Local Speakers
Local History Topics A - L | Local History Topics M - Z
Birmingham Archives and Heritage Services are not able to accept responsibility for the quality of the talks delivered by the speakers included on our list. We are not in a position to vet each speaker, but appreciate your comments, which will be taken into consideration. archives.heritage@birmingham.gov.uk
Speakers listed by surname
Mr Simon Baddeley
34 Beaudesert Road
Handsworth
Birmingham B20 3TG
Tel: 0121 554 9794 (Mobile 07548 820658)
Email:s.j.baddeley@bham.ac.uk
Subject:
A History of Handsworth Park 1882 − 2012.
Fee: £20.00 plus travel expenses if any
Equipment: Speaker provides a PowerPoint presentation including video clips using his laptop plus an album of photos, texts and maps for circulation
Size of Audience: Any (5 - 100)
Availability: Day or evening
Other Information: The speaker is a part-time visiting lecturer at Birmingham University, researcher and published writer, involved during the 1990s in local campaigns supporting the restoration of Handsworth Park around which he does history tours.
Mrs. Olga Baird
77 Wellington Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2ET
Tel: 0121 440 4715
Email: olgabaird@blueyonder.co.uk
Subjects:
1. Great Artefacts in the Museum of the World : History and the Present Day
2. Great Country Houses through Centuries
3. History of British Art
4. History of Russian Art
5. The Soul of Russian Poetry : Alexander Pushkin (1799 - 1837). His Time, His Life, His Works
6. History of Fashion in Artworks
7. Black Presence in European Art
8. Shakespeare Portrait from Russia : Mysterious Artefact in the Collection of the Shakespeare Birthplace, Stratford
9. British Abolitionists and members of the Birmingham Lunar Society in portraits by Carl - Frederick von Breda
10. Matthew Boulton and Art
11. Matthew Boulton and the Russian Ambassador Woronzow
12. Matthew Boulton and his Russian Guests
13. Artists of Wolverhampton from Joseph Barney to George Phoenix
Fee: £40.00 plus travel expenses if any
Equipment: Speaker provides a PowerPoint presentation, but does require a computer, projector, screen
Size of Audience: Any (5 - 100)
Availability: Day or evening
Other Information: All lectures can be given as a series and also as a single one off lecture. The speaker is a professional museum worker, curator, researcher and published author.
Mr Patrick Baird
24 Hunt End Lane
Hunt End
Redditch
B97 5UW
Tel: 01527 541812
Subjects
History and development of Birmingham.
Personalities of Birmingham.
Comic capers in Birmingham (Comedians and entertainers).
From Variety to Verdi - The story of Birmingham born tenor David Hughes
Fee: £40.00 plus expenses.
Equipment: Projector for Power Point presentations.
Size of audience: Any.
Availability: Day or evening. City-wide.
Lewis Braithwaite MA, MICE
531 Church Road
Yardley
Birmingham
B33 8PG
Tel: 0121 783 4427
Email:sally.braithwaite@btinternet.com
Subjects:
1. Canals - British but with continental lifts and inclined planes
2. British Towns & Cities : Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc. (concentrating on historic buildings)
3. European Towns & Cities : Barcelona, Paris, Prague, Rome, etc.
4. Cathedrals - British, French, Italian, etc.
5. Structures : Why Things Stand Up
6. Birmingham's Historic Buildings
7. Modern Architecture : Africa, Chicago, New York, etc.
8. The Architecture of English Towns
Fee: £20 - £30 but negotiable
Equipment: Talks are visual and involve showing colour slides. The speaker can provide his own slide projector and screen, although he would prefer to borrow one at the venue.
Size of audience: Any size
Avaialibility: The speaker cannot provide talks on Mondays and only in the daytime on Tuesday. He is otherwise free Wednesday to Sunday
Other Information: Mr.Braithwaite would like to offer his talks as a series of single one - off lectures in the Birmingham area. The speaker is a published author and retired Birmingham University Extramural lecturer.
Mr Bob Broadfield
2A Wheeler Street
Stourbridge
DY8 1XJ
Tel: 01384 370650
Subjects
My life as an acrobat in circus and variety theatres over a period of almost 20 years.
Fee: £35.00
Equipment: One small table and chair
Audience: Adults
Availabilty Anytime
Mrs P Burkill
128 Water Orton Road
Castle Bromwich
Birmingham
B36 9HE
Tel 0121 747 5266
Subjects
St. Mary's Churchyard, Handsworth.
Life with the (Kynoch) Lions.
Fee: £25.00.
Equipment: Provided for overhead transparencies and/or slides, but require screen and projector stand
Size of audience: Up to 50 people.
Availability: Daytime or evening
Other information The first talk covers the amount of information that can be obtained from gravestones and types of inscription. The second talk covers the first fifty years of the company now called IMI, and its first two managing directors: George Kynoch and Arthur Chamberlain.
Bob Burton
153 Lindsworth Road
Kings Norton
Birmingham
B30 3RS
Tel: 0121 459 3120
Email:bandmburton@gmail.com
Subjects :
Light -hearted stories and anecdotes of my experiences from years of metal
detecting. Talks include details and displays from my huge collection of artefacts found in fields and gardens around Birmingham.
Fee: £35.00 plus travelling expenses
Equipment: Large table top for artefacts
Audience Size: All sizes of audience. Speaker has given talks on local radio.
Availability: Any day time or evenings and weekends.
Other Information Talks are of a humorous nature although they have a factual content.
Mr. Roger Butler
Hancocks Yard
Market Square
Kineton
Warwickshire
CV35 0LP
Tel: 01926 641893 Mobile: 07766038934
Email: roger522@btinternet.com
Subjects
1. The Wonders of the Waterways
2. A Canal Honeymoon in 1963
3. Up the Macc ( Journey to the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals)
4. Canal Holidays : 50 Years Ago
5. A West Midlands Circuit in 1971 (Several other waterway talks also available)
Fee: £60.00 plus travel expenses
Equipment: All talks are illustrated with colour slides or digital images scanned from a large archive of historic photographs
Size of Audience: Any
Avaialbility: Mr. Butler can cover all of the West Midlands area and is usually available both daytime and evening
Other Information: Talks usually last between 75 - 90 minutes each and can be tailored to suit requirements
Mr Michael Byrne
c/o Acocks Green Library
Shirley Road
Acocks Green
Birmingham
B27 7XH
Tel 0121 464 1738
Subjects
Photographic histories of : Acocks Green/ Hall Green/Hay Mills and Yardley
Water in towns.
Yardley Village and Blakesley Hall.
History of Yardley Wood
River, canal and flood in Kings Norton
History of Lifford
20 miles around the boundaries of Yardley
Fee: £20.00 - £25.00 daytime, £30.00 evening. Negotiable for small groups.
Equipment: Speaker brings all equipment, but the room needs to have blackout facilities.
Size of audience: 10 - 200.
Availability: Daytime subject to work duties. Evenings, except Tuesdays during term time.
Other information: For North Birmingham the speaker would require additional travelling expenses.
Daniel Callicot
Education & Events Officer Selly Manor
c/o BVT Estate Office
Oak Tree Lane
Bournville
Birmingham
B30 1UB
Tel: 0121 472 0199
Email: sellymanor@bvt.org.uk
Website: www.bvt.org.uk/sellymanor
Subjects:
1. Talk & Tour of Selly Manor (Maple Road, Bournville) with an experienced guide lasting 1 hour. Tour can be complimented with an illustrated talk lasting 45 minutes. Simple refreshment can be provided.
2. Tours of Bournville Village including the village green and an explanation of the public buildings created for residents. Tours last for approximately 30 minutes.
Group Rates for both talks: Tour - £4.50 per person. Talk & Tour - £5.50 per person. Tour & Tea - £5.50 per person Tour, Talk & Tea - £6.50 per person.
3. Guides can visit your venue to conduct talks. Talks can be tailored to meet your requirements but focus on the history of Selly Manor, Minworth Greaves and Bournville.
Fee: Fees for the venue talks are arranged on an individual basis.
Size of audience: Group sizes are arranged on an individual basis
Other information: We can cater for all sized groups. Our normal opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 10 am - 5 pm (all year) and Saturday & Sunday 2 pm - 5 pm (Easter to September). For larger groups we are able to accommodate tours and talks outside of these normal hours. Please contact Selly Manor to book a tour.
Derek Clarke RIBA
66 Osmaston Road
Harborne
Birmingham
B17 0TL
Tel: 0121 427 8829
Emaildac.ec@talktalk.net
Subjects -
1. The repair and restoration of the Back to Back Houses in Hurst Street, Birmingham
2. The repair and restoration of the Perseus & Andromeda fountain and the South Parterre Garden at Witley Court, Worcestershire
3. The repair and consolidation of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
4. The repair of the roofs at Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire
5. The major repair of the external fabric to Tyntesfield Manor, near Bristol
6. Prepared presentations showing repair works to other historically important buildings
7. Illustrated talks on all aspects of building conservation works
Fee - From £45.00
Equipment - All provided by the speaker
Size of Audience - Any
Availability - All areas of the wider West Midlands and further away for special interest groups
Other Information - The speaker is a retired Architect who for 45 years has specialised in conservation works over a wide area of building types. The talks are popular, informative and stimulating; lasting between 60 - 85 minutes and can include an intermission. Bookings are usually taken 12 months in advance due to popularity.
Val Combe and Edna Somen
Small Heath Local History Society
Tel: 0121 773 2026
Subjects
Small Heath Then & Now
Fee: £20.00
Equipment: Talk is illustrated with slides
Availability: Daytime only expect during the summer
Other Information: Val Combe and Edna Somen are the Chair and Vice - Chair of Small Heath Local History Society.
Ms K Downing
75 Ventnor Avenue
Hodge Hill
Birmingham
B36 8EF
Tel 0121 783 8085
Subject
'My eccentric family' - Downing & Eggison Family. *
A Stechford childhood between the wars.
Stechford & Hodge Hill : A Short Walk
Fee: £20.00 plus travel expenses for any long distance journey.
Equipment Slide equipment required for the My Eccentric Family talk
Size of audience: Any size.
Availability:Available city wide daytime February to November plus May to August in the evenings
Other information: A member of Small Heath Local History Society and also Ward End Local History society. Also now a member of the Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Trust. Advisor to Fircone Local History Society (Birmingham Retirement Council) and Fircone Players, who also give performances, daytime only.
Mrs Jean Draycott
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
Chester Road
Castle Bromwich
B36 9BT
Tel 0121 749 4100
Emailjadraycott@btinternet.com
Subjects
Restoration of Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
Fee: A donation of £40.00 plus travelling expenses where applicable.
Equipment: Speaker provides equipment. Accessible 13 amp socket required. Room should be capable of darkening for slide presentation.
Availability: Daytime or evenings, city wide. Also available elswhere in West Midlands.
Other Information: Talks last approximately 1 hour. We normally recommend having the talk on the restoration prior to visiting the garden.
Geoffrey Duggan
27 Ashlawn Cresent
Solihull
B91 1PR
Tel: 0121 711 2706
Subjects
1. Elgar, the Man and his Music
2. The Unknown Bruckner - a nineteenth century genius
3. Enjoy your music ; learn more about listening
4. Flamboyant Friends - Liszt and his Circle
Fee: £25.00
Equipment: Tape recorder, CD player and slide projector
Size of Audience: Ideally no less than 20
Availibility: Subject to negotiation
Other Information: The speaker is ex - CBSO. Former head of strings at Birmingham Conservatoire and lecturer for PACE. Also lectures at the BMI
Mrs Audrey Duggan
Same address as above
Subjects
1. William Hutton's Daughter - the Extraordinary Catherine Hutton
2. Mendelssohn in Birmingham. Behind the Scenes at the Premiere of Elijah
3. How Scandal came to Ullenhall. The Tragic Story of Lady Luxborough
4. Forward Looking and Fearless. The Underrated William Shenstone of Halesowen
Fee: £25.00 but negotiable
Equipment: Slide projector, OHP and CD player
Size: Any size but over 15 preferable
Availability: Any time when the speaker is free
Other Information: The speaker is the ex - head of English at a Birmingham college and the author of a number of books including A Lady of Letters : The Story of Catherine Hutton and A Sense of Occasion : The Story of Mendelssohn's Elijah at the Birmingham Town Hall.
Miss Marie Fogg
8 Heathland Avenue
Castle Bromwich
Birmingham
B34 6LR
Tel: 0121 247 3384 (Please phone after 6 pm or leave a message on the answerphone)
Email - my_fogg@yahoo.co.uk
Subjects:
1. The Smalbroke Family of Birmingham (linked to Blakesley Hall, Yardley).
2. The Feud between the Smalbroke and Colmore Families.
3. A Short History of the early Iron Trade in Birmingham (16th & 17th Centuries).
4. The History of Thornton Junior School, Ward End ( a trip down memory lane to the 30s,40s, 50s & 60s).
Fee: £25 per session
Equipment : Able to bring a laptop and projector to show slides. NEED a white screen to project onto plus a table for the equipment.
Size of Audience: Prepared to talk to any size of audience
Availability: Evenings, weekends, school holidays. Talks generally last one hour but can be adapted to fit a required time slot.
Other Information: Speaker is a member of the Ward End & Hodge Hill Local History Society. Also a member of Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Trust and the National Trust.
Ms. Chandrika Gordhan
c/o Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre (BARC)
5th. Floor Birmingham Central Library
Chamberlain Square
B3 3HQ
Tel : 0121 464 2708
Emailbarccentre@bham.ac.uk
Subjects:
What is BARC & how it helps people with arthritis. Our fundamental aim is to promote 'self - care' and 'self - management'. Supporting people with chronic and painful conditions to cope with their problems
Fee: A donation of £30.00 to Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre
Equipment: Not required
Size of Audience: Minimum of 10 and a maximum of 50
Availability: To be agreed
Other Information: Experienced speaker who regularly appears on 1 hour phone in show on BBC radio WM.
Mary Harding
5 Hickmans Close
Halesowen
B62 9DF
Tel : 0121 422 3782
Talks
1. My Collection of Local Postcards including areas and subjects such as Alcester Road, Birmingham Hospitals, Birmingham City Centre, Hagley Road out to Bearwood, Kings Heath, Moseley amongst others.
Fee: Subject to negotiation.
Equipment: The speaker requires a table near a wall plug and a plain wall or screen to project pictures.
Size of Audience: Flexible
Avaialability: Flexible
Dr. Colin Harris
18 Dunstan Croft
Shirley
Solihull
B90 4DJ
Tel : 0121 745 1803
EmailDrColinHarris@blueyonder.co.uk
websitewww.GreenManForum.co.uk
Subjects:
1. The Ubiquitous Green Man – Grotesques, Gargoyles, Medieval Beasties and Really Ugly Uglies
2. Yesteryear’s Folklore, Customs and Traditions
3. 101 Great British Curiosities
4. Church Curiosities
5. Yesteryear’s Schooldays
6. Midlands Oddities, Curiosities and Happenings
7. Brum’s Stone Faces and other Curiosities
8. May Day Customs
Fee: £60 per hour PLUS appropriate travel expenses – fee shared between the charities Beating Bowl Cancer, Help for Heroes and Cancer Research UK
Equipment: Speaker provides an interactive PowerPoint presentation, but does require a projection screen and 5 tables along with a convenient parking space
Size: Maximum of 40 people
Availability: Anytime by negotiation
Other Information: Dr Harris is an experienced and professional educator and has worked as a tutor for Open Studies at the University of Warwick. We all cherish our rich and varied heritage and quirky customs – these talks all act as catalysts for families and organisations to discover the wealth and variety of our local area.
The Solihull Green Man Trail provides a unique opportunity to find and discover more Green Men in our area – this partnership between local schools, the Park Rangers and the speaker is to be cascaded into the Forest of Arden Project and other woodland schemes.
All talks can be tailored to meet your groups needs into a 1 hour talk since they are all part of 6 hour interactive workshops.
The PowerPoint presentations are of high quality and all equipment is supplied EXCEPT for a LARGE white screen.
Prizes are given for certain challenges!!! The speaker is prepared to travel up to 50 miles radius from Birmingham.
Stephen Hartland
36 Clarendon Road
Birmingham
B16 9SE
Tel (daytime) 0121 234 4466 (evening) 0121 454 2240
Emailstephen.hartland@eaglehurst.net
Subjects
"Moving Men of Stone: The Statues of Birmingham" Charts the rise and fall of public monemental sculpture.
"The History of Birmingham Civic Society 1918 to date" examines the influence of the society on the city's parks, built environment/landscape and other aspects of the city's heritage. (available from 2006)
Fee: £25.00 to a charity of the speakers choice.
Equipment: Data projector and screen
Availability: Evenings after 7.00pm and weekends. Weekdays by special arrangement.
Mr P B Hayes
Margwyn
60 Wheelwright Road,
Erdington
Birmingham
B24 8PB
Tel: 0121 373 5665 or 350 0831 or 0976 825540
Email Patrick@phayes.co.uk
Subjects
Mystery of Mary Ashford.
Ghost stories of Erdington and Sutton Coldfield
Reminiscent projects on 1940's Britain in role as Royal Naval Officer and U.S Marine
Reminiscences of east Galway in the 1930s
Mystery Surrounding Oradour Sur Glane (Massacre of a French village, June 1944)
Fee: £50.00.
Equipment: Projector/video recorder required.
Size of audience: 12 plus.
Availability: Daytime and evening, city-wide.
Other Information: New talk on Napoleon currently in progress. Fee of £70.00 per session due to costume hire.
Mr Bob Houghton and Mr John Cox
502 Yardley Green Road
Yardley
Birmingham
B33 8TF
Tel: 0121 628 5260
Subjects
The Future of the Town Hall - Refurbishing and Opening. John Cox.
Poetry and Reminiscences on Growing up in Aston. Bob Houghton.
"I'll tell you a tale." Bob Houghton
Fee: Negotiable
Equipment: None required.
Size of audience: Any.
Availability: Any time. Citywide.
Other information: Travel expenses of 35p per mile.
John Cox and Bob Houghton work as a team so that a booking includes both talks. However it is possible to request that one talk is longer than the other.
Kay Hunter
38 Johnson Drive
Castle Vale
Birmingham
B35 6DS
Tel : 0121 749 7514
Mobile : 07899861422
Email:KHUNTER38J@AOL.COM
Subjects :
1. The Last Public Execution in Birmingham City Centre
2. The Lives of British Executioners
Fee: £30.00. This includes expenses, travel, etc.
Equipment: None at the moment due to arranging equipment
Size of Audience: 5 people plus
Availability: Mainly evenings and weekends. Possibility of talks during the day. Please phone for details.
Other Information: Talks are aimed at adults aged 18 and above. There is some sensitive content due to the nature of the talks
Mr. Laurence Ince
147 Kineton Green Road
Olton
Solihull
B92 7EG
Tel: 0121 706 0204
Subjects
1. Engine Building at Boulton & Watt's Soho Works
2. The Holbech(e) Family of Warwickshire
3. Charles Dickens, Warwickshire and the Great Jennens Case.
4. John O' Leary : Whistler's Best Friend
Fee: £30.00 plus travelling expenses
Equpment: Speaker will provide all the necessary equipment for showing slides or digital images
Audience: Any size of audience is fine
Availability: Available at any time and day
Mr. Ivor Jones
26 Checkley Court
Checkley Croft
Walmley Sutton Coldfield
B76 1GE
Tel: 0121 351 7621
Subjects
A World of Window Furnishings
Fee: Negotiable
Equipment: No aids required
Size of audience: Any
Availability: Available at short notice
Dr Anthony Joseph
3 Edgbaston Road
Smethwick
B66 4LA
Tel 0121 555 6165/07710448897
Fax 0121 555 5975
Subjects
Birmingham Jewish community and its background.
Anglo-Jewish genealogy.
Australo-Jewish Genealogy.
Fee: None - but voluntary donation to Jewish charity appreciated.
Equipment: Not required.
Size of audience: Any.
Availability: Evenings preferred, city-wide.
Other Information: Daytime talks by special arrangement. Unavailable on Friday evenings or Saturdays or on Jewish festival dates.
Mr. Clive Katz
14 Perrycroft Crescent
Tamworth
Staffordshire
B79 8TW
Tel: 01827 56022
Subjects:
1. Birmingham National Trust Back to Backs : The Lives of Birmingham's working people in the Back to Back dwellings from 1840s to the 1970s.
2. The History of the Gardens of Calke Abbey: How the gardens developed from 1703 to their rescue by The National Trust in 1985.
3. The Tales of a Working Holiday at Lindisfarne Castle.
Fee: £35.00 plus travel expenses if travelling outside of a certain radius
Equipment: Speaker will provide his own projector and screen and should be upgrading to a digital projector in the near future
Size of Audience: Any
Availability: Flexible, although the speaker does tend towards an evening session.
Other Information: Back to Backs: See how court 15 survived the 1960s redevelopment. Speaker looks at life in the court during four periods in history - 1840s, 1870s, 1930s and the 1970s.
Helen Lloyd
43 Blenheim Road
Moseley
Birmingham
B13 9TY
Email:helen.r.lloyd@gmail.com
Website:www.oralhistoryconsultancy.co.uk
Subjects
1. Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People: an introduction to oral history (with audio extracts from the speaker's recordings of Birmingham life stories).
2. Living Back to Back. The speaker plays and talks about extracts from her audio recordings for the National Trust Back to Backs and from her CD “Memories of Back to Backs”.
Fee: Negotiable.
Equipment: Speaker provides own audio equipiment to amplify recordings.
Size of audience: 100 people can easily hear the recordings. A larger audience would require further amplification.
Availability: Some day-times; evenings; weekends.
Other information: The speaker has recorded and edited life stories for many oral history projects, including the BBC's Millenium Oral History Project, "The Century speaks"; Birmingham Central Library's Millennibrum project and Digital Handsworth amongst others.
Andrew Lound BSc., FBIS
110 Sandringham Road
Birmingham
B42 1PQ
Tel: 0121 356 5446/ 07771 904037
Email:odyssey@dial.pipex.com
Website: www.odyssey.dial.pipex.com
Over 60 dramatic lectures available
Local Subjects :
1. Titanic : The Midlands' Connection
2. When The Lights Went Out - Birmingham Goes To War
3. War In The Balance - Averys At War
4. Lunatick Astronomy - The Lunar Society & Astronomy
5. Vulcan's Temple -The Story of Soho Foundry
6. Life In The Balance - Birmingham Titanic Victim (W.E. Hipkins)
7. Herschel's Lunatick Friends - William Herschel's Midlands' Connections
8. Brunel's Leviathan - The Great Eastern
Fee: £55 plus travel for standard presentation
Equipment: All lectures presented via computer with music, audio, images, video and optical effects.
Size of Audience: Any
Availability: Any distance travelled
Other Information: The Odyssey Class Dramatic Lectures specialise in science, astronomy and history. For further details contact Andrew Lound
Mike Miles
28 Dovecote Close
Olton
Solihull
B91 2EP
Tel 0121 742 4949
Emailmmilespr@aol.com
Subjects
Graham Baron Ash (1889 1980), his life and restoration of Packwood House in Warwickshire.
Fee: None donation to National Trust for Packwood Garden Fun requested.
Equipment: Screen and projector table required.
Size of audience: Up to 120
Availability: Day or evening
Other information: Travelling expenses of 0 required. Talk lasts about 70 minutes and can be split for coffee break if required.
Vanessa Morgan
33 Plymouth Road,
Redditch B97 4PX
Tel: 07746 800484
Email:vanessa62472@hotmail.co.uk
Subjects:
1. A Beginners Guide to Genealogy : Three talks available.
2. Diary of William Lea
3. Stories Grandad Told
4. Worcestershire Murders of the Nineteenth Century
5. My Father, POW in Poland
6. 'Read All About It. Snippets from the newspapers, late 1700's to early 1900's'
7. 'Warwickshire and Birmingham Murders of the Nineteenth Century'
Fee: Vary according to travel and size of group. £25.00 - £35.00. No additional travel expenses.
Equipment: No equipment required. Some handouts are available for viewing after the genealogy and POW talks.
Audience: Any size is fine.
Availability: Available day or evening working within a geographical radius of 30 - 35 miles.
Other Information: Speaker is a freelance researcher in family and local history. Speaker has submitted various articles for publication in magazines.
Chris Pitt
15 Cross Farm Road
Harborne
Birmingham
B17 0NB
Tel 0121 426 1877
Subjects The History of Horse Racing in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Fee: £30.00.
Equipment: None required, speaker will bring own memorabilia.
Size of audience: Any number.
Availability: Subject to arrangement.
Other information: The talks can take in most aspects of horse racing and be geared to specific localities. The length of the talk can be tailored to fit requirements.
Miss Jennifer Porter
Email:jporter20@talktalk.net
Tel: 0121 455 6266
Subject : The work of the charity SPANA (Society for the Protection of Working Animals Abroad).
Fee: None, but donation to charity appreciated.
Equipment: TV, DVD andVideo player, table for displaying 2 photos and a small selection of merchandise.
Size of audience: Up to about 50.
Availability: Daytime Mon. Tues. Wed. Fri. Within about 10 mile radius of Birmingham.
Other information: Having been a supporter of SPANA for the past 11 years, I would like the opportunity of raising awareness and sharing the amazing work of this progressive and inspirational animal charity.
Val Preece
16 Moorfield Road
Shard End
Birmingham
B34 6RA
Tel 0121 684 4971
Subjects
Pearl Workers of Birmingham
Vauxhall Gardens
Coleshill Workhouse
Fee: £30.00.
Equipment: Screen required for the Coleshill Workhouse and Vauxhall Gardens talk.
Size of audience: Any.
Availability: Preferably daytime.
Neil Roberts
65 Middlewood Close
Solihull
West Midlands
B91 2TZ
Tel: 0121 705 4990
Emailinfo@neil-roberts.co.uk
Subject
'The Secret Life of the Magician' Local Magician, Neil Roberts lifts the lid on the clandestine world of magic clubs and societies including anecdotes from his backstage career.
'The End of the End of the Pier Show' A review of British sea-side entertainment giving a nostalgic look back at an era that has all but disappeared.
'All Hat ~ No Rabbit' Neil returns to the world of magic for a sideways look at the history of the art, from the medieval itinerant conjurer to the spectacular illusion shows of Las Vegas.
Fee £40 (within the West Midlands)
Equpiment None required
Size of Audience Any
Availability Neil is available at any time (last minute bookings available)
Other Information Talks lasts up to one hour including magic performed live.
Mr L A Salt
Chamomile House
14 Wrottesley Road
Tettenhall
Wolverhampton
WV6 8SD
Tel 01902 751407
Email:len_salt@yahoo.co.uk
Subjects
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens Past and Present.
Plants in History and Legend.
The History and Natural History of Hedgerows
Fee: From £35.00 plus travelling expenses.
Equipment: Speaker brings all his own equipment.
Size of audience: From 15 to 700, so far.
Availability: Most times, by arrangement.
Other information: Mr Salt speaks on many subjects allied to plants.
Mr H M Scharf
175A Ulverley Green Road
Solihull
B92 8AA
Tel: 0121 706 1342
Subjects
Write Back in Time (antique and collectable writing accessories)
Seeing is Believing (a hisory of spectacles)
Court in the Act (the crown court)
Fee: As agreed
Equipment: No equipment. Speaker produces samples
Size of audience: Any
Availability: Day or evening in the West Midlands
Other Information: Speaker will liase with secretaries
Mr. Steve Short
Tel : 07803 125180
Subjects
1. David Nixon : TV Magician
Fee: £80.00 plus travel expenses. (About £30 to Birmingham and the Midlands)
Equipment: Speaker will provide their own projector and screen
Size of Audience: Any
Availability: Please contact the speaker for further information
Mr John D Smith
359 Heath Road South
Northfield
Birmingham
B31 2BJ
Tel 0121 476 4741
Subjects
Birmingham - A City in Music.
Bournville - A Village in Music
The Wonderful World of Cinema
The World of Musical Theatre (1896 - 1939)
The World of the Musicals (1940 to date)
The History of Broadcasting
Plus 21 other talks. Full list available in Archives and Heritage Service.
Fee: No fee, but donations to St Mary's Hospice welcome. and the Birmingham Conservatoire Association.
Equipment: The speaker brings his own equipment, but will require a 13 amp socket and a table.
Size of audience: Any size.
Availability: Any time, by arrangement, as the speaker is retired.
Philip Solomon
PO Box 141
Willenhall
West Midlands
WV13 3QR
Tel 07753211506
Subjects
Various subjects, including:
Hauntings and ghosts in the Midlands.
The old Midlands days in a reminiscence manner.
Question and Answer Evening. The speaker ad-libs the answers to the audiences questions using Black Country lingo.
Fee: £100.00
Equipment: Talks sometimes include slides or acetates.
Size of audience: No specification.
Availability: Not specified
Other information: Philip Solomon is a medium, psychic consultant, astrologer, broadcaster, and Black Country character. In the past he has worked for TV and radio, particularly BBC Radio WM. He has an Old Black Country feature column in local newspapers. He also sings, plays the ukulele, is a published author and local historian. He is very happy to appear/contribute to media chat shows at home and abroad.
Mr Hugh Sykes
Victoria Park Lodge
Princes Drive
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 6AF
Tel 01926 450063 (home)
Subjects
Cinemas and cinema organs, including Birmingham, for example Beaufort and so on.
Traction Engines/Miniature Railways.
8mm Cine-Railways.
Fee: £15.00 or by arrangement.
Equipment: Provided by speaker.
Size of audience: Above 10. City-wide.
Availability: Evenings only, city-wide.
Mr. Michael Tessler
7/34 Sherbourne Court
Acocks Green
Birmingham
B27 6AE
Tel: 0121 765 4253
Subjects
Astrology. The Signs of the Zodiac. What They Are All About
Fee: £45.00
Equipment: Speaker provides equipment
Size of audience: Any size
Availability: Any time except Friday
Other information: Mr. Tessler is an experienced public speaker and has specialist knowledge of many famous birthdays including those of film stars, footballers and politicians.The speaker is prepared to travel within a 15 mile radius of Birmingham city centre.
Alan Thornton
65 Meadowfield Road
Rubery
Birmingham
B45 9BY
Tel: 0121 604 8730
Email:aptco@blueyonder.co.uk
Subjects:
1. The Cadbury story
2. Memories of the 40’s,50’s and 60’s
3.A Day in the Life of a Seaside Hotelier 70’s and 80’s
Fee: £45 inclusive of travel.
Equipment: All equipment provided by speaker.
Size of Audience: Any size.
Availability: Any day, daytime/ evening within the West Midlands.
Other Information: The Cadbury Story is a film plus a talk
Dr Chris Upton
6 Kingswood Road
Moseley
Birmingham
B13 9AL
Tel 0121 449 0507
Subjects
History of Birmingham.
Workhouses.
Domestic service.
Entertainment in the eighteenth century.
Benefactors of Birmingham.
Springheeled Jack: the Creation of a Victorian Bogeyman.
How to Build a Canal.
Medieval Food.
We'll Ring You: Birmingham and its Roads.
Fee: £30.00 - £40.00
Equipment: Speaker provides equipment for slides.
Size of audience: Any.
Availability: Mainly evenings, daytime with negotiations. City-wide.
Andy Vail, Bournville, 0121-458 4919
Email:avbournville@aol.com
Talks:
1. Birmingham's Free Churches and the First World War.
2. The Changing Face of Birmingham's Faith Communities, 1851-1892.
3. Marching for the King?, the rise of the Brigade and Scout Movements in Birmingham.
4. Education or Evangelism? The Early Adult Schools and Brotherhood Movement in the West Midlands.
5. I would also be happy to tailor talks to particular audiences e.g. look at how one denomination in Birmingham or Free Churches in a particular part of Birmingham responded to the First World War.
Fess:
Donation plus travel fares
Equipment
I can bring a laptop for a Powerpoint presentation, but would need a Data Projector to be provided.
Size of audience
Any
Availability
Anywhere accessible by public transport.
Any other information
I am a part-time Modern History Student at the University of Birmingham. I am a member of the Centre for First World War Studies (http://www.warstudies.bham.ac.uk/firstworldwar/members/vail.shtml) and part of the newly launched 'Birmingham Speakers programme': (http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/community/speakers/profiles/vail-andrew.aspx)
Barbara Waller
Orchard End
1 Wyrley Road
Four Oaks
Sutton Coldfield
B75 6NN
Tel and Fax 0121 308 3433
Subjects
1. Mystery of Fauld - the biggest wartime explosion in British history
2. Daisy, Countess of Warwick - an enigma.
3. Hard Times - Diary of a Norfolk school master in the 1880s
4. Fascinating finds in English country churches
5. 'There's Gold in Them There Hills ' - the old Shropshire lead mines
6. Witley Court - Worcestershire's stately ruin
7. Bournemouth's story from Smugglers' haunt to prosperous resort
8. World War II on the home front
Fee: £35 - £40.00 depending on distance, subject and audience.
Equipment: No equipment necessary
Size of audience: Immaterial.
Availability: Day or evening.
Other information: More details are held in the file in the Archives and Heritage service of the Central Library.
Mr. John Yates
Birmingham Register Office
Holliday Wharf
Holliday Street
Birmingham
B1 1TJ
Tel: 0121 675 2909
Subjects:
1. History of Civil Registration / Register ''funnies''
2. Understanding Birth Certificates
3. Understanding Marriage Certificates
4. Understanding Death Certificates
5. Starting Your Family History
6. Wills from 1858
7. NEW FOR 2010/2011 - Another Funny Thing Happened at the Register Office (more unusual entries from the registers)
Plus talks can be given on most other basic Family History sources tailored to your group's requirements.
Fee: £30.00 if booked through the Register Office. Up to £30.00 if booked privately
Equipment: Speaker will provide 35mm slides, slide projector and extension lead. Will require screen or blank wall and a table for the projector
Size of Audience: Any size of audience considered
Availability: Day and Evening both considered
Other Information: John Yates is the Genealogist employed at Birmingham Register Office with many years experience of Family History research. Talks normally last about 45 minutes followed by a question and answer session.
Mary Yates - Local Ambassador for Send A Cow
Contact Mary viawww.sendacow.org.uk
TEL: 0121 427 8551
EMAIL:m_yates@onetel.com
Subject
Send A Cow is a Christian charity that provides direct and practical assistance to groups of poor farming families in sub - Saharan Africa. All beneficiaries receive a gift such as a - calf, cow, goats or apple tree seedlings, plus training in natural organic farming and animal husbandry. Support workers give advice and assistance until the farmers become self - sufficient.
Fee: No charge for the speaker, although donations to Send A Cow will not be refused.
Equipment: Able to show slides and provide projector. Able to show DVD or Powerpoint but equipment required for this service
Size of Audience: No minimum number
Availability: Evenings
Local History Topics A - L
Local History Topics M - Z
Birmingham Archives and Heritage Service
Birmingham Central Library
Local History Societies which meet in Birmingham Libraries