I had another great piece incoming from David Evans while I was ill. David has been incredibly busy lately, sleuthing around The Wood to bring readers of the blog a whole tranche of articles, scans and memories from locals who remember the olden days. Amongst the treasure trove of artefacts David has located are a fascinating collection of material from the family of locals Pat and Bryan Lynk. These items include some remarkably moving items which I’m still trying to work out how best to present.
I’d like to thank Pat and Bryan for their generosity of spirt, memory and time in helping David and myself compile a bit more of the history of our area. The willingness with which you share your experiences and keepsakes today will hopefully help the generations of tomorrow understand what life was like in harder times. And of course, thanks are due as ever, to David who is generating copy at a frankly rather frightening speed.
It’s all welcome. Thanks to you all on behalf of both myself and the readers. Now, on with the story…
Hi Bob
You kindly put on your blog the job specs for two local houses in your article Quantity Surveying 1892 style recently. The builder was one Enoch Pagett. Following another cup of tea with this gentleman’s granddaughter I am delighted to pass on her further fascinating documents relating to the houses and to the people involved. Firstly, Enoch Pagett himself.
Image from the Lynk family archive, scanned by David Evans.
The above photo was taken in around 1948 and shows him seated on the first row, third gentleman from the left. In fact the photo is of the Friezland lane Working Men’s Club Committee, and you can see the clubhouse in the background.
Enoch was married to Elizabeth in 1896 at St John’s Church, Walsall Wood.
The 1896 Marriag Certificate of Enoch Pagett and Elizabeth Jones. From the Lynk family archive.
Enoch built the houses in Lindon Road. One of them was to become the home of his sister Sophia and her husband Harry.
The marriage certificate of Harry and Sophia Pagett, Enoch’s sister. I can’t quite make out Harry’s surname. Bardy, perhaps? From the Lynk family archive, scanned by David Evans.
Up until marriage, both lived in Paul’s Coppice. Whether this was an address on Lindon Road, or whether New Road had changed into Paul’s Coppice by then, I’m not sure. Paul’s Coppice as originally a wood behind The Wheel Inn. Note that Harry and Sophia also married at St. John’s, Walsall Wood.
Sketch of how the house Enoch built was laid out, supplied by the Lynk family and scanned by David Evans.
This shows the outhouses behind the main building quite clearly, as well as the main rooms. Interestingly the only water supply to the house was a cold water tap in the kitchen-brewhouse, although the house did have a flush toilet with its high mounted header tank, and access to this privy was from outside the house. Access to the small back bedroom was through one of the bedrooms. The floor in the front room, the parlor, was wooden and the back room had quarry tiles on bare earth. The coalhouse was also an important feature of this house. Coal was dropped in the street and had to be wheel barrowed into to coalhouse where it was sorted into slack, nuts, and raikers. The fire in the kitchen range was never allowed to go out.
The brewhouse had its boiler (called a kettle in the specification sheet), which was like a kettle drum in size, built into a brick surround in the corner and had a small coal fire underneath, and its own chimney. This was heated up on Mondays. Mondays were washdays, when hot water was ladelled into the washtub, clothes scrubbed, hung outside to dry, then put on to the rails above the kitchen range to air. On Fridays the boiler was used again for cleaning… And bath night! The tin bath hung on the outside wall by the brewhouse.
From the back bedroom the nearby canal bank was clearly visible, and the passing horses pulling the butty barges was a regular and pleasant sight as they carried their loads of coal or bricks along the cut.
The kitchen range was a feature in every house, and this was so until the 1930s. The range was cast iron, black, had a central small fire and a little oven on either side of the fire. Above this range was a rail with cuphooks on which could be hung the dutch oven or the frying pan.The frying pan, like the fish pan, was circular and had a loop handle over the top. Cuphooks were linked to adjust the pans over the fire. The round hand bowl with its handle was used to scoop the hot water from the boiler into the washtub where the washing would be dollied by hand, then mangled to remove the dirty water. Doing the family washing was a gruelling task!
A sketch of how the range looked. Supplied by the Lynk family, and scanned by David Evans.
Enoch, the builder, his sister Sophia and her husband Harry died many years ago. The houses were pulled down quite a few years ago. Their Working Men’s Club in Friezland Lane is no longer there but I hope that many readers will recognise Committee Members from this more recent photo:
Friezeland Lane Working Men’s Club committee phot from, I’m guessing, 1964. I’m keen to identify the gentlemen in the picture, as the history of this club, and others in the area, isn’t something we’ve covered enough on the Brownhills Blog. Picture kindly supplied from the Lynk family archive and scanned by David Evans.
I am deeply indebted to Mrs Pat Lynk for her generosity and kindness in offering these photos, documents and her sketch plans and her detailed personal memories and description of the building, and the people, from this part of Walsall Wood’s history for all your readers to enjoy.
David Evans January 2012
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Great work again!
In the 1901 Census I found a Harry Barnsley, age 16, coal miner horse driver (below ground), with family at Vicarage Road. In 1891 they were at Woodbine Terrace, Chester Road (opposite the trees between the Hussey and Parade).
In 1901 Sophia Pagett was visiting at the grocer’s shop on Friezland Lane. In 1891 she lived at “Near Walsall Wood Colliery”.
Hi,
The gentleman, second from the left on the back row of the 1964 photo of Friezland Lane W.M. Club is my uncle Bill Corfield, who lived in what was then called, in the 30’s, New Street, not New Road, as it later became, before becoming Paul’s Coppice.
Paul’s Coppice, at that time, included the whole neighbourhood around the Wheel Inn, extending for some way along the Lindon Road with no definable boundary. The local post office on the Lindon Road was also designated Paul’s Coppice P.O.
Whether New Street was unadopted at the time, I don’t know. but it was a rough old street, unpaved, with deep ruts, particularly bad in wet weather,
Cheers,
My apologies. I compiled this in a bit of a hurry and would normally have referred to an old map. I often conflate ‘road’ and ‘street’: sorry about that.
Had a feeling that area was called Paul’s Coppice. Cheers for that. PO now gone, sadly.
Cheers for all your contributions
Bob
HI Bob
an excellent presentation ..yet again.Many thanks. I do appreciate the hard work you have put in to collating,and “stitching” the various components together into this article.
best wishes
David
The Harry on the second marriage certificate is Harry Barnsley who 3 years prior to his marriage was living with his parents in Vicarage Road, Ogley Hay(1901 census). His younger sister Prudence age 14 was a witness.
Oops! just noticed Andy has already mentioned this.
Hi Bob
I think the Woodbine Terrace in Commonside may also have a connection with this family , somehwere along the line, too. I frequently see one of the 64 committee gentlemen in Brownhills. And, the cuphooks were called pothooks. My mistake.
But what was a dutch oven? Can anyone help on this please?
cheers
David
As I understand it from bothying days a dutch oven was a heavy pan with a close-fitting lid and a handle from which it could be suspended over the fire. You could also use it over a camp fire suspended from a tripod. The lid had a raised rim so you could also place hot coals, stones or ashes on top. It was used mainly for stewing (or slow-cooking), I think, but you could probably use it for smoking fish.
I didn’t know there was a Woodbine Terrace in Commonside, but I did check the census again and it was the one on Chester Road.
Nice one Bob and Dave, well done.
Talking about coppices … the old trees near the pond behind Tesco look like they have been coppiced. Is it indeed coppicing, and did this once extend over a larger area? Does anyone know?
It has indeed been coppiced – probably by the Walsall Estates Team or @walsalwildlife – Morgan – and her willing volunteers. The wood there now is wholly recent, previously the area was a refuse tip, before that open fields. The wood was planted about 85-86.
Hope that helps
Bob
Cheers for the contributions, folks. The breadth of knowledge here never ceases to astound. I like particularly Andy’s mention of ‘Bothying days’ – there has to be a story there somewhere.
The Woodbine Terrace/Villas thing. There’s lots of them locally. Sure there’s some up Hednesford Road, and maybe on the Brownhills Road near Streets Corner. There were, of course, Woodbine fags. What was it with Woodbines and culture of that period? I realise it was just honeysuckle, but why was it so strong in the consciousness – anyone know?
I see lots of Woodbine… named houses whilst out and about. It must be significant.
Cheers, all
Bob
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HI Bob
coincidence? London stage play,”Bluebell in Fairyland” written by William Penn and Albert Fitz, had its most popular tune, “The Honeysuckle and the Bee,” and was first performed..in 1901. I wonder when the Woodbine Terraces were built..woodbine being honeysuckle…Song stll very popular in Good Old Days tv show 1970s. “You are my honey, honeysuckle, I am the bee” etc…
cheers
David
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Re: Woodbine Terrace, Commonside – Yes, as far as i know that’s either 33 or 35 Commonside (we used to live next door at 37 for years). Mr and Mrs Blanchard used to live there, and I believe they’d been there many, many years before he, and then she passed away.
Friezland Lane WMC – that’s my Grandad! Back row, 2nd from right, with the white open-necked shirt and the Brylcreem. Edward Jackaman – Ted to his mates.
Just called my mom, and asked if she knew anyone.
Back row, left to right:
1 – Mr Cole, 2 – Mr Corfield, 3 – ?, 4 – Eddie Richards, 5 – Jack Taylor, 6 – Edward Jackaman, 7 – Mr Harrison (used to own the shop at 35 Commonside, Woodbine Terrace).
Front row, left to right:
1 – ?
2 – ?
3 – Mr Armitage
4 – ?
5 – Fred Webster
6 – Jack Webster (was the local coal merchant, lived on Commonside)
7 – Mr Bird
Hope that helps 🙂
I am trying to trace a Harrison that lived in Woodbine Terrace and I saw this picture. I am looking for Charles Harrison with a sister Clarice. Wondering if this might be a relative .
BBob … My grandfather was Ralph Pagett from Walsall Wood. He died from T.B. contracted at the end of WW2 – I’m trying to trace my family in the area but I’m only just starting off. I have found an online reference to my granddad here … http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=1293734 a photo of his war grave in Ryecroft Cemetery – it which shows his parents were William and Catherine Pagett from Walsall Wood. Can you help at all with my search? I have looked at the 1901 census but I’m finding it difficult to find a William Pagett in Walsall at the time who is about 7 or 8. My mum used to talk of her uncle Enoch.
I have being looking in to my family tree after seaching for information on the Pagett family and finding your blog really interesting. I believe our Enoch’s had a brother called William Pagett. After looking at the 1911 England Census Summary Books I have found that Enoch and William lived next door to each other at 134 and 135 Lindon Road. William and his wife Catherine had a number of children including another William and another Enoch to confuse matters for someone who has very little experience in the field of genealogy (like me). Another son was born in 1915 who was named Ralph. Ralph died just after World War Two at the age of 32 after surviving fighting in North Africa and Italy. Ralph and his wife Lillian had a daughter Katy who is my mum. I would really like to get in contact with the Lynk family as I want to know more about my family. I have family photos to send of my granddad and I would love to share story’s. Thanks.
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Very interesting. I actually live on the Lindon Road, my parents owned the Post Office and Newsagents from 1986-2005 (still own the property but business is now closed as they retired) which is almost opposite the Wheel Inn pub. Would be nice to find some history on that place 🙂
Hello Bhogal, in the Kelly directory of 1940; Alfred Horobin, shopkeeper and Post office, Pauls Coppice, Walsall Wood.
not much but thats a start for you mate.
Hi Clive,
Cheers mate. Will look into it more. Thanks! 🙂
Can anyone tell md of any tragedy in Paul’s Coppice namely in the old Victorian houses? I have famy in both houses and they are experiencing some really weird things.
Not aware of anything, sorry. Any passing researcher fancy a go?
Cheers
Bob