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  • New Look Intranet Screen Display

    Notice something different?

    We’ve re-designed the way the intranet is displayed on communal staff screens so that the information is clear, up to date (and hopefully interesting!)

    You’ll notice a few new features too such as the integration of a weather widget, a BCLM social media feed and a local news & travel section.

    Hopefully, you’ll find this a much improved way to receive news and updates from across the Museum but if there’s anything else you’d like to see displayed or any suggestions for improvements, please do let us know by emailing [email protected]

     

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – West Bromwich Building Society

    We’ll be launching our public call-out for memories and objects relating to the Cape Hill branch of the West Bromwich Building Society (WBBS) pre-1960 on Monday 5 March.

    Do have any personal stories about this WBBS branch that was at 31, Cape Hill, Smethwick (opposite the present-day branch)? Perhaps you held a savings account with them or got your first mortgage there? Or maybe your family or friends worked there?

    If you, or anyone you know has anything you would like to share to help in our recreation of the West Bromwich building Society, please pop in and see the Collections team in the Rolfe Street offices.

    We’re particularly keen to hear the memories of those who moved to Smethwick from outside the UK during this period. This was a time when housing was a political, economic and cultural issue and finding somewhere to live was often challenging. We are keen to hear how new arrivals found somewhere to live, how they saved to buy a home, and about the difficulties they faced. If you have a story to tell we would love to hear it.

     

    A bit about WBBS

    The West Brom was formed as the West Bromwich Permanent Benefit Building Society in 1849, at Paradise Street Methodist schoolrooms in West Bromwich. Societies like this were formed to enable the working classes to afford home ownership and in turn receive a vote, whilst sharing the profits of the venture. The Society grew in strength between the wars, opening a new headquarters, the “Home Of Thrift” in West Bromwich High Street, and branches in Handsworth, Smethwick, Great Bridge and Oldbury. By its centenary year in 1949, the West Brom had over 1.5 million depositors, still helping people to save to afford their own home.

    The building we are recreating from 31, Cape Hill, was built in the late nineteenth-century as part of the Post Office on the corner of Windmill Lane, and was taken over by the Building Society in 1931. They moved their Smethwick Branch from Waterloo Road to this more prominent site and refaced the building with a new stone façade. It remained open until around 1970, when the branch moved across the road to its present position.

     

    Why WBBS?

    Telling the story of the Society in this period will enable us to show the importance of mutual help and savings to the ordinary residents of the Black Country, and how central to everyday life the idea of home was.

     

  • BBC Cooking Show – Voluntary Opportunity for all Staff & Volunteers

    Fancy taking part in a prime time BBC cooking show at BCLM? Want to be cooked for? Happy to wear costume?

    A prime time BBC Cooking Show will be filming at the Museum on Monday 19th March and is looking for volunteers to get involved.

    You’ll be needed from 10.45am until 2pm and full instructions will be issued in advance.

    For now, please email [email protected] to register your interest by Wednesday 7 March.

    N.B You must be wearing period costume on the day in order to take part.

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – Fundraising Champions needed

    So far we’ve raised £780,500 of our £1.9m fundraising target (41%) for BCLM: Forging Ahead.

    Now, as we head towards our peak season we’re looking for up to six visitor-facing colleagues (across costumed staff, Food&Drink, Retail& Admissions) to become Fundraising Champions to help us raise the £150,000 we need from the general public.

    There’s a phrase in fundraising that ‘people give to people’, so who better to talk to our visitors about BCLM: Forging Ahead fundraising than those of you who are interacting with them each and every day?

    We’re not talking about rattling tins here but we want to make sure our visitors know about the £1.9m fundraising campaign and how they can support it, should they wish to.

    As a Champion, the Development team will keep you up to speed with how much we’ve raised against our target, current messages and ways people can donate so that you can keep your colleagues informed as well as visitors.

    To find out more, take a look at the Fundraising Champions Terms of Reference which you can find in the documents tab above (Useful Information – BCLM: Forging Ahead) and if you’d like to be considered, send a short written expression of interest to Sophie Howell, Development Coordinator ([email protected]) or drop in to the Development office above Morralls by Monday 26 February.

     

     

    How visitors can donate

    • Donation boxes in Rolfe Street entrance, Hobbs, WI Café, Rolfe Street café and the Shop are now supporting Forging Ahead.
    • By text: text BCLM18 £5 to 70070.
    • Make a donation online at bclm.com/forgingahead.

    We will also shortly have donation forms available onsite.

     

    If you have any further questions do have a chat with one of the Development team (Carolyn, Vicki, Katy, Sophie or Kate) and we look forward to you helping us reach our target!

  • Stanton’s public call out launches

    Today (Monday 5 Feb) we’ve launched our public call for memories and objects relating to Stanton’s music shop, in Dudley pre-1960.

    We’re setting the shop in 1959, which means that it’s the old Stanton’s shop we’re replicating – not the modern building that replaced it. It was located on the corner of Castle Street and Fisher Street in Dudley town centre from 1895, when James Stanton opened his first retail shop. He had formerly run a “piano and harmonium warehouse” on Owen Street, Tipton.

    The shop was based in a large Georgian building, which you can see in the above image. This building was demolished c.1960 for Dudley’s town centre redevelopment, and Stanton’s moved temporarily into a building at the corner of Castle Street and Hall Street. In 1961, they opened a new flagship store on the ground floor of ‘Stanton House’ – this building is now Gregg’s and Cash Converters.

    If you hear of anyone – member of the public or visitor – that would like to share a memory or object relating to Stanton’s, please point them in the direction of our Collections team either via email – [email protected], phone – 0121 521 9643 or in person (via reception).

    Please do not take any personal details yourself.

    Don’t forget, if you have any personal stories of Stanton’s that you would like to share, please pop in and see the Collections team in the Rolfe Street offices.

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – Stanton’s Music Shop

    BCLM: Forging Ahead – Stanton’s Music Shop

    We’ll be launching our public call-out for memories and objects relating to Stanton’s music shop (pre 1960) on Monday 5 February.

    But before that, we want to know if you have any personal stories about the shop which stood on Dudley’s Castle Street until the late 1950s when it was knocked down and replaced with a modern flagship store (incorporating the shop that is now Greggs).

    Likewise, do you have any objects that were purchased from there pre 1960 – records, sheet music or musical instruments?

    If you do have anything you would like to share to help in our recreation of Stanton’s, please pop in and see the Collections team in the Rolfe Street offices.

     

    A bit about Stanton’s

    James Stanton founded his piano tuning business in Tipton in 1870, and shortly after set up a “pianoforte and harmonium warehouse” on Owen Street. In 1895, he opened a shop at 10 Castle Street, in Dudley. By the 1950s, the shop was in the hands of his daughter-in-law Florence, her daughter Audrey Howarth, and a managing director, Frederick Nash. In the late 1950s, much of Castle Street was demolished for Dudley’s town centre redevelopment, including replacing the old, Georgian building with a brand new block. It is the older building that will be recreated in the Museum’s new 1940s-60s town centre.

    The shop sold a range of musical instruments, including their traditional pianos but also electric organs and electric guitars. They moved on from gramophones to sell radiograms, radios, televisions and record players, as well as records to play on them which could be tested at listening booths first.

    Why Stanton’s?

    Stanton’s enables us to talk about the music and culture of the Black Country in the 1950s, including the rise of rock’n’roll and changing fashions.

  • 2018 Events – Staff & Volunteer Tickets

    In response to the overwhelming number of Members’ tickets already purchased for our 2018 special events programme, we’re bringing forward the opportunity for you to grab your tickets, and with an increased discount.

    Staff and volunteer tickets will go on sale on Thursday 25 January, a week before they go on sale to the general public. There’ll be 50 tickets available at a 50% discount for each evening event and each staff member or volunteer can purchase up to 4 tickets per event for personal use or for use by friends and family.

    Up to 10 additional full priced tickets may be purchased once tickets have gone on general sale on 1 February.

    For full details please see the updated ‘Staff Tickets for Events’ Policy which can be found within the Museum Documents folder of the Documents tab above.

    Please note that tickets can only be purchased from Liz Peters, Sales & Ticketing Manager, Andrea Phillips, Admissions & Welcome Manager or Nicola Rowe, Head of Retail & Admissions.

  • 2017 visitor attendance reaches all time high!

    2017 visitor attendance reaches all time high!

    At 332,778, visitor attendance in 2017 was considerably higher than the Museum has ever seen before. As I mentioned in my staff briefings last week, such strong levels of attendance can be attributed to many things, not least a hugely popular events programme, an increased awareness and use of the Museum’s UnChained Annual Pass, and our unique ability to give people a truly enjoyable experience.

    We will soon be publishing these excellent visitor figures and so, as we open our doors for 2018, I want to thank you once again for all your work in 2017 and wish you all the best for the year ahead for which we’ve set ourselves a challenging  but very achievable target visitor attendance of 325,000.

    Andrew

  • Introducing ‘Tone-up Tuesdays’

    In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions we’re starting our very own weekly exercise class at the Museum on Tuesday evenings at 5.10pm in Hall 2.

    We’ll be following exercise DVDs to start with, but if it proves popular we may look into arranging an instructor.

    The first class will take place on 16 January – everyone welcome!

    If you are interested in joining in please let Lisa Cowley know in person or via email [email protected].

     

  • Staff & Volunteer Social – Mon 15 Jan

    All staff and volunteers are invited to a social in the WI on Monday 15 January, 5.30 – 8.30pm.

    There will be music, games, quizzes and food & drink.

    If you would like to attend please email [email protected] expressing any dietary requirements along with any talents you might like to showcase!

    We hope that as many of you as possible are able to join us to celebrate the successes of 2017.

    Enjoy!

    Please do remember that you are on Museum property and should behave accordingly – more information can be found in the policies section of the documents tab above