Because you’re free to read this blog
#365DaysOfBiking- June 17th - I love lupins. These tall flowers grow wild along... June 17, 2013
- June 17th - At Spring Road station in Birmingham, I overheard to... June 17, 2013
- June 16th - Not sure what the deal is here, to be honest. At... June 17, 2013
- June 16th - A ride out to Cannock Chase in the afternoon. The... June 17, 2013
- June 15th - Returning from the Canal Festival at Pelsall, I... June 15, 2013
- June 15th - Yesterday, a local tweeter spotted something amusing... June 15, 2013
- June 14th - The roadside verges and hedgerows are an unusually... June 14, 2013
- June 14th - Headed out to Lichfield late afternoon, and battled... June 14, 2013
- June 13th - I took a diversion from my usual route to Darlaston... June 14, 2013
- June 13th - At Birchills, on the way to Darlaston, I spotted... June 14, 2013
- June 12th - An awful commute from a weather point of view. The... June 14, 2013
- June 11th - What goes up… must come down. It’s been a few... June 12, 2013
- Bob’s music
- R.E.M. – Wait - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Mystery To Me - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Just A Touch - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Two Steps Onward - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Jazz (Rotary Ten) - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Out Of Tune - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – I Believe - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Cuyahoga - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – Begin The Begin - Athens Demo
- R.E.M. – The Flowers Of Guatemala - Athens Demo
Tag Archives: steam engine
Surging forward
I should have known, really. No sooner had I delved into the fascinating world of the Brownhills surge stack, then Ian Pell, railway historian extraordinaire, had written to me with a whole bunch of new information, clarifications and even a few questions.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Clayhanger stuff, Environment, Events, Followups, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Canal, Captain, Clayhanger, Company, Dave Moore, Derelict, Harrison, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, Lore, Morturn, New Photos, NIMBY, Old maps, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Pumping, Redevelopment, Reservoir, Shire Oak, Snadfields, South Staffordshire, Staffordshire, Station, steam engine, surge stack, Things to do, ventilator, Walsall, Water, Water tower, Waterwoks
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Hiding in plain sight?
It seems like we’re in a period for odd historical tangents and discoveries. It all started with Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler’s classic bit of gentrified nimbyism from ‘Captain’ Harrison at Aldershaw(e). From there, we alighted at Sandfields Pumping Station at Lichfield, and found a wonderful, but neglected steam engine. We’ve found since, via Peter’s further diligent research, and that of Dave Moore, a chap clearly expert on the matter, that there was a long forgotten water tower in Brownhills.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Clayhanger stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged Aldershaw, Aldershawe, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Canal, Captain, Clayhanger, Company, Dave Moore, Derelict, Harrison, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, Lore, Morturn, New Photos, NIMBY, Old maps, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Pumping, Redevelopment, Reservoir, Shire Oak, Snadfields, South Staffordshire, Staffordshire, Station, steam engine, surge stack, Things to do, ventilator, Walsall, Water, Water tower, Waterwoks
18 Comments
Not in MY backyard (1896 style)…
Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler has been in touch with a lovely quick snippet he spotted in the excellent History of the South Staffordshire Waterworks Company, which is available online for free. It really is an excellent read and deserves wider exposure.
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Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, Environment, Events, Followups, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged Aldershaw, Aldershawe, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Captain, Company, Dave Moore, Derelict, Harrison, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, Lore, New Photos, NIMBY, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Pumping, Redevelopment, Reservoir, smoke, Snadfields, South Staffordshire, Staffordshire, Station, steam engine, Things to do, Water, Waterwoks
18 Comments
Don’t tell me mum!
In response to my drain adventure at Chasewater on Sunday, I had a very interesting email yesterday… Hi Bob Might be best if you don’t mention my name, my mom might be reading… When I was a young bad lad … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged Anchor Bridge, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Past, Canal, Canal Leak, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Chasewater history, Chasewater Wildlife Group, Cycle rides, cycling, Dave Fellows, David Hodgkinson, Graham Evans, Lane's Farm, local blogs, Local History, nine foot, Repair, Reservoir, Staffordshire, steam engine, Steam pump
3 Comments
Culvert investigations
Before I start, I’d like to point out that this investigation was conducted by two people – myself and [Howmuch?]. We are both sensible (well, usually) adults and have experience of, and training for, confined spaces. Entering such environments – … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Panoramio updates, Reader enquiries, Shared memories, Social Media, Wildlife
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Past, Canal, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Chasewater history, Chasewater Wildlife Group, Cycle rides, cycling, Dave Fellows, Graham Evans, local blogs, Local History, nine foot, Reservoir, Staffordshire, steam engine, Steam pump, Wildlife
18 Comments
Happening now – Chasewater Railway spring gala!
Bit late, I know, but it’s a nice day, and the Chasewater Railway Spring Gala is happening all weekend. Headsup to the wonderful Chasewaterstuff, quietly plugging away for Brownhill’s best kept secret. Don’t forget that for the less railway-focussed members … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, cycling, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged 2012, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Chasewater, Chasewater Railway, Chasewaterstuff, Cycle rides, cycling, John Daft, local blogs, Local History, Locomotive, Reservoir, Spring Gala, Staffordshire, STeam, steam engine, Things to do
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Down the chute
There is continuing interest and debate on the nature of the pump house and spillway at Chasewater. I’ve had some excellent contributions, and I must get up there soon to investigate some of them. My previous poke around was very … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, cycling, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall community, Wildlife
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Past, Canal, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Chasewater history, Chasewater Wildlife Group, Cycle rides, cycling, Dave Fellows, Graham Evans, local blogs, Local History, nine foot, Old maps, Reservoir, Spillway, Staffordshire, steam engine, Steam pump, Wildlife
2 Comments
Overflowing with ideas
The recent attention paid by Dave Fellows, Graham Evans and Andy Dnnis, amonst others, to the long lost steam powered pumping station at Chasewater has caused some curiosity and no small amount of debate, particularly between myself and top local … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, cycling, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Past, Canal, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Chasewater history, Chasewater Wildlife Group, Cycle rides, cycling, Dave Fellows, Graham Evans, local blogs, Local History, nine foot, Old maps, Reservoir, Spillway, Staffordshire, steam engine, Steam pump, Wildlife
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Feeling pumped
Sorry about the patchy nature of updates at the moment – life is really interfering with my blogging activities at the moment. This is just a quick note to say to people interested in the intriguing question of the Victorian … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Past, Canal, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Chasewater history, Chasewater Wildlife Group, Cycle rides, cycling, Dave Fellows, Graham Evans, local blogs, Local History, nine foot, Reservoir, Staffordshire, steam engine, Steam pump, Wildlife
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Chasewater pump house – Graham Evans is the man
Following Brownhills Past supremo David Fellows’ request for information about the long-gone pumphouse near the Nine Foot pool at Chasewater, the reader response was muted, to say the least. After a grand total of zero replies, Graham Evans, wildlife expert, … Continue reading
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Past, Canal, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Chasewater history, Chasewater Wildlife Group, Cycle rides, cycling, Dave Fellows, Graham Evans, local blogs, Local History, nine foot, Reservoir, Staffordshire, steam engine, Steam pump, terrapin, turtle, Wildlife
7 Comments
