Can you tell what it is yet? Finally, it’s real. Thanks to Richard Burnell for the picture.
I am indebted to a Burnell yet again, as top chap and fellow cyclist Richard contacts me and points out something he noticed that I didn’t. Bullings Heath Grove is now a real place, with street signs.
All I can say is ‘Well done everyone!’ We have had a small, but satisfying imprint on the history and geography of our area: a name lost for a century has been returned to the local nomenclature in order that future folk may be spurred to find its origin, just as we have been.
For the background, you can read my early musings on Bullings Heath, or the exhaustive and thorough research by David Evans into the Royal Oak pub, the building whose ultimate demolition paved the way for this new development.
There are further great ruminations on Pepper Alley, which was a name attributed to this area too, by Hilary Little.
I have, of course, covered the decision regarding the naming of the new close here previously.
My thanks to all the readers who got involved, David Evans in particular, and to Councillor Mike Flower who saw this through. I suspect the Councillor regards me as little more than a pain in the arse, and so his support of this measure was impressive.
Well done. It’s a small, insignificant thing, but it does make me proud of what we do here.
Well done, folks.
Back on the map after over a century. Bullings Heath recorded in Walsall Wood’s landscape for the future. Photo kindly supplied by Richard Burnell.