Lost Mansions of the Black Country explored in history talk
Date Published : 02 July 2009
A fascinating talk at Walsall Museum will shed light on some of the grand houses of the Black Country which have now vanished for good.
Popular local historian and author, Ian Bott, who is also employed at Walsall’s Leather Museum, will be popping into Walsall Museum’s local history gallery, The Changing Face of Walsall on Tuesday 7 July to present an illustrated talk exploring the fine buildings which were once home to the region’s gentry and industrialists and which have all since disappeared.
There were once many splendid mansions scattered across region, from Bentley Hall between Willenhall and Walsall, home of Jane Lane who famously helped the future King Charles II escape to the continent after the English Civil War, to Oakswell Hall in Wednesbury, birthplace of Kathleen Garman, later wife of the sculptor Jacob Epstein and founder of Walsall’s Garman-Ryan collection. All of these have long since disappeared as a result of fire, demolition or neglect, but their memory has been preserved in Ian’s excellent collection of slides.
Not only does the talk provide an intriguing insight into what the Black Country looked like a hundred years ago, when the imposing dwellings of the wealthy competed for space with factories, furnaces, mines and the much humbler houses of the working classes, but it also brings to life the social and economic trends that caused these magnificent residences to be erected and then swept away.
The talk will take place at the Museum on Tuesday 7 July from 2pm to 3pm. It’s free of charge to attend, but spaces are limited so advance booking is essential.
Contact us
Please call the Museum on 01922 653116 or email museum@walsall.gov.uk for further information and bookings.
