History roadshow being held in Oldbury's oldest building this weekend (From Halesowen News)

History roadshow being held in Oldbury's oldest building this weekend

10:06am Friday 19th October 2012 in News

A History Roadshow is being held in Oldbury tomorrow (Saturday).

The event is at the Big House, Church Street, Oldbury, from 10am to 4pm and has been arranged by Langley Local History Society, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office and will give people a chance to see some of the buildings not normally open to the public.

The Mayor will be calling in at lunchtime, and the Sandwell Town Crier will be on hand.

The Big House is Oldbury’s oldest remaining building, dating from around 1730, when it was a private house built by William Freeth.

It has also been offices for solicitors and land surveyors, and was used as a court house and jail for a short period.

And people will be able to visit The Court of Requests, the original courthouse built in 1816 as a debtors’ prison, and see the original court room, and the later jail cells added around 1900, when it became Oldbury’s police station. Limited numbers will be available for the tours for the buildings, and can be booked from 10am at the Big House on the day.

Some of the Borough of Oldbury’s ‘civic plate’ will also be on display, together with the town’s mace and mayoral robes. Many of these civic items were given by local industries when Oldbury became a Municipal Borough in 1935, and are normally hidden away.

The Local History Society will be recording people’s memories of life in the town, and there will be a display of old photographs and objects to stir the memory. The Society is researching a book on the impact of the two world wars on Oldbury, Langley and Warley, and is particularly interested in people’s memories of the town during the second world war.

Books about Oldbury will be on sale, and refreshments will be provided. Everyone is invited to come along, bring any pictures or items they may have, and share some of Oldbury’s history.