Black Country historian to talk about the joys of metal detecting

A well-known Black Country author will talk about his passion for metal detecting at a meeting of a history society next week.

The discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard in 2009, by metal detectorist Terry Herbert, sparked a flurry of interest in the hobby, and Ian Bott will bring along some of his most interesting finds when he talks to members of Sedgley Local History Society on November 12.

Mr Bott, from Wednesbury, is a popular local historian and has written a number of books on the Black Country’s past, including Wednesbury Through Time and Black Country Murders.

He spent his earliest working years as a watchmaker in the town, but the tales and memories he heard from his friends and customers made fuelled his passion for the region’s past, and he went on to become a guide at the Walsall Leather Museum.

The event, at St Andrew’s Church in Bilston Street, starts at 7.30pm, and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. Admission is £2.