Spotted this morning that all the union flags in Tipton have "Better Together" printed across them - job lot of leftovers from the Scottish referendum?!

A perfect autumn day in the shire.

Unexpected cover of the day: Sepultura doing Massive Attack 🤨 youtu.be/z0VtqHugrKs?...

A new season of talks from the Centre for Midlands History & Cultures begins next month! We begin with a house history - Winterbourne, Edgbaston, #Birmingham 📅Thurs 16 October 🕰️7:00-8:00pm Online via Zoom All Welcome @archivewhg.bsky.social

The Autumn edition of The Blackcountryman magazine is now available to buy from the Black Country Living Museum shop. 96 pages full of Black Country goodness.

This is a great idea👇 If you're in Shropshire, Shrewsbury Food Hub takes fruit: they had about 50kg of pears off us which mostly went to school holiday clubs www.shrewsburyfoodhub.org.uk

This song inspired a very detailed Venn diagram.

mfer is literally named "rob tombs", did they summon the spirit of the british museum into an op ed writer

Some big news: the University of Birmingham is launching a new MA in Gender & Sexuality. It's interdisciplinary, with a focus on combining theory & practice. It's going to be amazing. I'm convening it: message or email with questions. www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgr... @unibirmingham.bsky.social

Interesting that one side are anti-racism campaigners, the other side are just people who happen to have turned up to a march organised by a fascist, racist thug. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If you want an informed explanation of what the messages on the bullet casings used by Tyler Robinson actually mean to the extreme far right internet edge-lord culture that he was embedded in, please watch this excellent video from @roterote.bsky.social. #r4today vm.tiktok.com/ZNdboB7vo/

Delighted to share our Call for Papers for the workshop *Object Stories in Health and Medicine 1700-1900*. Taking place online on 5 December. Pls share and consider submitting an object story! @rebeccawhiteley.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/objec...

I would say this, but I hope people don't forget that Britain has a strong tradition of living history - they've had their critics, but contemporary living museums put tons of effort into balanced, nuanced storytelling often marking the lives of ordinary people better than 'traditional' museums.

Lunchtime pint in this beautiful pub.

Made a new friend at the beach this evening.

🔥 Sounds of Solidarity – Brummies back the Bin Strikes West Midlands @fbunational.bsky.social is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with @unitetheunion.bsky.social in hosting a special solidarity event for Brum Bin workers. 🗓️26th September 📍 Norton’s, Digbeth ⏰ 6pm ‘til late #StrikeMap

NEWS: I’ve set up an independent anti-racist reporting and monitoring organisation. We’ll document racist attacks, support victims, pressure authorities to act, and amplify the voices of smaller, more isolated Black and Asian communities across Britain.🧵

Grant Bage Book re-writes English Football History @footballandwar.bsky.social @dralexanderjackson.bsky.social @tomjgarry.bsky.social @garyjames.bsky.social @fionaskillen.bsky.social @fcstpauli-museum.de www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

Pretty sure Grimsby beating Man Utd will unite the nation more than all the flags Britain First can donate.

British women’s history (WW2) folks, can I pick your brains on sources? I have a student in Norway who would like to do a small project on women’s roles in the war & she’s interested in WAAF, WVS, etc. are there any records or sources available online that would be useful? Places to start? Thanks 🙏

In case you think the original post unmeasured: hopenothate.org.uk/2025/08/22/o...

Made friends with a robin which flew into the house.

We've had builders in the last two weeks, and our quaint little old house is starting to resemble The Money Pit. However, it does mean that I'm starting to build a wallpaper archive. Stand by for multiple types of woodchip.

The only newsworthy aspect of the far-right anti-migrant protests currently is how pathetically small they are. Last summer 60,000 people came to the Restore Nature Now protest in London, and the BBC didn’t even report on it. bsky.app/profile/sund...

God bless and keep the Women's Institute.

Just recorded an oral history today with someone who appears in this film! He was a regular at Aunties and the Gay Flamingo in Walsall and Wolverhampton, before moving to London where he temporarily found work at the RVT. bclm.com/2024/02/21/r...

‘Heritage week opens your eyes to Birmingham’ - Irene de Boo organiser of Birmingham Heritage Week (over 10 days 12-21 Sept) - now in its 11th year and the biggest yet with 240 events!

Blackberrying on Wenlock Edge like I'm AE Housman or something

Black Country people: fash are trying to mobilise people in Dudley this Sunday, hot off back of former Tory MP & multiple property owner Marco Longhi’s campaign to remove leisure discount for asylum-seekers. Please join the counter demo 11am at the Fountain if you can.

Name a TV show you're positive no one remembers but you

Going to increase the heritage budget are they?

I feel deeply for colleagues in Coventry having to explain what a collections review is and how museums work to elected officials www.bbc.com/news/article...

#OtD 13 Aug 1946 13 homeless families moved into an empty US military camp on Burton Road in Dudley, England. It was part of a mass wave of squatting, primarily by former service members and their families in the wake of World War II stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8455...

The Midland History Essay Prize of £400 is offered for the best essay submitted on an historical subject relating to midland England. ⏱️Deadline for entries 31 Oct 2025 See webpage for some #OpenAccess examples of previous winning essays More details about how to enter below (1/2)

It might have been Asimov, but I suspect it was Futuretrack 5, which was a rare go at dystopian sci-fi by Robert Westall. I remember it being very exciting at the time despite the extremely bland cover, and I read lots of his wartime books, but I have no idea if it would stand up today.

They have met and we again have to witness the depressing spectacle of chicken politics until they sort out a social order. Chickens are natural feudalists with some problematic views on gender.

Brought home some new friends: goth chickens. We're calling them Esme and Gytha. They'll meet Josella and Phyllis later.

Wolverhampton didn't get the weekend of anarchy memo

What a great story, and he sounds like he was a great guy too! From The Times via archive.today archive.ph/TlJnd

I think this must be one of Shropshire's finest. "My brain socialist, my heart anarchist, my eyes pacifist, my blood revolutionary." His life sounds fascinating - he was radicalised into kebab work via the poll tax demos: sheneoldboys.co.uk/news/alistai...

Well said, Mo Salah. Suleiman al-Obeid was shot dead by IDF forces whilst waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.

I'm looking for recommendations for ways of filing your research notes - I need something searchable, maybe taggable, shareable (but able to limit editing) - any suggestions? So far I've thought of shared folders, Teams (I know), wiki, Evernote-style...

I'm looking for recommendations for ways of filing your research notes - I need something searchable, maybe taggable, shareable (but able to limit editing) - any suggestions? So far I've thought of shared folders, Teams (I know), wiki, Evernote-style...

Furthest I have been: N: Fort William 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 E: St Lucia, South Africa 🇿🇦 S: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa 🇿🇦 W: Miami 🇺🇸

Date for your diary: 10th September, Arena Theatre Wolverhampton. Screening of Pouring Water on Troubled Oil - the amazing story of when BP took Dylan Thomas to Iran to make a promotional film. Spoiler: it did not go well. Screening, interview with director Nariman Massoumi, talk by Andy Webb…

I'm 6'3" and these are all advantages I have over someone say 5' tall, of any gender or none. Let me tell you that my record at pool does not suggest any sort of advantage

Excited to be part of the Autumn Programme at #TheExchange 'Pioneers: Thrift Radiates Happiness' the story of Birmingham Municipal Bank as part of Birmingham Heritage Week 📅Weds 17 Sept #UnlockingtheVaults project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and University of Birmingham

Goodbye to the history department at Lancaster University, where the @socialhistsoc.bsky.social was founded 49 years ago. From tomorrow we are part of a School of Global Affairs. Next year, who knows what will be - please sign our petition against mass redundancies chng.it/PZfTFDjNcr

Oh this is sad! The Ahlbergs' books were a staple of my childhood - Allan signed my copy of The Worm Book for me at River Park Leisure Centre in Winchester, must be early 1990s. His memoir The Bucket is lovely too, Black Country fans should note his wonderful descriptions of growing up in Oldbury.