WELCOME to the Friends of
Wolverhampton City Archives
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