Seriously, though, if you chaps would like to get in touch I’d be happy do do an online interview and feature you here on the Brownhills Blog. The growing interest in local history is a wonderful thing. That’s BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot Com. Look forward to hearing from you.
Here’s a great bit of cycling ephemera from David Evans. Lord knows where he found it, but I so love this. A brief history of Villiers, a true Wolverhampton engineering success story, who were associated with Sunbeam bicycles can be found here on the Wolverhampton University local history pages. I think this pamphlet is from the 1930’s.
You have to think carefully about this to get your head around how it works. Click for a legible image.
Gears were where it was at. Fancy French and Italian bikes where sporting nascent derailleur systems, and the mass-produced hub gear was still some years off becoming cheap enough for all. Click for a larger version.
While we’re on the subject, some very exotic systems appeared in the years before the derailleur and hub gear became the accepted norms. Hirondelle and others used a system that gave four gears in a very peculiar, innovative way. The system below is French and dates from 1925. See if you can work out how it functions.
This is fiendishly clever. I’ll post a link to the system’s function later in the day. See if you can work it out - although those who follow me on twatter will know, as I’ve discussed it previously. Photo by M.S. Gerritsen of a rather remarkable bike.
You need both images to make sense of it. Must have taken ages to learn how to ride it. Photo by M.S. Gerritsen.
In this field, a momentous discovery was made. The horses, however, remain unimpressed. Photo by Brownhills Champ and posted on Panoramio. I think both I and Brian know the source...
Today, top local bloke Brian Stringer (that’s the Clayhanger Kid, you know) had a slot on the Phil Upton show on BBC Radio WM. Going out at the ungodly hour of 7:20am, I doubt many hereabouts were sufficiently caffeine-infused to register what was going on, let alone digest the finer points of Brian’s plan. To that end, I snaffled the clip off BBC inlayer and offer the relevant portion below for your listening pleasure.
When I featured this last week, I pointed out that I think it’s a great idea and we really should get behind Brian on this. The spot should be recorded, and since that wee stub of road isn’t doing anything better it seems like a plan. Brian, as we’d all expect, gives a positive, pleasant and knowledgable account of his position despite Phil Upton trying to do the usual binary hatchet-job. It really is time they got that DJ some training.
I wish Brian well in this and if anyone wants to lend a hand and would like to contact Brian, I have his contact details handy. Just drop me a line.
David Evans has been working like a demon lately. I’ve a huge backlog of stories and articles he’s sent me. Some of the most remarkable stuff he’s been sending me lately are scans of items from the personal collection of local lady Jenny Langford. Amongst the keepsakes and memorabilia that Jenny has kindly allowed me to publish here are these interesting and poignant postcards from the First World War.
David had this to say about these cards:
Hi Bob
From the brother of Charles Collins, of Walsall Wood Express transport, to John Langford,
From active service with South Staffs in WW1 to home. These were called blueys and the postcards were printed by French photographers and could contain no message. I hope to work with Jenny to build an article around this incredible find.
Cheers
David
Interesting subject for the postcard… courtesy Jenny Langford and scanned by David Evans.
When a name and village was all it needed for the postie to find you… courtesy Jenny Langford and scanned by David Evans.
Still scan’t get my head around the subject matter. Image courtesy Jenny Langford and scanned by David Evans.
Remarkably, 97 years old. The significance echoes down the century. Image courtesy Jenny Langford and scanned by David Evans.
From the Birmingham Post, Tuesday, 22nd November 1970. Click for a larger version.
I’m indebted to reader Tony Wynn, who’s supplied another fascinating piece in the Ralph Ferrie jigsaw. The above story, from 1970, rings a vague bell; we know that Ralph had a garage on or near the old Midland Railway sidings up on the common near the A5. This was broadly opposite the ‘entrance’ – Pool Road – to Chasewater. I’m sure someone mentioned it when we discussed this before, but I can’t find the reference.
Ralph clearly didn’t succeed, but I do wonder what happened to the collection. This larger-than-life character clearly amassed quite a collection of vehicles as well as quite a considerable empire, and it all seems to have just melted away. I’d love to know what happened, if any of this stuff is still around.
I’d like to thank Tony for his generosity in supplying this fantastic thing, and to ask anyone else harbouring such wonderful ephemera to please, please let me have a copy. Fantastic stuff.
The Flour Mill junction. Always suffers with standing water after rain. Imagery from Promap.
Last week, I found myself cycling along Walsall’s new ring road, between the Littleton Street junction and Bridgeman Street, in moderately heavy rain. Once pitched by the Walsall Press Office as ‘A 21st Century Road’, this unloved, unlovely road suffers a distinctly 19th Century problem: poor drainage. Whole sections of the way were carrying several millimetres of standing water, which passing vehicles turn into spray, soaking everyone around, and limiting visibility.
Today, I rode the route in dry conditions, and thought about the causes. The cambers seem OK, although some parts of the road suface appear to have sunk considerably. Whole sections of the carriageway are drained using hollow kerb blocks with drainage holes at road level in the front. May of these channels appeared to be blocked when the rain came.
One of the worst spots was between Blue Lane West and the Pleck Road Junction, just on the bridge opposite the old Smith’s Mill. Although there is obviously a complex profile and cant to the tarmac here, huge pools formed in the gutters and reservations. Today I found out why.
Nearest to pluck Road, heading West.
Between Blue Lane West and Pleck Road, heading west.
Near the junction between the Wolverhampton Road and Blue Lane Wast.
Adjacent to the refuge, centre of Wolverhaptoin Road and Blue Lane West Junction.
These gullies – four in a row – don’t appear to have been cleaned since the road was built, and are so laden with silt that little will drain through them. These are just the ones I spotted in a cursory search. Nobody heard of preventative maintenance? This road is apparently the jewel in Walsall’s crown, yet maintaining adequate drainage, pioneered by the Victorians 150 years ago, seems beyond the technical brains at Walsall Council.
Every time it rains, huge sections of a two year old road flood. Looking at the state of these gullies, it can hardly be surprising.
It’s all been a bit Walsall Wood lately. Here’s a bit of Brownhills ephemera.
Fresh from the bits and bobs box under [Howmuch?]’s sideboard: possibly the only photo I’ve ever seen of The Sportsman/Huntsman, the prefabricated, hideously ugly pub/club that stood on the land now occupied by the rather more aesthetically pleasing Smithy’s Forge. I had no idea it started life as a Working Men’s Club. I assume that’s the railway station building in the background with the tall chiney.
Anybody reading this know the full story? It’s come as a bit of a surprise to me. I thought the building was later than that, and I don’t quite recall a ‘concert hall’ being part of it, although it was a long, long time ago.
I’m also after a better picture, if anyone has one.
The article is from the Walsall Observer, July 5th, 1958.
July 5th, 1958 Walsall Observer image of the unfinished building that would become a local legend. I well remember the inset balcony at the top.
The article accompanying the above image read as follows:
Click for a larger, slightly more legible version.
Building To Start Again Shortly
After a lapse of about three months, work on the partly constructed new premises for Brownhills Workingmen’s Club in Lichfield Road, is to be recommence in the near future.
‘There is no truth in the story that the scheme will be abandoned,’ he added.
[Bob’s note: looks like bad edits were a problem, even then. Who said that?]
When completed the new club will incorporate a spacious concert hall, a feature that will be welcomed by the large membership, as lack of this accommodation in the old building has curtailed social events.
When work on the new site stopped because of unforeseen difficulties, there were rumours that the scheme had been abandoned because of financial problems. It was even said, one member told the ‘Observer’ that the partially completed building were to be converted into a maternity home.
We must, however, remain vigilant. This may well come back from the dead, particularly as the old Effluent Disposal/Leigh/Veolia site next door is now also for sale.
Ashtenne Industrial Fund – has now withdrawn its long-running appeal against the refusal of housing on the occupied and active Brownhills Business Park Employment site. The original planning refusal of January 2009 therefore stands.
This ends a long period of uncertainty for the occupants of the site and their workforce. Ashtenne appealed the refusal and an Inquiry was held, at two sittings in December 2009 and March 2010. The Government Inspector allowed the appeal in May 2010. However the Council then appealed to the High Court on the grounds that this decision was flawed. The Government and Ashtenne stated they would contest the decision. The Court dates were arranged for July 2011, but just before this, both the Government and Ashtenne withdrew from contesting the case, following the Council’s submission of documents that substantiated its reasons for considering that the decision was flawed. The Brownhills Business Park Inspector’s decision was quashed in August 2011. A new inquiry therefore needed to be arranged. Planning committee was advised about this at its meeting on 10th December. But on 21st December Ashtenne decided to withdraw the appeal.
At least 70 jobs are now safeguarded as a result of Ashtenne’s withdrawal, at a time of great economic uncertainty.
This is also good news in terms of the maintenance of the industrial land supply, and planning policies to safeguard and improve it.
Another curious bit of the Ralph Ferrie jigsaw landed anonymously by email this week. Supplied as-is (I tweaked the images a bit for clarity), all the accompanying note said was ‘July, 1957. Lichfield Mercury, Ralph Ferrie’s new showroom.’
I thank Anonymous for this very much. I was discussing the material with [Howmuch?] yesterday and we’re unsure where this was – was it on Streets Corner, or was it the one on the site of what is now St. John’s Medical Centre? This certainly gives the impression of a busy operation, going all out for new business. He’s certainly got lots of bases covered – commercials, PSV’s, small cars, spares. Note that there seem to be three branches listed on the sign in the photo – ‘Birmingham?’ ‘Brownhills’ and ‘Midland’ – curious. Quite a find.
Brownhills Motor Sales, Lichfield Road, Walsall Wood. Part of the Ralph Ferrie empire as featured in the Lichfield Mercury in July, 1957.
The picture above came from this advert - clearly pushing a growing, can-do style of business. From what I can tell, Ralph was always up for doing a deal. From the Lichfield Mercury, July 1957.
@_themushroom @leftferret replace the bit currently acting as a cycle track in Goscote, and arrange for bridge orders and reconstruction. 24 minutes ago
@_themushroom @leftferret exactly. But NR could relay track there within six months without any approval required. They'd just have to... 25 minutes ago
@leftferret Plenty of spots, actually. But south of the island of Silver St springs to mind. 30 minutes ago
