Gornal Events in the Past

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Brass Bands ~ Carnivals ~ Royalty

In this section is still under construction, it hopefully will include any past events of a local nature; Carnivals, Fetes, Garden Parties, Shows, etc. as and when this content becomes available.
Any appropriate content is very welcome.

Carnivals now has its own page.

"Gornal - where they put the pig on the wall to watch the band go by" is an established part of local folklore.
See about this here

Church "Anniveraries".

Church parades, often accompanied with marching bands, were also another popular enjoyment and which still carry on today.
See also Brass Bands

The Church Anniversary parades were a major part of the local calendar, and in earlier times often involved a parade around the immediate area.

1934 Birmingham Gazzette.

VILLAGE'S £1000 OFFERTORY

GORNAL "ANNIVERSARY" RECORD CLAIM

Lower Gornal, a Black Country mining village with a population of not more than 5000, claim that it raises a record amount each year at its Sunday School Festivals.
It has fewer than a thousand "bread winners" and mining is not the most flourishing industry at the moment, but the collections at the eight school anniversaries aggregate over £1,000 annually.
The "anniversary" season is in full swing, and results to date promise a new record, for practically every church reports an increase.

"PECULIAR"

"You may think their loyalty peculiar," a resident told a Birmingham Gazette reporter yesterday, "but, after all, you expect peculiar things from Gornal. We have made our name by our peculiarities, for where else would you find people build cages for linnets and forget they should have roofs, or put pigs on the wall to see the band go by?"
"The anniversary is the one time in the year when 'father' puts his hand down," a Gornal Draper said. "Every man, woman and child in the village has to have a new outfit. It takes the majority six months to pay for it."

The Anniversaries, as the name suggests, usually were set near the time when the first church or chapel was opened or renewed.

Children from the Sunday Schools of local chapels were involved and the events energized great rivalry amongst local congregations.

Wesleyan Anniversary.

Image reproduced with the kind permission of The Himley Road Wesleyan Church, Gornal Wood.

Remembrance Sunday

The Remembrance Sunday Parade is still enthusiastically supported for those that served and for the many who have lost their lives in wartime, many of the local uniformed organizations are represented and take part in the procession through the streets of Lower Gornal.

See also War Time Memorials

Many of these street events are now under threat from the ever engulfing 'health and safelty' issues.

1884: Dudley and District News, August.

Annual Shows, Fetes and Garden Parties

These events were originally introduced by the Church as fund raising events, such gatherings took place at St. James' during the 19th Century.
Large events were also held at Himley Hall by the Earl of Dudley, other local benevolent dignitaries would hold such events, albeit on a smaller scale, such as those by the owners of Ellowes Hall and Straits House

Annual Shows of flowers, fruit and vegetables were held at Lower Gornal in the Vicarage grounds, in 1876 the show included fireworks and the church tower of St. James was illuminated.
Children from the Burton Road workhouse were treated with an invitation to attend, these shows were hugely attended.

The Upper Gornal annual 'Fun Day' still takes place on the recreational ground off Vale Street

2017 Upper Gornal Fun Day on the 'Quarry', Vale Street, Upper Gornal

Photo Taken from the top of the Ruiton Windmill, CDM 2017

Other Events

At one time, small fun fairs were held in Gornal Wood 'Duckle' where the Bus Station is now..

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