The Story of Isaac Perrins I think most of us are well acquainted with the story of the Tipton Slasher, William Perry, Heavyweight Boxing Champion of Great Britain in the 1850s, and commemorated by a statue in Tipton’s Coronation Gardens. So I’m not going to tell it again. Instead, how about the story of another …
Author Archives: Sandwell Museums & Arts
Sandwell Men and the Death Railway.
In commemoration of VJ Day. The recent appearance in the mainstream media of a story about David Lean’s 1957 movie, the bridge on the River Kwai, should have reminded us that Saturday is VJ, or Victory over Japan, day (August 15, 1945, in Japan, and because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945 in Britain). …
Museums From Home
Going back to March 2020 we were just getting ready to open our doors for the spring season. We had deep cleaned, painted, re-displayed, organised and planned our coming year, when everyone’s world was turned upside down and lockdown began. Check out our online Easter bonnet parade – click the link below! https://flic.kr/s/aHsmMrfo92 Before I …
King of Showmen – Pat Collins and the Black Country
“Storm clouds gathered over the Irish sea, a small boat tossed on the restless waves; and among the passengers, one man looked back towards Ireland, and the home he had left to escape political unrest. The storm overtook the boat, and off the coast of England it was wrecked. Only two men survived. One of …
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The digger-uppers
Mystery Object Here’s a tricky one: it’s been taken apart and laid in pieces on the floor. But what is it and what was it used for? Most people in West Bromwich know of Providence Place, the new office and hotel development next to the old Cronehills colliery site and close to the new Tescos. But …
It’s the stuff of life.
To say it has been a strange year so far is clearly a massive understatement. By the end of March we had seen fire, flood and pestilence, so it will be interesting to see what history says about this period in future. On a more personal level we’ve all seen our lives disrupted and restricted …
Blood letting and Burdock
Whose face is not worth sunburning . . . Over two weeks of almost constant sunshine is not usual for May – what is expected after so much sunshine is the lobster impressions delivered by so many of the great British public who every year forget just how hot and intense the spring sunshine can …
We couldn’t do it without you
Hello everyone and welcome to another Museums Musings blog! Last week was National Volunteering Week and Sandwell Museums has been thanking its wonderful volunteers and Friend’s groups from all our sites. Often behind the scenes, it is important that we take a little look into what our friends and volunteers do for us, and of …
Looking after our objects
Hello everyone! As this week is all about the objects and artefacts we have here at the museum service we thought a blog about conservation and the threats to the objects in our collection might be an interesting topic for you to read about. So without further ado, here are the threats we face, and …
Seaven cowes and heifers – Oak House farm in the 1600s
Today when you come across the Oak House for the first time it can be quite a shock. It can seem a bit like an alien space ship has landed in amongst the more modern 1900s terrace and 1930s semi-detached urban housing. To see a large, old timber framed building sitting where it does in …
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Museum Musings - Well I never knew that! Behind the scenes info and history facts. Sandwell Museums and Arts 