Chairman, Brian Idoine, welcomed 60 members and 48 visitors to the meeting. Following notices re safety procedures and arrangements for drawing the raffle, he made an urgent appeal, aimed at members, for anyone prepared to serve on the committee. The situation was becoming critical as two members would be stepping down in the near future and without a committee the society will sadly fold.

Brian then introduced the speakers for the evening – Helen Taylor and Jessica Lambert, assistant curators at the Black Country Living Museum.

Helen spoke first, covering the origins of the museum and the complex process involved in moving a building from its original location. She explained that the museum represented the Black Country as the world's first industrial landscape. The idea came about in the l950s after Dudley Borough librarians and others noted the decline in industry in the area, leading them to conclude that the traditional Black Country should be preserved. Dudley Council set up a museum department. As the number of objects collected grew, along with support from the public and the Black Country Society, an open air site was proposed where the objects could be displayed in their true context.

In 1970 a Friends Group was formed and in l976 the museum separated from the Council and a staff of six were tasked with creating a viable museum site. An area off Tipton Road was selected, being the site of an old water treatment works. From l810-1926 the site was worked for limestone, iron and fireclay. Alongside the many mines on site, one of its original features still in place today is the lime kilns, though now minus the chimneys.

The site, covering some 26 acres, was built in three phases, the first opening in l978, and open regularly to the public ever since.

Many of the buildings were donated, eg the Workers Institute – which otherwise would have been demolished. Helen then explained the intricate procedure when moving a building from its original site. The first step is to obtain the approval of the local authority. The example she gave was the Jerushah Cottage in Coopers Bank which was tilted due to subsidence. The couple living there (Jerushah by name) found that it would be very difficult to modernise and impossible to insure. The museum had to get permission to reconstruct the building with the tilt, so showing the effects of subsidence. The work involved taking hundreds of measurements, photographs etc to record the curvature of the building. Rubbings were also made of the front elevation of and of any unusual patterns. Every piece of the building, except the roof tiles, was labelled as it was dismantled and carefully crated.

Dismantling took 24 weeks, but the complex reconstruction took 18 months, described by the constructions and facilities manager as a 'monster of a job'. The cottage has hidden reinforcements to make it secure and comply with current building regulations.

In addition, research is carried out to enable the real history of the buildings to be told.

The majority of the buildings on site are original, but sometimes it has been necessary to use replicas as in the case of the bakers and sweet shop.

Many elements go to make a living museum - for example, people, transport, collections and experiences like the school, the mine and metal demonstrations.

The process of sorting lots of paperwork is currently under way, so that the public can access an organised project history.

Brian thanked the speakers for a most interesting talk and thanked the ladies who provided the refreshments. The November 10 talk, at 7.30pm in the Community Centre, Wordsley Green, is entitled 'The Odyssey of Tommy Atkins',when the experience of the Great War will be told through the eyes of Tommy Atkins. Andrew Lound's presentation will be supported by period images, music and sound effects".