About Us
The Origins of Halesowen History Society
The Society first began life as an evening class in Local History, held at Halesowen College in the early 1970s. This class became part of the Halesowen Study Group, with meetings taking place at the central library on Wednesday evenings. In time, the group was renamed the Halesowen Local History Group, and its members began conducting research and publishing small booklets on local history.
In 1975, the members officially launched the group as a Society and opened it up to the public. Regular meetings for talks on local history were held at Halesowen Library on Thursday evenings and quickly became a much-loved feature of the local calendar.
Like many groups, the Society has seen its share of ups and downs, particularly following the challenges brought about by Covid. Thankfully, the Society was left a generous legacy, which helped secure its future. Thanks to this support and the commitment of its members, it is now thriving once again.
Due to changes in library management post-Covid, the meeting day had to shift from Thursday evenings. However, this proved to be a blessing in disguise. The Society now meets on Tuesday afternoons—a change that has been warmly welcomed, especially by our older members.
We are also proud to say that one of the original founder members remains part of the Society. Though she has since moved out of the area, she still receives our monthly newsletters and keeps in touch. It was the founding member who kindly provided the history above, for which we are most grateful.
Val Hitchman
Book Sales
Our Committee:
Roy Kent
Chairman and Treasurer
Janet Ingram
Secretary and Publicity Officer
Geoff Pestridge
Membership Secretary
Christine Perry
Events Organiser
Michael Lay
Committee Member
Halesowen Motto
“Respice – Aspice – Prospice”
“Look to the Past – The Present – The Future”
The crest shows a crown surmounted by an anvil and chain, symbolising the traditional ‘metal bashing’ trades of nail and chain making, for which the area was once well known.
The shield itself features an arrangement of the emblems of the principal Lords of the Manor. To the left of the shield stands a Premonstratensian monk, representing the town’s early religious heritage. On the right is an early 15th-century gentleman—representing both the scholar and the judge—Sir Thomas Lyttleton.
Monthly Newsletters
Our newsletters are sent out after each meeting and serve as helpful reminders about the next speaker, upcoming events such as raffles, minutes from AGMs, and other local history happenings in the area—and much more.
To receive these newsletters by email, we do need your correct email address. If you’re not currently receiving them, please let us know so we can update our records accordingly.
Rest assured, all emails are sent out individually so that no personal information is shared with others.