Photograph of a steam locomotive and carriages in Brownhills Railway Station, taken in the early 1900s – From the exhibition. Anyone know what it is? Image supplied by Walsall Local History Centre.

Stuart Williams of the Walsall Local History Centre has been in touch regarding a soon-to-start new exhibition of Brownhills photos and ephemera at the town archives. Stuart, as regular readers will be well aware, is a top local history operative and one of the team working hard to preserve our communal history at Essex Street.

Stuart is well known for his work in local history and community writing – his Bloxwich Telegraph blog is very popular, and he’s published great books before under the auspices of Walsall Local History Centre.

Here’s what he had to say:

EXHIBITION WILL BRING BROWNHILLS PAST INTO FOCUS

A new exhibition offering a taste of Brownhills history is set to open at Walsall Local History Centre on Tuesday 3rd September 2013. 

Extract from part of a plan for the rebuilding of the Hussey Arms pub, Brownhills, in 1935. In the exhibition, the ground floor plan is also shown in detail. I had no idea this existed, but it does clear up the question of when the original pub was replaced. Image from Walsall Local History Centre.

The Centre’s fourth exhibition focusing on individual towns across the borough, entitled ‘Brownhills Past and Present’, reproduces thirty items from the Centre’s extensive local collections of photographs, archives and local studies material, dating from the Victorian era to the early 2000s. 

The display is aimed at introducing members of the public to a few of the many thousands of historic items which can be viewed on request at Walsall Local History Centre in Essex Street, Walsall, which is Walsall Council’s archives and local studies service for the whole of Walsall Metropolitan Borough.

‘Brownhills Past and Present’ runs from 3rd September to 30th November 2013 and admission will be free of charge during the Centre’s normal opening hours:

Monday, Thursday: 9.30am – 5.30pm.

Wednesday: 9.30am – 7pm.

Saturday: 9.30am – 1pm.

Telephone 01922 721305 for details or view Walsall Local History Centre’s website.

Brownhills Carnival royalty, from a programme published for the 1938 Brownhills Carnival. Another fantastic bit of ephemera from Walsall Local History Centre.