I have a very strained relationship with the work I do here on the Brownhills Blog – although readership is still increasing, and there is a wonderful degree of reader participation, sometimes I struggle to understand if any of this stuff is at all relevant or makes even the slightest bit of difference. For a tiny, amateurish affair, it takes a huge amount of work and it’s only natural that sometimes I question why I do it, and what the whole thing is actually worth.
A couple of days ago, I understood – possibly for the first time – that people do take this stuff to heart, and in a small way we can make a difference by working together here.
Bullings Heath: still a recognisably self contained hamlet.
I think most of us are familiar with the story of the lost pub The Royal Oak at Bullings Heath. Bullings Heath was once the familiar name for the hamlet on the far side of the Black Cock Bridge, around the Hall Lane junction and the Black Cock Pub.
A while back, a building that has recently been demolished – a private house for many years – was a pub called the Royal Oak. Behind the Royal Oak was the municipal sewage farm, and the local mortuary. For as long as I can remember, the whole area of Bullings Heath – focussed on the canal and bridge that stand over it – were the subject of myth and legend about the mining history and its effects on the psychogeography of the area.
We have explored all of the above things here over the years, and really brought the name Bullings Heath back into local history consciousness. This makes me happy, as I hate to see names lost over time because with their passing, often little bits of connected history die too.
When the old Royal Oak was sold and demolished to make way for a development of new housing, I suggested it might be a good idea to contact the council and see if we could get the name given to this new cul-de-sac to record some aspect of the otherwise lost local history.
It’s amazing how quickly the new houses have sprung up in Bullings Heath.
I know a number of readers contacted the council, not least the Young David Evans who approached the local Councillors directly and pressed the matter. It’s with no small degree of pleasure that I can announce that the name for this new development will be Bullings Heath Grove.
After over a century of absence from the mapping record, the name Bullings Heath will return to this still recognisable hamlet. This will happen as a direct result of work done by all of us here on the blog.
Thanks to everyone who got involved, also the folk at the council, who listened to the idea and executed it. My gratitude is particularly extended to Walsall Wood Councillor Mike Flower, who took this suggestion to his heart and made it happen. We may be miles away politically, but that was a true act of community felicity for which I thank Mike wholeheartedly.
I include the documents below for your perusal. I still can’t quite believe it.
Please click for a larger version.
Please click for a larger version.
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Nice 🙂 The folk involved in naming and numbering of streets have always, in my experience, been keen to make links with the history of development sites where possible.
Well excellent work done by one and all, congratulations and well done to you and your pals. Keep up the good work, I know its got to be an absolute nightmare, but look at the difference you and your pals are making, indeed its a thing called “history” …. Well done once more…
Well done everyone!
I grew up in walsall wood and had no idea about bullings Heath or the old pub, so thank you!
I lived near the Black Cock for over 10 years and never recall hearing the Royal Oak or Bullings Heath ever mention, so its a thank you from me as well!
Well done all concerned. My Great Grandparents lived just inside Hall Lane in the late 18 and early 1900s and my maternal Grandfather was born there so I have some affection for the area.
Keep up the good work all.
Dave (Eddy) Edwards
Nice one, i take my hat off to all involved, well done.
Great stuff. There’s too much off the shelf road naming these days – the little cul-de-sac of new builds in Rushall just past McDonalds being a food example.
Well done all, and a well deserved self administered pat on the back for you Bob.
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Well done for keeping History alive. Many people who never heard of Bullings Heath,may question where the name of the road originates from.Not just now, but years into the future when we’re all departed and it will be sites like this where they will find answers. I knew about Bullings Heath, from reading about it in my Dad’s ‘life story’ but i only found out about the Royal Oak Pub and the Mortuary from reading your blog. It proves how important blogs like this are, so keep up the good work. Best wishes Caz
Well done to everyone involved, the power of local interest in action, and well done to the local council for taking the idea on board and carrying through a local wish. This is surely evidence, in part, Bob why you do this and what the blog is worth especially to the local community. If you did nothing else on the blog and left it there you could at least say that through the blog the road was named in recognition of a bygone age, that alone would have been worth it.
Keep up the good work, mind how you go………………
Peter
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