Our Events
We host events throughout most months of the year, with further details provided below. Our regular meetings are held at:
Penn Bowling Club
10 Manor Road
Wolverhampton
WV4 5PY
The venue is fully wheelchair accessible and offers ample parking, toilet facilities and a bar. If you’re using public transport, you can take the 15/16 bus routes along the Penn Road and then take a short walk up Manor Road to reach the venue.
Presentations begin at 7:30 PM and typically last about an hour. You’re welcome to arrive from 7:00 PM onward and stay after the event to socialise.
Prices
The best (and cheapest) way to support us is to sign up for our yearly membership programme.
Individual event tickets are priced at £5 each, meaning attending 10 events would normally cost £50. However, by becoming a member, you can enjoy the full year of events for just £25 — saving you 50%!
Your membership includes access to all our scheduled events, as well as any bonus events added throughout the year, making it the best way to stay connected and enjoy everything we offer. Membership runs from January to December, and once you’re a member, renewing for future years costs only £20 — an even better deal!
Both individual event tickets and season memberships can be purchased using the links below.
A History of Queen Street, Wolverhampton
Originally envisaged as a gateway into Wolverhampton, Queen Street has long been considered a key feature of the town from the Georgian period onwards. Whether you can recall the Congregational Church or Snape's Tea Shop, most Wulfrunians will have a memory of Queen Street. Our opening talk of the season will look back its history, including the city's first hospital, the atheneum, or the home of the city's newspaper.
Canals in Wolverhampton: A Miscellany
The various canals of Wolverhampton are symbiotic with the city's rise and decline, and many families will have deep connections with these waterways. Join us for an evening with the ever popular speaker, Phil Clayton, for a local canals miscellany, including an early scheme, the beginnings and growth of our local waterways, up the Wolverhampton 21, heyday, decline, and a new Canal Age.
The Forgotten Staffordshire Workhouse
The Seisdon Union was established for residents of Bobbington, Codsall, Enville, Himley, Kinver, Pattingham, Upper Penn, Lower Penn, Tettenhall, Trysull, Seisdon, Wombourne, Woodford Grange, and Rudge. Purpose built in 1860, the workhouse building stood in Trysull for almost a decade, but has largely been forgotten. Join our founder and chair, Andy Sloane, for a look at the stories of those who lived in and ran this forgotten Staffordshire workhouse.
VE Day 80
Join us to celebrate the upcoming 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. We will be joined by Major Ted Green to look at the Staffs regiment during World War Two, before looking in more detail at the service of local companies and people during the second half of the evening.
Unlocking the Secrets of DNA Testing
Where does your family come from? Adverts for DNA testing kits are constantly on the TV, but what do you actually get? Karen's presentation covers areas such as: Understanding how the test works in general terms; Getting the most from the test (what the results mean); How to use your results to overcome brick walls such as illegitimacy and validating paper resources. The presentation also highlights the range and pitfalls of using DNA testing, particularly finding out where your family came from... Can you really be a Viking?
Forging Ahead Together
From the post-WWII years to the late 1960s, the Black Country experienced prosperity and change, with full employment, rising wages, and new housing, schools, and hospitals replacing derelict land. Traditional industries like coal mining and metalworking modernised, while local companies led in producing in-demand consumer goods. To sustain this growth, Britain sought workers from the Commonwealth, attracting people from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent, whose families enrich the region's culture today.
The Black Country "Literary Tramp"
This presentation pieces together the remarkable story of a partially-sighted vagrant, as he tramped around the British Isles. At each town he visited, Harry earned a few pence by writing a review of that place for the local newspaper. These perceptive snapshots provide a unique worm’s-eye view of Britain before and during the Great War. They earned Harry the epithet, the “Literary Tramp”, and challenge the myth that poor people left no written evidence of their lives and experiences.
The Diggum Uppers
They were called: Diggum Uppers; Resurrectionists; Body Snatchers, and Grave Robbers. Their trade was to keep the ever-demanding medical schools supplied with the bodies of the recently deceased. But they weren't confined to Edinburgh and London. They ranged across the West Midlands from the heavy industrial areas of Birmingham, the Black Country, and the Potteries, to the rural shires of Herefordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire.
Birmingham and Black Country Skies
Explore the fascinating history of aviation in Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and the Black Country, highlighting the region's long-standing connection to flight—from hot air and hydrogen balloons to the modern jet age. Delve into the detailed history of aviation in the Midlands, featuring the early developments in Wolverhampton, the contributions of Boulton Paul, Hobson's Aerospace and more. Discover surprising facts and meet the remarkable characters who shaped this incredible journey.