About

The Friends of Wolverhampton City Archives began as an independent body in 2009.


We  fully support and promote the work of the Archives through fund raising, providing volunteers to work on Archives projects, and helping at Archives events.


The Friends enjoy a full programme of regular  meetings throughout the year, which are held at the Molineux Hotel, the home of the Archives service.  We provide a range of speakers  on a variety of historical subjects and we organise occasional walks around areas of local historical interest during the summer months.  Our current programme can be viewed on the Events page.




On behalf of the frinds, Ann Bailey presents the Pershouse papers to the City Archivist, Heide Macintosh.

Know Your Neighbourhood

 

Friends of the Archives is also taking part in Wolverhampton Libraries, "Know your Neighbourhood" scheme, a funded national initiative.  Guided by the local co-ordinator Jennifer Lees, history groups have been formed at Low Hill, Warstones/Penn, Wednesfield, Ashmore Park and Bilston libraries.  The Bilston group, Memories of Bilston, opened its first exhibition, on pigeon racing, on August 8th 2024, based on material supplied by one of the members.  Charlotte Woodcock, project worker at Bilston said, “The people of Bilston are very proud of their heritage and our Memories group is a celebration of that.  It has been incredible to see the group grow each month, reconnecting people from their school days as well as learning about various historic Bilston locations such as the steelworks, Thompson’s Ltd and many, many pubs.” 


The project is ending in March and it is anticipated that the local groups formed will continue under their own initiative.

 

Our main funding activity is providing refreshments at the Local History Fair held at the Archives in November each year.

We transform one of the meeting rooms into a traditional  tea-room with white linen table cloths and  table flower arrangements. Tea, coffee and soft drinks are available with home-made cakes and filled rolls provided by our members.


Our fund-raising has enabled us to purchase items such as new lenses for the Archives' viewing machines, and some digital photographic equipment.


200 Year Old Letters Preserved

When the Friends discovered that a series of letters, written in the 1790’s by the Pershouse family of Penn Hall, were up for sale, they decided to buy them to donate to the Archives, so they could be preserved as part of the history of the city.
The letters reveal something of the life of Elizabeth Pershouse, who had inherited Penn Hall from her father, Thomas Bradney in 1782. Her husband, William, and one of her 2 children had died in the late 1780s, which had left her feeling very nervous and anxious about her remaining son. However, this did not prevent her carrying out
building works to the Hall, managing the workmen and purchase of materials herself.
She also assisted her nieces in claiming legacies that were due to them under a family will. Perhaps the strangest thing mentioned is the pineapple plant, which was regarded as such a novelty that it was passed around the wider family.
Anne Bailey, Programme Secretary for the Friends, who presented the letters to City Archivist, Heidi McIntosh, says she hopes visitors to the Archives will enjoy reading these letters, which have much the same style and language as Jane Austen, who was just beginning her writing career in the 1790s.



Friends are contributing to the Express and Star Project

This project aims to carry out vital archiving work, digitise the collection, and make the photographs available through a single web portal, allowing free on-line public access to the unrivalled images of local events, momentous and everyday, for the first time.


Wolverhampton Archives are always looking for volunteers to help with the project. Just get in touch with the Archives.


Part of our fund raising has helped to pay for the digitisation of these photos.







Newsletters


The Friends provide Members with regular Newsletters updating them on our meetings, talks and any issues of interest that are arising.


Browse one of our past Newsletters here.








Listed below are larger articles from all the 2024 newsletters.  These can be found in the Archives.  In addition of interest each month Heidi Mcintosh reviewed relevant photographs from the Express and Star Photograph Collection, but these are not listed.

General Articles 2024

Author

Title

Month

Anne Bailey

Edith Tolkien nee Bratt

February

Kath Baker

A Visit Back to School in 2019

July

Jim Barrow

W-ton born Woman helped put D-Day Allied Forces in the picture 1

February

Jim Barrow

W-ton born Woman helped put D-Day Allied Forces in the picture 2

March

Jim Barrow

World Speed Record Centenary Bluebird on Display

December

Jim Barrow

Black Country Master Printer Dies

December

Tim Beech

Inside Tracks - Ron Warrilow

August

David Clare

Fighting Cocks and Blakenhall Memories:  The Beddard Family

March

Phil Clayton

The Font at St. Paul's Church, Pendeford

March

Phil Clayton

The Murder of Constable William Henry Brown - What the Papers Said

July

Paul Fullwood

More from the Personal Correspondence of Winifred Warner

September

Paul Fullwood

More from the Personal Correspondence of Winifred Warner

October

Paul Fullwood

The Advanced Girls - Part Five of the Warner Papers

November

Paul Fullwood

The Advanced Girls - Part Six of the Warner Papers

December

Jackie Harrison

A Strange Christmas Occurrence

January

Jackie Harrison

Growing Up in Herbert Street

February

Jackie Harrison

Wednesfield Burial Ground

December

Andy Johnson

Searching for the Hales of Tipton

February

Heidi McIntosh

Wolverhampton Police Controversy

February

Heidi McIntosh

Arrivals in Wolverhampton pre=1948

August

Heidi McIntosh

Messing About in Boats - W-ton Lifeboats

September

Heidi McIntosh

The Boxer Revolution, China

December

Suzanne Maynard

When is a Marriage not a Marriage

April

Bradney Mitchell

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

October

Bradney Mitchell

130th Celebrations of the Grand Theatre

December

Johnny Pearson

House Clearance - Don't Throw That Away!

May

Johnny Pearson

House Clearance - Don't Throw That Away - Old Magazines

June

Josh Pritchard

The Private War of Captain Arthur

June

Josh Pritchard &

Paul Fullwood

Dear Midge - A Life in Letters - Personal Correspondence of Winifred Warner

June

Frank Sharman

Let's Have Some Photos of Lady Wulfruna

April

Frank Sharman

Duncan Nimmo 1942 - 2024:  A Memoir of an Historian

November

Frank Sharman &

Bradney Mitchell

Victorian Photographers in Wolverhampton - Follow Ups

June

Penny Smith

A Wolverhampton Policeman - PC Dovey (Collar No. 44)

July




From the Conservation Studio -

by Jon Everall

Darlington Street Methodist Chapel 1                                                           January

Darlington Street Methodist Chapel 2                                                           February

Map of W-ton Town Centre 1881                                                                    March

A Very Different Archive (Stasi)                                                                        April

Catalogue for Street Water Van                                                                      May

Topographical History of Staffordshire                                                          May

Fighting Cocks/Political Satire                                                                       June

Elisabeth Blast Furnace                                                                                   July

Wartime Newspapers                                                                                       August

Cycling Magazines                                                                                            September

Wood End Methodist Church                                                                          October

Dear Old N&J (Nock and Joseland) Again!                                                    November

Address to J. Lysaght Esq. J.P.                                                                          December