Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group

Here you will find a copy of Sutton Coldfield Trades Directories for the years 1830 to 1940.   These are a useful tool when tracing ancestors who carried on business in the town or its immediate surroundings.  The originals books are available in Sutton Coldfield Library under Reference SH.06 SUT. × Warning! While this page works with most modern browsers, for the best experience we recommend: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari or Edge Browser.Internet Explorer is known to have problems viewing the enlarged images in this section.Due to the large image size, this section is not recommended for mobile devices, other than when using WiFi.

When Sutton Coldfield became a Municipal Borough in 1886, building plans had to be submitted to the Borough Surveyor to ensure that building regulations were complied with.

This useful guide book to Sutton Park was first published in Easter 1965. One of its Editors was Peter Wilfred James who was renowned for his study of lichens in the park.  Yvonne Moore has made this scan of the guide but added to it some interesting research relating to his past.  He died in Sutton Coldfield on 13 February 2014 but there is an indication that he spent some of his childhood in Sutton, proof of which is still sought.

In this book you may recognise some of the legends that have cropped up about Bishop Vesey over the years.  Whilst a very entertaining read, these ‘tales’ blend fact with fiction and you should seek elsewhere for original sources!

This remarkable article is the result of painstaking research and offers a myriad of facts relating to Sutton Coldfield from the 13th century onwards.  The Warden’s Calendar for 1899 lists a commemorative event for every day of that year.   Kerry Osbourne has used this document as the basis to discover more about each event, thus enabling him to paint a small pen picture of each one. 

This is my iPhone copy of the Town School Admittance Register to be found in Sutton Coldfield Library under Reference QSH 48.32TOW. It is an invaluable source of information if you are searching for a family who lived in Sutton Coldfield between 1826 and 1904.Janet Jordan, Member of Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group, March 2020. × Warning! While this page works with most modern browsers, for the best experience we recommend: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari or Edge Browser.Internet Explorer is known to have problems viewing the enlarged images in this section.Due to the large image size, this section is not recommended for mobile devices, other than when using WiFi.

In this little black book ‘Wandering among the Aisles’ which has graced the library shelves for umpteen years, Bernard McEvoy, in 1878, wrote of his visits to all the churches in Sutton Coldfield at that time.  His object was to give his impression as an average man of the buildings, the ceremonies, the music and singing therein.  At times, he pulls no punches, but some of his descriptions are quite delightful! Janet JordanDecember 2024