A slice of the past was brought to life with music when the lost Carol of Bilston was performed for the first time in 50 years.

Lord Dennis Turner of Bilston, who was MP for Wolverhampton South East for almost 20 years before moving to the House of Lords, was among the crowds listening to the nostalgic performance on Saturday.

He said the performance of the carol was like “unwrapping an heirloom” of the town, and he was presented with a specially-made collage of the words and music at the event on Saturday.

“It was a great occasion. I would not have missed it for the world,” he said. “When I heard the male voice choir had rediscovered the Bilston carol and were performing at the event I realised that it was too good an opportunity to miss. I asked them to include the carol in their repertoire.”

Also enjoying the historic moment was Bernard Francis who had sung the carol before it was lost five decades ago.

When it was first written, the carol intended to tug at the heart and purse strings of the wealthy in Bilston to persuade them to give to the poor at Christmas.

The carol was written in 1912 by Black Country historian George Lawley who lived in Frost Street, Priestfield, and was a member of the congregation at Ward Street Methodist Church.  It was sung in large houses, pubs and chapels, before the words were lost with the closure of Mr Lawley’s church in 1957.

But it has now been rearranged for Wolverhampton Orpheus Male Voice Choir after one of its members, Paul Smith, discovered that his mother-in-law had kept a copy of the Christmas hymn.

The popular choir performed it at Spring Vale Social Club in Millfield Road during the annual senior citizens Christmas lunch organised by the Wolverhampton Friday Night domino league, which has Lord Turner as its president.

Mr Smith, a 60-year-old senior prison officer, said the choir was “delighted” to perform the carol.