History West Midlands On Air

Well-known Black Country broadcaster, Graham Fisher explores the true human cost of pollution caused by rapid expansion of 19th century industry in the Black Country. He talks to Dr Janet Sullivan, Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Birmingham who has made a unique study of the impact of the industrial revolution on the health of the people of Oldbury. She has revealed how what we now know as “acid rain” regularly fell on the town and how the water supply was poisoned by 150 000 cubic yards of toxic waste in “Blue Billy” next to the river. While many employers recognised some of the implications of pollution, no-one really understood its consequences or how it could be controlled. Some believed that toxic fumes could effectively be stopped by paling fences and others argued that taller chimneys would overcome the problem of pollution; not realising that it just moved it to the next town. Meanwhile, for decades children died while workers were disfigured and crippled by handling the toxic chemicals

Historian and broadcaster Carl Chinn visits Centennial Square at the centre of the city. Now a cultural hub bordered by the iconic Library of Birmingham, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Symphony Hall, this is the largest urban public square built in Europe since 1945. But, as Carl explains, its history was very different. In previous centuries this was the location of many of the industries which made Birmingham famous. Criss-crossed by canals branching out from Gas Street basin, there were large glassworks and metal manufacturers who, by the middle of the 19th century, were using 60 steam engines. John Baskerville - The Beauty of Letters Here was the home of John Baskerville whose love of letters reshaped the world of printing and brought typography into the modern era. While Baskerville made Birmingham famous for the excellence of its printing he courted controversy in his personal life. Carl tells his story and reveals how Baskerville’s fame was recognised in the emerging United States of America. Finally

So wrote the Black Country novelist Francis Brett Young and history shows that he did not exaggerate the perpetually harsh life that these men, women and children lived. Once described as the “most immoral” men and women in England, by the mid-19th century about 50,000 nailmakers were living precariously despite their skills and the long hours of incessant toil. Such were the pressures on women nailmakers, who had to work or starve, that pregnancy was a curse and child mortality was high due to neglect. Indeed, according to one contemporary report many babies were “let die.” In the second half of the 19th century the price paid to the “sweated” nailmakers fell as machine-made nails became increasingly available. Consequently social unrest grew and attacks on property increased.  The authorities responded with force and pitched battles were fought in the streets of Black Country towns between nailmakers and the mounted yeomanry brought in to keep order. Eventually, the handmade nail industry was swept aside by

Graham Fisher visits Kevin Lowe from Tipton who demonstrates how nails made using the forge at at the Black Country Living Museum where he regularly introduces visitors to the craft. KEYWORDS: Nail Making, Black Country, Black Country Living Museum, BCLM, Graham Fisher

One of Birmingham’s best known historians and broadcasters, Carl Chinn, follows the story of his family’s move from the lives of prosperous tenant farmers in Warwickshire to the industrial poverty of the back-to-backs of Birmingham. Carl takes us into rural Warwickshire to trace the Chinns’ lives in the Forest of Arden where their roots may be Anglo-Saxon and where they lived in the village of Rowington. It was from here that they migrated to the rapidly growing town of Birmingham and particularly the adjacent village of Kings Norton. Carl takes listeners on a sound journey across the centuries. Along the way we meet yeoman farmers, cordwainers and illegal bookies as well as sharing his early memories of growing up in Moseley. The story is told in Carl’s unique style which vividly brings the characters of his family to life. KEYWORDS: Migration, Immigrants, Birmingham, Carl Chinn, Walks, Books

Geology shaped the history of the Black Country. The very name comes from the thick coal – the “thirty foot” or “ten yard” seam – that created the rich source of energy that fuelled the industrial wealth of the region. Added to this were easily accessible outcrops of ironstone, limestone and fireclay. Together they underpinned the metalworking industries whose products were forged and cast in the furnaces which “poured out their plague of (which) smoke obscured the light, and made foul the melancholy air” according to one 19th century visitor, Charles Dickens. This programme discusses the fascinating geology of the Black Country, describes the growth of the coal mining industry and reveals the lives of the coal miners. KEYWORDS: Black Country, Industry, Economy, Geology, Coal Mining, Iron, Limestone, Nail Making, Chains, Engineering, Black Country Living Museum, BCLM, Graham Fisher

Dr David Eveleigh, Director of Collections, Learning and Research, describes how the Black Country Living Museum offers visitors opportunities to explore the heritage of coalmining in the Black Country. KEYWORDS: Coal Mining, Black Country, Black Country Living Museum, BCLM, Graham Fisher

Chris Fern, Staffordshire Hoard Research Project, and Pieta Greaves and Eleanor Blakelock, Birmingham Museums Trust, talk to Jenni Butterworth about their quest to understand the extraordinary craftsmen who created the Staffordshire Hoard treasure. They discuss: The scientific and archaeological techniques that are being used to understand the hoard at a microscopic level and work out how it was made. How the craftsmen who made the hoard might have worked, and what their workshops may have been like. Where the material and skills used in the hoard came from. KEYWORDS: Staffordshire Hoard, Anglo Saxons, Mercia, Art, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Books

Chris Fern and George Speake, Staffordshire Hoard Research Project and Cathy Shingler, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, talk to Jenni Butterworth about what the hoard tells us about Anglo-Saxon warriors and their beliefs. They discuss: How the intricate designs and high level of artistic achievement of the hoard pieces are shedding new light on the people who owned them, their beliefs and lifestyles. What the weapons in the hoard tell us about Anglo-Saxon warfare. Their work to understand why and how the hoard might have been buried. KEYWORDS: Staffordshire Hoard, Anglo Saxons, Mercia, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Books, Warriors, Beowulf

This new series of three audio podcasts explores the Staffordshire Hoard, the exceptional collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver treasure discovered in 2009, currently undergoing one of the UK’s largest archaeological research projects. Deb Klemperer, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, David Symons, Birmingham Museums Trust, and Chris Fern, Staffordshire Hoard Research Project, talk to Jenni Butterworth about their journey to unlock the secrets of the treasure so far. They discuss: How unexpected the discovery of the hoard was, and the significance of where it was found. How the hoard is shedding new light on what we know about the ancient kingdom of Mercia and its people. Where the artefacts in the hoard might have come from. KEYWORDS: Staffordshire Hoard, Discovery, Detectorists, Anglo Saxons, Mercia, Gold, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Books

Secrets unravelled - Fortunes of War Commemorating 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo On the eve of the battle which brought the Napoleonic Wars to an end, the West Midlands had been changed forever. In our beautifully new illustrated new book – Fortunes of War – historians tell stories of the West Midlands and its people and uncovering fascinating secrets. KEYWORDS: Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lucien Bonaparte, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gun-making, Birmingham, British Army

Audio tour of St Phillips Cathedral in Birmingham For 300 years St Phillips has been at the heart of faith in Birmingham. This year the Cathedral is celebrating its tercentenary with a Programme of Events exploring the heritage of this Baroque gem. Now you can follow an audio tour of the Cathedral with accompanying images. KEYWORDS: Birmingham Cathedral, Cathedrals, St Phillips, Edward Burne Jones, Churches City of 1000 Trades, Places to visit, Georgian

In this inaugural programme well-known broadcaster and Black Countryman, Graham Fisher, sets the scene for a series of audio podcasts telling the story of the region from its early industrial beginnings to its renaissance today.With a panel of experts, he asks: Where is the Black Country? What defines the region? What shaped its history? Who are its people? Why do they so fiercely love their region? KEYWORDS: Black Country, Size, History, Geology, Geography, People, Black Country Living Museum, BCLM, Graham Fisher

Carl Chinn takes us on a walk along Frederick Street in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham. We start at the foot of the clock tower erected by local people to celebrate one of Birmingham’s heroes, Joseph Chamberlain, on his return from South Africa in 1904. As we move along the street, Carl introduces us to the men and women whose lives were lived in the Quarter and who made it globally famous. Here are the Fattorini’s, famed makers of medals, badges and insignia and the silver factory of J.W. Evans whose workshops have remained unchanged for over a century. The short journey ends among the fascinating exhibits of the Pen Museum where Carl meets Bob Stanyard and Colin Giles. They discuss how Birmingham’s makers produced more than 20 million pens every week in the 1870s and how these cheap but precisely engineered nibs spread writing and the written word around the world. KEYWORDS: Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, Speeches, Pen Industry, Pen Museum, Medal Making, Joseph Chamberlain, Carl Chinn, Wal

The collection of Pre-Raphaelite artworks at Birmingham Museums Trust is renowned throughout the world. It includes more than 3000 paintings, drawings and prints as well as unique examples of decorative art and design.Victoria Osborne, Curator of Fine Art, faced a major challenge when she was asked by Mike Gibbs, Publisher of History West Midlands to choose a favourite piece.Surprisingly, Victoria did not select one of the collection’s iconic works. Instead, she presents a small but very fine work by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1783-1854) of Saint Cecilia designed to illustrate Alfred Tennyson’s poem The Palace of Art. KETWORDS: Pre-Raphaelites, Art, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG

Amongst Birmingham Museums Trust collection of more than 800 000 objects, its collection of Baroque fine art attracts visitors and researchers from all over the world. Helen Hillyard, a National Gallery Curatorial Trainee supported by the Art Fund, is researching this exciting collection.She talks with Mike Gibbs, Publisher of History West Midlands, about one of her favourite works - Saint Andrew Praying Before his Martyrdom by the Florentine Artist Carlo Dolci (1616-1686). KEYWORDS: Art, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG

The discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard – now jointly owned by Birmingham and Stoke on Trent Councils – began new and exciting research into the so-called “Dark Ages.” Including more than 4 000 objects – many of them gold or silver – has brought to life the kings, warriors and craftsmen portrayed in the epic poem “Beowulf”. Pieta Greaves, the Conservation Co-ordinator of the Hoard, chose a beautiful gold seax handle from all of these treasures. She tells Mike Gibbs, Publisher of History West Midlands, how this object reveals new insights into the world of the Anglo Saxon warrior. KEYWORDS: Staffordshire Hoard, Anglo Saxons, Mercia, Warriors, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Books

Within its collection of more than 800 000 objects Birmingham Museums Trust is the guardian of many treasures of Islamic art. The significance of some of these objects has only recently been recognised. Rebecca Bridgman is the recently appointed curator who is mapping the collection for the first time. She tells Mike Gibbs, Publisher of History West Midlands, about the museum’s exciting plans and selects a recently acquired work – “Calliope” by Halima Cassell – to introduce this unique collection. KEYWORDS: Art, Islamic, South Asian, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, BMAG

Carl Chinn, well-known broadcaster and author, tells the story of Christmas in Birmingham from the mid-19th century to the 1950’s. He takes us to the Town Hall to meet Charles Dickens and Scrooge; to the back-to-backs where children sing carols outside pubs; and, to the poverty of Sheepcote Street where Father Christmas still manages to half-fill children’s stockings. Finally, we queue with other excited children for what seems an eternity on the stairs of Lewis’s store to see the “real” Father Christmas in his Grotto. With students and the choir from Perry Beeches II School, Christmas comes alive in this 30 minute podcast. KEYWORDS: Christmas, Birmingham, Charles Dickens, Back-to-Backs, Poverty, Children, Lewis's, Carl Chinn, Books