Bilston 'hero' launches final history book on town's history

Mr Davies, of Bradley, has spent the last 15 years on a seemingly never-ending crusade to record the life and times of the area.

He has gathered old photographs, engravings and brochures to tell the story of his patch of the Black Country.

Mr Davies launched the eighth and final book from his series, called Bilston, Bradley and Ladymore at Bilston Baptist Church on Sunday.

He said: "It's nice to get it done. It seems to be very popular.

"When you finish a book, it gives you a huge sense of achievement. Now we're up to the eighth book, and that's a lot of achievement. I'd be surprised if anybody else focussed so much on a certain area.

"At the age of nearly 90, I think I've done enough though. It always depends on the pictures that keep on coming in though."

The first in the series was released in 2000. Mr Davies had originally planned to turn down the offer to work on the book, but was convinced by the profits going to Compton Hospice.

"I've been coming to Bilston my entire life. It's a great area," he added.

In attendance at the launch was Wolverhampton MP Pat McFadden, who said: "Taken together, these books form a priceless local history and they are well-loved in the area.

"Ron is a local resident and historian and he has worked tirelessly over the years to bring the rich industrial heritage of Bilston and the surrounding area to life through the amazing photographs in these books.

"He says this will be the last book in the series and I believe his work has made him a real Bilston hero.

"These books are for the community, Ron puts them together with their help, which I think is a brilliant thing."

The books celebrate the three Black Country townships industrial heritage, as well as the strong sense of community and unique characters, through an illustrated historical guide.

Each edition contains more than 200 old photographs designed to take readers back in time and act as an account of an era which may otherwise be forgotten.

Looking through the scrapbook of photographs, people can see the towns change over time.

Many poignant memories are given a new lease of life, offering a trip down memory lane for some but for others this charming book will be a voyage of discovery.

For a short while, however, it looked as though this eighth edition would become 'the book that never was'.

A miscommunication during the shipping process from Mr Davies to his publisher resulted in the historian believing that the one and only copy he had of the book had been lost.

After he contacted MP McFadden's office, the problem was eventually resolved and the book found safe and sound.

MP McFadden said: "I am glad everything turned out well in the end.

"Ron is a lovely person, he is very talented and what he has done with these books is give future generations an account of what their town was like so many years ago."

Adrian Lloyd, minister at Bilston Baptist Church, said: "From the response they have had, this book fills a gap for the people of Bilston. They have had a lot of interest."

Ron Davies' Bilston, Bradley and Ladymoor books, published by The History Press, can be bought online through Amazon.