Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

A New YearAnother AGM successfully held and I’m pleased to report that theCommittee is back up to full strength with Don Vincent taking overas Chairman, Tony Green appointed to the Secretary’s role he’sperformed on a temporary basis over the last year and GrahamSmith continuing as Treasurer. No new takers for Newsletter Editoror TCP representative so your still stuck with yours truly.Pleased to see a continuing number of new faces at the meetingsand joining as members. All we ask is that members get involvedwith projects and exhibitions and help further the aims of theSociety.As we grow pressure is being put on keeping the subscriptions lowat £10 per year. We’ve agreed to do so for another year but thetopic of an increase will be on the agenda next year.

It’s also now just one year until the 50th anniversary of the signingof the order to make Redditch a New Town. Several activities areunderway to commemorate this as detailed elsewhere in thisedition. Our message now is to Redditch Borough Council to ensureits plans for any commemorative events in 2014 should be welladvanced so as to ensure the event is well supported.

Derek Coombes

Topics Covered inthis edition......

AGM ReportThe Arrow Newspaper

Vince GreenBand StandProgramme

Remembering LostRedditch Grant

Success2013 EventsProgramme

7 and 9 Church RoadThe Soudan

Heritage MattersHeritage Matters is the Newsletter of the Redditch Local History Society Volume 4-01

The Redditch Local History Society recognises the supportgiven to it by the National Needle Museum Forge Mill &

Bordesley Abbey Visitors Centre and its staff.

www.forgemill.org.uk

Please note that our next RLHS meeting will be on

Monday 13th May 2013 at 2:00 pmThis meeting will include another presentation by a society

member on a topic of local interest..

Society ObjectivesThe Redditch LocalHistory Society wasformed at the end of2009 to meet aperceived need in theRedditch community.

Redditch’s history issteeped in industry butit’s seen a dramaticincrease in newcomerssince being designatedas a new town. And withan ageing populationwho have first handexperience of the oldtown we believe there isa need to promoteRedditch heritage.So simply put, our aimis to investigate,document and promoteRedditch heritage.

Do you have a contribution to include in Redditch? If so please send it to Derek Coombes.

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

22Society Report

The Society held its Annual General Meeting at

Forge Mill Needle Museum on 8th April 2013.

The agenda and the minutes of the previous AGMmeeting were distributed.

This was followed by two short films:

● A film on fish hook making made by ForgeMill Museum in 1988 of the last Fish hookmaker in the town, Sprite Hooks, proprietorVince Green to commemorate the saddeath of this active Society member inMarch this year.

● A TV film on the Royal Enfield BulletMotorcycle.

This was then followed by refreshments and theAGM.

The minutes of the April 2012 meeting wereagreed and approved.

The Chair (and acting Secretary) and the Treasurergave their reports and the overall view was thatSociety events had been very successful.

The change in the meeting style, agreed at the lastAGM, which ensured that the main part of themeetings would include a local historypresentation or an outside activity, has been veryeffective. The participation of members andvisitors has increased. The Society has beeninvolved in many activities this year which includedour ‘History of Redditch’ series at Forge Mill NeedleMuseum, exhibitions at Redditch Library,participation at the Morton Stanley Park Festivaland Redditch Bandstand Festival, and the LostRedditch Project. We had also supported two GrantApplications. The Treasurer presented a positive

balance sheet for the Society and an increase inmembership.

The Executive posts of Chairman, Treasurer andSecretary were then reviewed with the meeting.Tony Green had been doing both the role of Chairand acting Secretary since the last AGM. It wasproposed that, since there was no candidate forSecretary, then Tony should carry on in the postbut a new Chairman should be found. Don Vincent,who had been acting in the role for severalmeetings, agreed to be the permanent Chairman.There was a proposal and seconder from themembers that we should have, Chair, Don Vincent,Secretary, Tony Green, and Treasurer, GrahamSmith. This was agreed unanimously.

It was proposed, seconded and agreedunanimously by the meeting that Derek Coombesshould continue his role of Newsletter Editor andTCP representative.

Following the AGM, various activities werediscussed including the Redditch History Part 2exhibition at Forge Mill Museum, which begins on

18th April, the RBC grant which has been providedfor the Remembering Lost Redditch project, futureprojects in 2013 and outdoor working parties forRedditch Walks and Ground Truthing.

For further details of the Local History Societyplease ring Tony Green at 01527 61434 or visitour website www.redditchhistorysociety.org.uk.

Anthony Green

Redditch Local History Society - AGM –Monday 8th April 2013

Vince GreenAs most of you will know, Vince Green sadly passed away last month.Vince will be remembered not only as the last Fish Hook maker inRedditch but as one of life’s genuine nice guys.An avid member and supporter of many local Redditch activities we arepleased to say that having donated many of his photographs to theRemembering Lost Redditch project. a Vince Green Collection will beadded to the web site in his memory.

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

3The Arrow, a

Redditch Newspaper

The existence of The Arrow became evi-dent when reading about ‘insanitary Red-ditch’ in the second volume of newspapercuttings edited by Herbert Page in 1899.The introduction is reproduced below.

INSANITARY REDDITCH ‘HOW THEPOOR LIVE’ THE ROUND OF THE SLUMS

We advise all those who are at all squeam-ish not to read this article, and those whichmay follow it, for the perusal will not be apleasant task. We proposes showing theinhabitants of Redditch in plain words,without exaggeration or extenuation, thestate of things which exists in the town,and which the Local Board allows to con-tinue. We do not blame the late MedicalOfficer of Health, who found himself con-fronted by the same difficulty, or thepresent Medical Officer, who has hardly yetcommenced his work, and whose we de-sire to strengthen. We make no reflectionon the Local Bench, for the magistrateshave always supported the Local Boardwhenever that body has seen fit to do itsduty. Nor do we seek to attack property-owners. Human nature is human natureall the world over, and we are afraid itwould be idle to expect people to spendmoney on a class of property which isfrequently not too remunerative, unlessthey are compelled to do so. Our object isto bring before the ratepayers the horriblecondition of things which exist in manyparts of the town, to show them what thepowers of the Local Board are under thePublic Health Act and correlative Acts, as

well as under their own bye-laws, and toimpress upon our readers the necessity offorcing the Local Board to discharge theduties which it has hitherto so greatlyneglected.’

At the beginning of the cutting were thehandwritten words ‘The Redditch News, bythe Editor’. However, when examining thecontents of the next cutting, shown below,it soon became obvious that the RedditchNews was not a newspaper. The letterfrom four local ministers responding to thearticle was addressed to the Editor of TheArrow.

LOCAL MINISTERS AND “INSANITARYREDDITCH”

We have received the following letter:-

Redditch, February 9th, 1891

To the Editor of the Arrow

SIR, - We the undersigned ministers of Red-ditch have read with great concern in yourcolumns a number of statements seriouslyaffecting the sanitary condition of the town.We desire to say that being frequently en-gaged in visiting the localities in question, weknow from personal observation that a mostdeplorable state of things exist. We thereforeurge that the public authorities should takeimmediate steps to remove this unquestiona-ble source of danger to health and morals.

W. H. JACKSON

WILLIAM FARMER

EARL GRAY

A. C. PROCTOR

Continued…….

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

4What the Paper’s Say

The newspaper’s details were given inKelly’s Directory of Worcestershire 1892as: ‘The Arrow, every Thursday; The Ar-row Printing & Publishing Co. Lim. Propri-etors: office 1 Evesham Street’. The nameof the Editor or owner was not given.However, Edward Ashford Hodges wasliving at 1 Evesham Street as a booksellerand stationer when the 1891 census re-turns were compiled. Edward was classedas a Stationer at 1 Evesham Street, in

Jones’s Mercantile Directory of South Staf-fordshire and East Worcestershire 1865,the Post Office Directory of Worcestershire1876 and in the 1884, 1888 and 1892editions of Kelly’s Directory of Worcester.Was Edward Hodges the Editor of TheArrow? Let us know if you have any moreinformation about The Arrow.

Angel Webster

HighwayRobbery!No, not a politicalcomment on lastmonth’s Budget butextracts from theWorcester Chronical,on 12th March 1845.Interesting what youcan find with a fewhours to spare at theHIVE.

The Soudan.

Redditch Golf Club is 100 years old this year. Until 1972 it played on the PlymouthRd links called The Soudan. I think all of that area was so named but nobodyseems to know why this was. If anybody has any information as to why this wasso called perhaps they might contact me at donald.vincent@sky.com

Kind regardsDon Vincent

NEWS UPDATE Since receiving Angela’s report on the Arrow above, we are pleasedto say that three years worth of bound copies have been located in Redditch Libraryarchives. - Ed.

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

5Forthcoming Events

Forge Mill ExhibitionRedditch History - 1919 to 196418 April to the 2 June 2013

The second of these, Redditch History Part 2, covering theperiod from 1919 to 1964, will run from the 18 April to the 2June 2013 at the Forge Mill needle Museum.

There will be a 1940s event on 20th April, which means it willbe the opening event for the exhibition.

Tony Green is leading the planning for this event so contactTony if you would like to be involved.

2013 Band Stand ProgrammeThe RLHS will again be supporting the proposedband Stand Events programme in 2013.Graham Smith is our representative on theorganising committee and I am sure will welcomevolunteers to “man” the stand.Details of the events are shown in the flyer.

Morton Stanley FestivalThe Morton Stanley Festival will this year be onthe 17th & 18th August. The RLHS will again besupporting the event.This year we are looking for new ideas for ourcontribution and fresh blood to compliment theregulars who represent the society at the event.If you would like to help shape this event andsupport it on the day pleas talk to Graham Smith.

7 and 9 Church RoadAngela Webster asks, “7 and 9 Church Road are the offices ofKerwood & Co. The building is one of the oldest buildings

surviving in the town centre, and dates back to the mid-18th

century with mid-19th century and mid-20th century altera-tions. If anyone has more information, please let us know. “

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

6Welcome to our Diary of Events Page. Here you willfind a constant reminder of the major activities thatthe Society is planning. Details of these events willappear elsewhere.

Diary of Events

Date2013

Event Contact/Lead

11th May Band Stand Event - 12 - 2 pm - Church Green Graham Smith

13th May Monthly Meeting & Talk - An Illustrated History ofChurch Green

Graham Smith

21st May Tour of Avoncroft Museum - See details below Graham Smith18 April - 2June 2013

Redditch New Town @ 50 Celebrations - The Historyof Redditch - 1919 to 1964. The National NeedleMuseum, Forge Mill, Redditch

Anthony Green

3rd June Monthly Meeting & Talk - The Original Roads of Redditch Emma Hancock8th June Band Stand Event - 12 - 2 pm - Church Green Graham Smith1st July Monthly Meeting & Talk - The Origins of the Royal Enfield Anne Bradford

13th July Band Stand Event - 12 - 2 pm - Church Green Graham Smith10th Aug Band Stand Event - 12 - 2 pm - Church Green Graham Smith12th Aug Tour of Bordesley Abbey (Historic film if wet) Anthony Green

17/18th Aug Morton Stanley Festival - Morton Stanley Park Graham Smith2nd Sep Monthly Meeting & Illustrated Talk - Needle Makers of

the Arrow ValleyChris Jackson

7th Sept Heritage open Day - Forge Mill Anthony Green7th Sept Palace Theatre Open Day Derek Coombes14th Sept Band Stand Festival - 2 - 4pm - Church Green Graham Smith28th Sept Redditch Historic Film Festival - Palace Theatre Derek Coombes

7th Oct Monthly Meeting & Talk - Developing Redditch New Town- Photos from the Geoff Holmes Collection

Derek Coombes

tba Oct A tour and talk of the Hive in Worcester tba4th Nov Monthly Meeting & Illustrated Talk - The Murder of PC

DaviesRalph Richardson

All 2013 Dates & Meetings to be confirmed

Visit to Avoncroft Museum - Tuesday 21st May - Please contact Graham Smithwithout delay if you are interested in joining this visit. Booking is to be finalised shortly.

Subscriptions Now DueAnnual subscriptions are now now due for 2013-2014.

The subscription remains at £10.00 per member. If you havenot yet paid please pay at the next meeting on 13th May or

post your cheque to:Graham Smith, RLHS Treasurer

33 Thornbury Lane, Church Hill, Redditch. B98 8SE.Please make cheques payable to Redditch Local History Society.

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

7

Remembering Lost Redditch - Where Next?Well, we are pleased to say that the RLHS has been awarded agrant of £2,500 to promote the “Remembering Lost Redditch”project over the next year as part of the 2014 Redditch New Town50th Anniversary Commemorations from the Voluntary Communitysector grants by Redditch Borough Council. Various displayequipment is to be purchased and a series of meetings, eventsand presentations will be given to local community organisations.

www.redditchheritage.org.uk

On Saturday 16th March wetentatively set up the “Memoriesand Anniversaries” exhibition inhalf of the meeting space atRedditch Library ready for a 10:00am start.By 11:00 am, such was the influxof visitors that we had to hastilyopen the dividing doors andspread the exhibition out!The rows of seats in front of thebig screen were constantly filledwith visitors eager to help usidentify old photographs

RLHS members supporting the eventwere in constant demand to hearvisitors memories and to receivedonations of photographs anddocuments.Jan & Andy Higgitt from Jestaminutewere dealing with a steady stream ofenquiries about their “Engineering ThePast” project as were the volunteersfrom The Palace Theatre who werecollecting names of people to interviewwith memories of the Palaces’ past.Thanks everybody who came and allwho helped on the day to make theevent a great success.

Derek Coombes Photographs courtesy of Andy Higgitt

Remembering LostRedditch Project

Published by D. J Coombes, 26 Newton Close, Redditch, B98 7YR on behalf of the Redditch Local History Society Copyright © 2013

www.redditchhistory.org.uk

8And finally……

Redditch Local History Society Related Web sites

www.redditchhistorysociety.org.uk The Redditch Local History Society’s principle web site.

www.redditchhistory.comThis site is to give a brief introduction to the various aspectsof the town’s history but essentially to be a portal to the thevarious sites which encompass the history of Redditch

www.redditchwalks.org.uk The aim of the site is to develop walks related to Redditchhistory and existing historical artefacts and buildings

www.redditchforum.org.uk The Redditch Local History Forum is our on-line site dedicat-ed to the discussion of Redditch History & Heritage.

www.forgemill.org.uk Forge Mill National Needle Museum and Bordesley AbbeyVisitors Centre

www.redditchheritage.org.uk/sites/RHP-Heritage-Sites.htm

Redditch Local History Society's project to investigate,document and publish details of the historic sites thatremain in Redditch today.

www.redditchheritage.org.uk The home of the Remembering Lost Redditch project.

For details of the RLHS activities contacts Anthony Green - 01527 61434or visit www.redditchhistory.org.uk - contact@redditchhistory.org.uk -

Comments, feedback and contributions...If you have any feedback or comments on the topics reported on this newsletter, or wish tocontribute material, please contact us:

Also on in and around Worcestershire……..

The Story of RomanWorcestershire

At the HIVE duringLate April & May isthis exciting series oftalks on the RomanWorcestershire..

For full details or ifyou have anyquestions please e-mail:

explorethepast@worcstershire.gov.uk