Group Visits
The Centre welcomes Group Visits, which are preferred on our non-open days of Monday – Wednesday. We can cater for up to thirty people and a typical session would go like this:-
- Introduction to the Heritage Centre
- Refreshments
- 15 minute film on the history of Smethwick
- Summary of the film with questions and answers
- Guided tour around the museum
Depending on the length of time you wish to stay with us we can add in other topics such as a guided tour of the nearby High Street area or comprehensive discussion based on our replica air raid shelter, or any particular topic that your Group may require.
We can also offer a one hour Powerpoint talk on a variety of subjects such as:-
- A Near Run Thing (The Ladywood election battle of 1924 between Neville Chamberlain and Oswald Mosley)
- From Smethwick To St. Nazaire (The life of Bill Savage VC)
- For King And Country (Smethwick’s WW1 heroes – Harold Colley VC and Herbert James VC)
- Enemy Overhead (The zeppelin raids on the Midlands in WW1)
- Enemy Within (What happened to German nationals in Britain in WW1)
- Projecting Britain (Michael Balcon and Ealing film studios)
The cost depends on what you wish in your package and the length of time. The basic cost is approx. £5 a head to include refreshments plus we can also come out to you to give talks and displays. Please contact us to discuss your costs & requirements.
Would you like to make a booking? Simply click the button to the right to get in touch.
School Visits
Smethwick Heritage Centre can provide educational visits for schools, either at your school or at our Centre & museum in Victoria Park. We can accommodate up to 30 children at a current “All-in” cost of just £90.
We are able to provide history visits tailored to the needs of your students so please contact us to discuss your requirements. Below are some examples of recent visits.
World War II
- Students can learn how life in Smethwick changed during WWII due to air raids, rationing, evacuation, conscription & civil defence.
- See & hear our original air raid siren and enter our replica Anderson Shelter to experience what conditions were like during an air raid.
- See & handle genuine medals, shrapnel, bullets, gas masks & hand grenades
- Dress in armed forces & civil defence uniforms.
- Question and answer session to close
Industrial Revolution
- Discover how Smethwick changed due to the Industrial Revolution using original maps and trade directories.
- Find out why Smethwick was attractive to the new manufacturing industries & identify the impact that they had on the residents & local area.
- Learn about some of the world famous factories that were based in the town & see and use some of the items that they made.
- Question and answer session to close.
Social & Technological Changes Following WWII
Learn about the key social changes in Smethwick during the post war years & the effect it had. Also use some of the items that were part of everyday life in the 1950’s & 60’s, and compare them to the technology that we rely on today.
