Simon Briercliffe
@simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Historian at the Black Country Museum and elsewhere: talk to me about the Black Country, Shropshire, modern and local British history, the Irish in Britain, museums, local heritage and all stops in between. Baby gaeilgeoir. https://simonbriercliffe.com/
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Interested in the MA in Gender & Sexuality? Come talk to me this Saturday at our postgrad open day. (Or just email me, that's cool too.) www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgr...
November 11, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Interested in the MA in Gender & Sexuality? Come talk to me this Saturday at our postgrad open day. (Or just email me, that's cool too.) www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgr...
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
For Remembrance Sunday, a short reflection on the life and death of my great grandfather in the twenty years after his return. botheringmiancestors.substack.com/p/the-trench...
The Trenches, the Tram and the Trolley Bus
A twentieth-century story
botheringmiancestors.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:55 AM
For Remembrance Sunday, a short reflection on the life and death of my great grandfather in the twenty years after his return. botheringmiancestors.substack.com/p/the-trench...
Back onto historic pub interiors today. Here's one of my favourites, the Seven Stars in Smethwick in 1964, showing the reality of life beyond the headlines in that year: drinkers quietly getting on together. Most pubs in the town had a colour bar, but not this one.
November 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Back onto historic pub interiors today. Here's one of my favourites, the Seven Stars in Smethwick in 1964, showing the reality of life beyond the headlines in that year: drinkers quietly getting on together. Most pubs in the town had a colour bar, but not this one.
Got to live the dream this afternoon by researching pies (open the pic for the full view).
This is Albert Lawrence, landlord of the Royal Exchange in West Bromwich, pictured in 1962 with his new food offering, Dormston Pies. The company went on to invent the Black Country classic, the Balti pie.
This is Albert Lawrence, landlord of the Royal Exchange in West Bromwich, pictured in 1962 with his new food offering, Dormston Pies. The company went on to invent the Black Country classic, the Balti pie.
November 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Got to live the dream this afternoon by researching pies (open the pic for the full view).
This is Albert Lawrence, landlord of the Royal Exchange in West Bromwich, pictured in 1962 with his new food offering, Dormston Pies. The company went on to invent the Black Country classic, the Balti pie.
This is Albert Lawrence, landlord of the Royal Exchange in West Bromwich, pictured in 1962 with his new food offering, Dormston Pies. The company went on to invent the Black Country classic, the Balti pie.
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
BBC News bulletins leading on the story of an Algerian man being mistakenly released by the prison service.
Funnily enough I don't remember these cases ever leading the bulletins when an average of ten prisoners were mistakenly released a month in the final year of the last Government
Funnily enough I don't remember these cases ever leading the bulletins when an average of ten prisoners were mistakenly released a month in the final year of the last Government
November 5, 2025 at 2:55 PM
BBC News bulletins leading on the story of an Algerian man being mistakenly released by the prison service.
Funnily enough I don't remember these cases ever leading the bulletins when an average of ten prisoners were mistakenly released a month in the final year of the last Government
Funnily enough I don't remember these cases ever leading the bulletins when an average of ten prisoners were mistakenly released a month in the final year of the last Government
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
November 5, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Your once-in-a-while reminder that I have some capacity for freelance work and I am here for all your historical research, indexing, copyediting and photographing documents in archives needs.
Get in touch via my website: helenglew.com
Get in touch via my website: helenglew.com
Helen Glew
Historical Research and Writing
helenglew.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Your once-in-a-while reminder that I have some capacity for freelance work and I am here for all your historical research, indexing, copyediting and photographing documents in archives needs.
Get in touch via my website: helenglew.com
Get in touch via my website: helenglew.com
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
We've just added more historic Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland to our website. You can now compare first edition one-inch to the mile maps dating from the 1860s to 1870s with second edition maps published between 1898 and 1902. maps.nls.uk/os/one-inch-...
November 3, 2025 at 9:01 AM
We've just added more historic Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland to our website. You can now compare first edition one-inch to the mile maps dating from the 1860s to 1870s with second edition maps published between 1898 and 1902. maps.nls.uk/os/one-inch-...
Have to work in a Costa this morning and there was a Christmas song playing as I came in, so I've put some early Swans in my headphones and am indulging my most misanthropic tendencies over a cinnamon bun.
November 3, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Have to work in a Costa this morning and there was a Christmas song playing as I came in, so I've put some early Swans in my headphones and am indulging my most misanthropic tendencies over a cinnamon bun.
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
among all the "yass slay" responses, I think it's worth considering that glamour mag believes that trans ppl+allies are a bigger consensus than the gc dogma in the UK
and that is a SIGN
and that is a SIGN
The fearmonger-in-chief also had a winge about it. I won’t share her tweet, but this was Glamour’s reply. 💀
October 31, 2025 at 8:20 PM
among all the "yass slay" responses, I think it's worth considering that glamour mag believes that trans ppl+allies are a bigger consensus than the gc dogma in the UK
and that is a SIGN
and that is a SIGN
I once interviewed the boy that Enoch Powell said was the only white child at West Park Primary in Wolverhampton. Lies then, lies now.
Could Katie Lam identify the London schools where "more than three-quarters of children don’t speak English to a serviceable school standard". Well done to @davehillonlondon.bsky.social for giving Lam + CPS the chance to substantiate this claim at the Tory fringe
www.onlondon.co.uk/dave-hill-ka...
www.onlondon.co.uk/dave-hill-ka...
Dave Hill: Katie Lam should learn London's language
Recent comments about the capital's school children's English skills suggest the Tory MP from Kent must try harder
www.onlondon.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I once interviewed the boy that Enoch Powell said was the only white child at West Park Primary in Wolverhampton. Lies then, lies now.
I knew I was right to hang onto books from my MA 15 years ago - I'm a long way from KCL but every so often my inner geographer emerges. Today I'm trying to find the quote about "knocking through" in Jonathan Raban.
October 31, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I knew I was right to hang onto books from my MA 15 years ago - I'm a long way from KCL but every so often my inner geographer emerges. Today I'm trying to find the quote about "knocking through" in Jonathan Raban.
It's Maude's 12th birthday - seems very fitting that it's Halloween.
October 31, 2025 at 12:30 PM
It's Maude's 12th birthday - seems very fitting that it's Halloween.
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
#ArchivesWM member Dudley Archives is hosting 'Working Life', a pop-up exhibition by the Dudley Caribbean & Friends Ass. as part of their Culture and Heritage Community Project.
Further information on can be found at:
Black Country Roots: Windrush Voices
#archives @blackcountrysoc.bsky.social
Further information on can be found at:
Black Country Roots: Windrush Voices
#archives @blackcountrysoc.bsky.social
Black Country Roots: Windrush Voices
Stories of Industry and Manufacturing 1950-1970 from Dudley’s Windrush generation. Celebrating Black British heritage through real voices and lived histories.
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:31 AM
#ArchivesWM member Dudley Archives is hosting 'Working Life', a pop-up exhibition by the Dudley Caribbean & Friends Ass. as part of their Culture and Heritage Community Project.
Further information on can be found at:
Black Country Roots: Windrush Voices
#archives @blackcountrysoc.bsky.social
Further information on can be found at:
Black Country Roots: Windrush Voices
#archives @blackcountrysoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Dogs are now allowed at the Black Country Living Museum! This is like Christmas for me. www.instagram.com/reel/DQbfAdI...
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October 30, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Dogs are now allowed at the Black Country Living Museum! This is like Christmas for me. www.instagram.com/reel/DQbfAdI...
I'm currently sitting with a hot water bottle on my back after pulling a muscle doing basically nothing, so this is a bit close to the bone
October 30, 2025 at 9:57 AM
I'm currently sitting with a hot water bottle on my back after pulling a muscle doing basically nothing, so this is a bit close to the bone
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Interested in the history of Seven Dials or London or the 1920s and 1930s? I'm doing some walking tours of the Dials with @stanfordstravel.bsky.social on Sat 15 Nov.
There's loads to see, but Seven Dials is so small you don't need to walk far.
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/events/songs...
There's loads to see, but Seven Dials is so small you don't need to walk far.
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/events/songs...
October 29, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Interested in the history of Seven Dials or London or the 1920s and 1930s? I'm doing some walking tours of the Dials with @stanfordstravel.bsky.social on Sat 15 Nov.
There's loads to see, but Seven Dials is so small you don't need to walk far.
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/events/songs...
There's loads to see, but Seven Dials is so small you don't need to walk far.
manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/events/songs...
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Welcome to The Children of Men timeline.
BBC news this morning setting the tone for our coming century. Stories about apocalyptic climate-change led disaster and mass displacement in the post colonial global south evenly spaced with hysterical meltdowns about the onshore temporary housing of refugees.
October 29, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Welcome to The Children of Men timeline.
Really shocked to just hear about the passing of Bunny Bread, who created (among many others) the murals of Benjamin Zephaniah in Handsworth Park, and Malcolm X in Smethwick. His work was so detailed and full of life, how sad.
October 27, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Really shocked to just hear about the passing of Bunny Bread, who created (among many others) the murals of Benjamin Zephaniah in Handsworth Park, and Malcolm X in Smethwick. His work was so detailed and full of life, how sad.
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Pity he's an amoral void who's doing it as a cynical piece of political positioning
Striking to hear a senior Government minister in Wes Streeting clearly condemning Sarah Pochin's racism and the wider spread of racism across the UK, while defending the contribution of migrants to our country. Feels like a long time since we've heard a government minister speak like that
October 26, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Pity he's an amoral void who's doing it as a cynical piece of political positioning
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
Thanks to @reaktionbooks.bsky.social for making my history of protest in England's public spaces into a beautiful, well produced book with a fab cover.
Buy it here reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contest...
Buy it here reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contest...
October 25, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Thanks to @reaktionbooks.bsky.social for making my history of protest in England's public spaces into a beautiful, well produced book with a fab cover.
Buy it here reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contest...
Buy it here reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contest...
Busman's holiday today, down the mine at Hopewell Colliery.
October 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Busman's holiday today, down the mine at Hopewell Colliery.
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
King Prince Charles is visiting the Vatican today, presumably to request Prince Andrew be moved to a different parish after some trouble.
October 20, 2025 at 4:41 PM
King Prince Charles is visiting the Vatican today, presumably to request Prince Andrew be moved to a different parish after some trouble.