I know the local history contingent amongst the blog readership love a good mystery to get their teeth into – and today, the young David Evans popped up with this one, and it has me intrigued for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it’s a great image, featuring some notable folk from Brownhills History, not least Jack Tabberer, the fireman, mentioned here previously.

Secondly, it’s one of the few images I know to exist of Mount Zion, the large and imposing chapel that stood in Brownhills High Street, around about where Kwik Fit is today. If anyone has any more photos of this building, inside or out, we’d love to see them please…

Thirdly, this is clearly an important event – does anyone know what it might have been? The great and good from several chapels, assembled for one group photo. Why would that be?

If you can help, please comment here, or mail me at BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.

David wrote:

A remarkable photo taken by the Sunday School at the rear of the Mount Zion Chapel, that stood for years in High Street, Brownhills. Mount Zion stood around about where Kwik-Fit and the pedestrian access to Tesco is today; it was lost to new development, but was a large and imposing building. Image kindly supplied by Bill Mayo.

Hi Bob

Bill Mayo has kindly shared the above photograph, and I’m trying to find out what the occasion was for so many important folk to be present at Mount Zion. Mr. Fred Booth has helped identify most of the group, but some are still unknown. 

A date for the image, and help with any of the unknown identities would be a great help.

Does anybody know what what the event might have been? A circuit meeting? The last circuit meeting of the local Primitive Methodist circuit?

Thanks to Fred’s hard work, we know the following people in the photo:

Back Row Left to Right: 1st D. Clift of Norton? 3rd William Pheasant of Mount Zion, 4th Sid Whittaker of Mount Zion, 5th Frank Higgs of Walsall Wood, 7th George Bradbury of Mount Zion.

2nd Row from Back Left to Right: 2nd William Bampton of Mount Zion, 3rd W.A. Hill of Brownhills West, 4th Howard Craddock of Mount Zion, 5th Jack Tabberer of Mount Zion, 6th I. Dunning of Walsall Wood, 7th Arthur Whitehouse also of Walsall Wood.

3rd Row Left to Right: 1st Sam Breeze of Brownhills West, 2nd W. Preston of Brownhills West, 3rd Mr Rowley of Walsall Wood? 6th W. Follows of Mount Zion, 7th W. Clayton of Walsall Wood? 8th Walter Brown? 9th Jim Braidley of Norton East.

4th Row Left to Right: 4th John Preece of Mount Zion, 5th Rev. Dean Turner, Superintendent; 6th Rev. Scott Norton Canes Minister? 7th Mrs. Follows of Mount Zion, 9th Lewis Davis

Rev Dean Turner was a Minister from 1930 to 1934
Lewis Davis, possibly Circuit Steward.

In 1932 The Primitive Methodist churches and the Wesley Methodist churches in Great Britain joined to become known as The Methodist Church. This image could be linked to that event.

I extend my sincere thanks to Mr Fred Booth for his invaluable assistance in naming the people in this very rare image, and to Mr Bill Mayo, whose donated the photo.

David Evans, May 2014