, wrapped up with a little Shakespeare."

http://www.stratfordtownwalk.co.uk/index.php?id=50

ESSENTIAL DETAILS

1) Length of the tour: 2 hours.

2) The total cost of this tour is £105 for the group: therefore, the more people who join, the cheaper it will be (i.e. 10 peole, £10.50 each - 20 people, £5.25 each). However, this means you should be sure you can come before you join up. This price will also give you a discount on some restuarants and museums in Stratford. 

3) We can have a maximum of 25 people. So again, please only join the event if you are sure you can come. 

4) If you are unsure how to get to Stratford, trains go from Birmingham Snow Hill every half an hour and take approx. 50 minutes. 

Location: Shakespeare's birthplace, Henley Street, Stratford upon Avon.

Date and Time: Saturday 9th May 2015 12:30.

Lichfield Cathedral Close tour (Birmingham branch tour)

Lichfield's Cathedral Close has a history dating back to to the 12th century, when the bishop of Lichfield created an enclosed space to defend the emerging city from outside invaders. It now contains to some of the most historical buildings in the West Midlands and Warwickshire. It is home to Lichfield Cathedral, a stunning example of English medieval Gothic architecture, and a series of eighteenth century residences and gardens, including the house of Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of the scientist Charles Darwin. The site was the location of trauma during the English Civil Wars: as the royalists and parliamentarians struggled for control of a pivotal point in the battle for England's future, they destroyed many older buildings, leaving the scars of conflict indelibly etched on Lichfield city centre. 

The Birmingham History Network offers its members the opportunity to take a tour of this beautiful and historic area with the assistance of a professional guide provided by the Erasmus Darwin Museum. The tour will cost £2.50 per person and will begin at Erasmus Darwin House at 1330 exactly: please turn up at least 15 minutes before hand. The tour will last 90 minutes.

PLEASE NOTE: WE CAN HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 22 PEOPLE ON THIS TOUR. PLEASE ONLY SIGN UP IF YOU ARE SURE YOU CAN ATTEND. WE ALSO CANNOT ALLOW GUESTS ON THIS OCCASION, UNLESS THEY JOIN THE GROUP AND APPLY THEMSELVES.

As per usual, we will go for a drink after the tour is completed.

Date and time: Saturday 25th April 2015: 1330.

Place: Erasmus Darwin House, Beacon Street, Lichfield.

Coffin Works museum and tour (Birmingham branch)

Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter was one of the most dynamic industrial districts in the region. Since the eighteenth century, it was home not only to jewellers and goldsmiths but a host of other concerns. One of the less well-known was the coffin trade. The Coffin Works, one of Birmingham's newest museums, offers its guests a tour around the factory of the Newman Brothers. Fully costumed guides demonstrate the tools and methods used to produce fittings for the funerals of Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain, and the Queen Mother. This tour is a must-see for all who are interested in Birmingham's industrial past.

Cost: £5 per adult, £4 concessions.

We will meet outside the factory: look for the guy holding a sign and wearing fingerless gloves and glasses. The tour starts at 1400: please arrive before then so we can start promptly.

For more information, please consult the website of the Coffin Works:  http://www.coffinworks.org/

Location: Coffin Works, 13-15 Fleet Street, Birmingham, B3 1JP. 

Time and Date: 1345, Saturday 4th April 2015. 

Mid-March Report

Birmingham Branch

The Birmingham branch has continued its impressive growth rate: it now has 222 members, up from 118 members when the last report was released.

3 events were held. There were two guided tours at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and the Faith in Action exhibit of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Two talks were also held: the first by James White on the subject of Russian magic and witchcraft between 1500 and 1900 and the second by Lars Kabel on the cultural and social history of the Irish language. All of these events were well attended, with between 15 and 30 people at each event. 

The April schedule is currently being prepared. Given the advent of spring, it is hoped that some events will be held outdoors in the next few months. 

A poster campaign for the Birmingham History Network will be launched shortly. 

Berlin Branch

The Berlin branch has continued to accumulate members at a considerable rate: it now has 239 members, up from 157 members when the last report was released.

2 events were held. The first was a repeat of the tour of the Red Army Faction at the Deutsches Historisches Museum, with Jan Schulz once again providing his expert services as a guide. The second was a talk on Soviet animation in the Brezhnev era, performed by Dr. Irina Chiaburu of the Jacobs University in Bremen. Both events drew between 15 and 20 attendees. 

Future events are presently being planned by the Berlin team. 

Facebook traffic

The Birmingham branch page has 36 likes whilst the Berlin branch page has 42 likes. 

The History Network traffic

The History Network page has had 435 views.

Summary

Many thanks to our speakers and tour guides for events in February and the first half of March, your contribution is vastly appreciated. We hope to continue organising interesting events over the course of March and April - please stay tuned for further announcements. And look out for our posters in the Birmingham area!