Welcome to the Birmingham and Edgbaston Debating Society; a society of those drawn together by a shared love of debating.
The Edgbaston Debating Society was founded in 1846 in Edgbaston, and joined with the Birmingham society in 1855. Our members have historically drawn from Birmingham’s ‘great and good’, including figures such as Neville and Joseph Chamberlain.
The Society has been in existence for over 160 years, debating continuously through that time. A record of our debates are held in the Archive Heritage Section of the Birmingham City Library, and cover a wide range of topics such as Home Rule for Ireland, the record of successive Governments and Prime Ministers, and other matters of social, political, and other interest. This archive has grown over those years to become a rich source of contemporary debate and comment – a “window” on the important topics of the time.
If you would like to know more about the history of the Birmingham & Edgbaston Debating Society, you can purchase our book online via the button below.
For more information on what debating is and the rules of the society, please see What is debating.
We meet alternately on the second Wednesday or Thursday of the month. For more information for our debating schedule please see Contact & Information. We encourage guests and hope you will contact us about joining our next debate.