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| Season:
Winter 2002 |
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| Vol:
36 |
| No.
1 |
| Year:
2002 |
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| Editorial: |
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the Winter 2002 edition of The Blackcountryman. I hope that you are all prepared for the Christmas and New Year festivities, and have purchased most of your gifts from the Black Country Society’s huge range of publications and other items!
Yet again, this issue contains a wide variety of articles, including a scholarly discussion about one of the Black Country’s leading literary figures of the past, Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler, and a light-hearted piece about the invention of spectacles. There is a beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking poem by Ray Jones, who has also contributed another evocative article concerning his Black Country childhood. Beryl Wills has also penned a charming fictional Christmas story.
This issue is particularly ‘artistic’ in nature, as apart from a number of wonderful drawings by regular contributors such as David Barlow, the centrepiece article reproduces several paintings by Christopher Firmstone, a Black Country born and bred artist, who recently held an extremely successful one-man exhibition at Dudley Museum and Art Gallery. Many of his subjects are taken from the everyday life of the Black Country and the magazine is very fortunate in being able to reproduce a small sample of his work.
There is also a competition in the Book Reviews section, where you can win a copy of a new book of archive photographs of Quinton, kindly donated by Tempus Publishing. There is only one question to answer, and the book is a very worthwhile prize - write to me at the usual address, given on page 1 – please do not ring me with your answer). You do not have to be a Black Country Society member to enter the competition (but if you aren’t and enjoy reading this magazine, please become one!) There is also a Christmas Trivia Prize Quiz – please send all answers to the Editor.
For those of you who visit local libraries and record offices, you should by now hopefully have seen a new ‘flyer’ extolling the virtues of being a member of one of the best local history and heritage societies in the country. Any members of the Society who know someone interested in the Black Country should spread the word to encourage increased membership – or you could of course give them a marvellous Christmas gift of a year’s subscription to the Society (or even life-membership!) – please contact our Membership Secretary, (address on page 84) for subscription details.
I would also like to take this opportunity of wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, with a prosperous, healthy and fulfilling 2003. The forthcoming year is an important one for me, as I have now entered the final year of my PhD studies, and am busily writing up my thesis. I will however continue to give my best attention to The Blackcountryman, and I welcome correspondence and articles from anyone sharing my love of and interest in the Black Country.
Finally, apologies to anyone in the Kingswinford (DY6) area who experienced problems in receiving the last issue of the magazine – the slight distribution hitch has now been rectified.
The cover was designed by Charles Advertising and shows Christopher Firmstone’s picture Barge and Narrowboat, Wordsley Lock, now in the possession of Mr T. Worley (see article on pages 39-43).
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| 10
things you can read about in this month's issue: |
| Civil Unreast in the BC - Colliers March of 1816 - David Cox |
| The Black Country Toil That Enriches the Soul - Paul McDonald |
| Marsh and Holloway - Vic (Len) Holloway |
| Black Country Personalities 58 - Catherine Southal |
| Steam Engine Memories - John Mountford |
| The Remarkable Life of Ann Becher - Eric Alexander |
| Wild in Martley - Samuel Bache |
| From boats to cars - the history of Pritchards Garages - James Pritchard |
| Working for the Wolverhampton Coop - Ned Williams/Margaret Brownrigg |
| The Mills of Wollaston - Peter Skidmore |
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