I’ve noted here before that change to a place most often happens incrementally, in small but contiguous steps. Sometimes it can be large and dramatic, as when Brownhills was reshaped by the construction of Hillards (now Tesco), or when the M6 Toll was built. More often than not though, change is fractal, fractional and fragmented. A building is replaced here, a road slightly changes course there, and so on.
Recently, we delved into the history of the Salvation Army Hall, in High Street, near to the Warreners Arms, and I featured the photograph below:
From Geoff Harrington & Clarice Mayo’s wonderful book ‘Memories of Brownhills Past’. Click for a larger version, and note the Warreners Arms outhouses, built in the same style as the pub.
The image was taken from Severn House, the smallest of the four tower blocks eventually built in Brownhills – it’s the pink one that still stands today next to Silver Court. From the Warrener’s Arms, top right, to bottom left, spans the High Street. The road leaving to the left no longer exists as anything other than a path. Reader Peter asked what it was called in the comments to the original article.
The book caption to the photo actually tells us, but only realised that after digging into the mapping archive, and I believe I’ve found a map contemporaneous with this image give or take a few years. The map has been scanned, and I include it below.
The road was called New Street. New Road – which still exists today – would be out of shot to the lower left. I think the map, and the image are both late 1960s. Bear in mind there is some inherent ‘lag’ in the mapping due to surveys taking place some time before drafting.
This is a 1:2,500 Ordnance Survey paper print of central Brownhills. I don’t have a date for it, but I suspect it to be late 60s, about the same time the photo was taken. The map is fascinating, and very large; click it for t he full size version. Bear in mind it’s been scanned from drafting film and is exhibiting some geometric distortion.
The relevant section in the photo I’ve cropped out and annotated below.
here we can see where relevant features on the photo are on the map. New Street is highlighted in green; it was truncated as part of the Warren Place development, then still ongoing. The gasworks would be out of shot to the right. Note the wonderful outbuildings of the Warreners, in the same gabled style. The photo caption notes the houses had been cleared from New Street. Click for a larger version.
Here’s what it looks like today:
Note that Humphries House – also still extant – is built directly on the site of the town gasworks.
There is a huge amount of interesting stuff on this map. It really is a gem, and shows the increments of the 60s and 70s in mid flow.
Take this section from Ogley Hay, around the Parish Church of St James:
Ogley Hay, late 1960s. What is the Calvary Mission? Click for a larger version.
There’s stuff here relevant to the postcard I shared last week; note the war memorial at the Church Road entrance to the churchyard of St. James; Ogley Hay County Primary School on to the left of shot, where I thought were houses – that’s actually the front of that school, isn’t it? Notice also the Police Station – higher up Church Road than I imagined – and the Calvary Mission, whatever that was, or is. I have a feeling that’s still there.
Note also, the section of Short Street from Church Road to Brickiln Street has yet to be constructed.
A wonderful postcard, and another demonstration of how historical threads intertwine.
There is more interest at Co-op corner:
When did the junction change from this bizarre layout? Middleton House Club – now the site of the tyre depot and nearby industrial units – when did that go?
Other stuff on the main map I noticed; check out the detail of the High Street. The structure marked ‘platform’ behind the old Co-op – what was that? The Regent Cinema, Station Hotel and basins. Detail around the Pier Street Bridge – Pike Helve – and around Holland Park, The Hussey estate and Station.
One of the most intriguing things is Silver Court. It’s bigger to the north by some degree than on the map, which shows the offices as being in the middle. They aren’t in real life. What happened there?
If I get time over the weekend, I’ll see if I can’t correct the geometry a bit and make this map into a Google Earth overlay.
If you spot anything, please do comment here or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.
This imagery from Bing! Maps shows that Silver Court, bottom left, is anything but symmetrical which is not how the map above shows it to be. Anyone know the story? Click for a larger version.