Hagley Historical and Field Society

Those attending the July meeting (and there were rather a lot of us) were introduced to a most enjoyable way of learning history and one that invites further practical exploration.  Our speaker was Anthony Collis, Chairman of the Inn Sign Society, who looked at the story behind some of the inn signs of ‘traditional’ Worcestershire (including the areas now lost to the West Midlands).  After an introduction to the long history of inn signs, dating back to Roman times, we embarked on a tour of the County through the stories behind its pubs.  Names like ‘Mitre Oak’, ‘Prince of Wales’ and ‘Red Lion’ can be seen across the land but where else might we find ‘The Glover’s Needle’, ‘Lyttleton Arms’ and ‘Pillar of Salt’ and which other counties have a pub in a churchyard?

Many of the pubs in Anthony’s fascinating presentation were in Bewdley and a few days later a group of us were able to ‘see them in the flesh’ on a guided walk around the town put on specially for us by the Civic Society.  Bewdley has a long history and, besides the pubs, we saw the workhouse, the Baldwin residence, several churches and schools and many venerable dwellings.  All this physical and mental effort made tea and cakes a most fitting conclusion to the afternoon!