Programme of Events
Black Country Geological Society’s indoor meetings will be held during the winter months at the Abbey Room at the Dudley Archives, Tipton Road, Dudley, DY1 4SQ.
Unless otherwise stated, the Abbey Room and Zoom meetings will normally open at 7.30pm and lectures commence at 8.00pm.
Those wishing to attend field or geoconservation meetings please contact our Field Secretary (email address on the Contacts page).
Any non-members wishing to attend our virtual meetings should contact our Meetings Secretary for instructions (email address on the Contacts page).
Other contact details are also available on our Contact us page.
Updated 14 August 2022.
Members please check your email for any last minute changes.
Recordings of some of our virtual talks can be found on our YouTube channel.
Events in August–September 2022
- 4 August (1 event)
Evening Field Meeting - The Geology, mining heritage and landscapes of Himley Hall and Baggeridge Country Park
Evening Field Meeting - The Geology, mining heritage and landscapes of Himley Hall and Baggeridge Country Park 6.30 -
Thursday 4 August (Evening Field Meeting): The Geology, mining heritage and landscapes of Himley Hall and Baggeridge Country Park, led by Graham Worton. Meet at 6.30 at Himley Hall car park, DY3 4LA, (grid ref: SO889915). An evening walk to examine the geology and its effects on the landscape of the historic hall that was also the home to the last deep coal mine of the Black Country (Baggeridge Colliery).
http://maps.google.com/maps?z=16&daddr=52.521248N,2.163642W
iCal - 7 September (1 event)
Evening Field Meeting - The Geology of the Rowley Hills Geosite
Evening Field Meeting - The Geology of the Rowley Hills Geosite 6.30 -
Wednesday 7 September (Evening Field Meeting): The Geology of the Rowley Hills Geosite, Sandwell, led by Graham Worton. Meet at 6.30 in the lay-by roadside parking on Darby's Hill Road, B69 1SG, (grid ref: SO 96704 89278). This evening walk will take in the views, look at exposures of the famous 'Rowley Ragstone' at the Blue Rock Quarry Geosite, and some millennium Geoart installations. Joint meeting with the Geological Society, West Midlands Regional Group.
Map to Darby's Hill Road
iCal - 12 September (1 event)
The Building Stones of Birmingham - Trail 3 'Around the Shops'
The Building Stones of Birmingham - Trail 3 'Around the Shops' 11.00 - 12.30
Monday 12 September (Field Meeting): The Building Stones of Birmingham - Trail 3 'Around the Shops', led by Julie Schroder. 11.00 - 12.30. Meet at the Bull Statue, Rotunda Square, St. Martin's Walk. This is the first BCGS guided walk on this trail since the leaflet was published in 2021. It is a Birmingham Heritage Week event. Click here for more information and booking.
Map to The Bull statue at the head of St. Martin's Walk
iCal - 18 September (1 event)
Walk around the Stiperstones
Walk around the Stiperstones 10.30 - 4.00
Sunday 18 September: Walk around the Stiperstones, led by Albert Benghiat (Chair, Shropshire Geological Society). Joint trip with Lickey Hills Geo-Champions. Meet at 10.30 at the car park arrowed on the map: GR: SO 3697 9768. The walk is 8km with 188m of ascent. Bring a packed lunch, and clothing for rough ground and exposed hillsides. This walk is an opportunity to compare the Palaeozoic quartzites of the Lickey Hills, with those exposed at the Stiperstones. Finish by 4.00. There are still a few places remaining. To book, contact Ray Pratt: geostart@btinternet.com
Map to Stiperstones Knolls Car Park
iCal - 19 September (1 event)
Celebrating the Origins of Animal Life: Building a UNESCO Global Geopark in Charnwood Forest, UK
Celebrating the Origins of Animal Life: Building a UNESCO Global Geopark in Charnwood Forest, UK 7.30 -
Monday 19 September (Indoor Meeting): 'Celebrating the Origins of Animal Life: Building a UNESCO Global Geopark in Charnwood Forest, UK'. Speaker: Jack Matthews.
Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire is host to some of the oldest animal fossils in the world, many of which have been key to our understanding of the rise of animals during the Ediacaran period around 570 million years ago. In addition to its internationally significant palaeontology, the area is also host to a number of working and historic quarries whose lithologies have shaped the built environment of the United Kingdom for more than 2000 years. This presentation will outline the internationally significant geodiversity of Charnwood Forest - including the outstanding ancient fossils - and the ways it has shaped the landscape, communities, and people of Britain’s ‘unexpected upland’.
Dr Jack Matthews is Geoheritage Conservation and Interpretation Officer for the Charnwood Forest Geopark, U.K., and a freelance consultant in geoheritage, geoconservation, and geotourism. He is an Honorary Associate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, where he continues his research into the Ediacaran rocks of Avalonia, studies to inform the management of geosites, and the promotion of UNESCO International Geodiversity Day. Jack proudly grew up in South Staffordshire, and is a Governor at the three schools he attended in the county.
Map to Dudley Archives
iCal - 26 September (1 event)
BCGS visit to the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
BCGS visit to the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland -
Monday 26 – Friday 30 September: BCGS visit to the Dingle Peninsula. Field trips led by Ken Higgs. More information: Newsletter 271, Feb 2022. Contact Alan Clewlow: treasurer@bcgs.info
Map to Dingle, Ireland
iCal