Oh, my goodness this is ace. Pelsall Road, looking towards Brownhills, Swan Pub on the left. How bucolic it all looks.Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Watling Street looking towards the Rising Sun – Rehoboth just visible in the distance. Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Blimey – after all the parish notices, adverts and local affairs of previous weeks, it’s good to get back to some local history at last – and what better way to do so than with a remarkable collection of postcards sent to me, completely unsolicited by the wonderful Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe?
I love to feature old postcards here – they’re so ephemeral and evocative of the times they originate from.
Several will be familiar – others not so. What is remarkable is the scan quality – marvel as familiar images are more detailed than ever before. I’m so grateful to be able to share these pictures with readers. Thanks to Ruth for the time and effort taken.
Ruth had this to say:
Hello BobDeck of cards
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you but your site seems like just the place!
My lovely Dad passed away in January, a Leighswood man by birth, he was passionate about local history and I have reams of hand written personal memoires from his childhood in Leighswood and Aldridge together with a few old photos. I also have some other old postcards which he collected over may years, including Hammerwich, Lichfield, Rugeley, Cannock, Chasetown, Hednesford, Walsall and Stafford and these few of Brownhills which I thought might be interesting to share on your site, if any of them are new to you!
The photos are of Leighswood, mainly the back of Leighswood Row, a couple of my Dad and some mates swimming in the ‘cut’ and the open ground around the canal and snaps with the old brick works and pit in the background. I also have a couple of photos of my granddad as a boy one has a date of 1923 – 4 and is of the Tigers football team, the other is at Aldridge School of 1921. I also have one of those long all-school photos of Walsall Grammar School 1948 which my dad is in and he has included a note identifying some of the others in the photo – this is really fragile and frayed now and very difficult to flatten out.
I also have some maps of Aldridge and immediate area dated 1914, 1961, 1938, 1968 and 1919 – these are way to big for my sorry little scanner but I could try get them copied or photographed if you would be interested in seeing them! My dad has written things of family interest on them. They are all folded.
I am kind of overwhelmed with all this – to me – treasure, and I am trying to organise it as he sent it to me over several years and, although I loved getting his packages of memories, it’s only now that he’s gone that the full importance is hitting me.
Anyway I wondered if these postcards were of any use for you to share. The High Street Brownhills card with the group of children in front of the shop is addressed to Miss A M Durrant, Nether Beacon, Lichfield, post mark (19)07; Brownhills, Church Road is addressed to Miss Gibbs, 30 Ripley Road, Swindon Wilts possible postmark (19)15; Pelsall Road Brownhills is addressed to M B Loeke, Lower Slaughter Gloucestershire, postmark (19)07.
The other three are not postally used. If you would like to see any others I am happy to have a go at scanning them for you – although me and the scanner nearly came to blows this morning!
Very best wishes
Ruth
Ruth – my condolences for the loss of your father, but thanks for having the generosity of spirit to share such lovely stuff with the readers of the blog. It’s a pleasure to do so, and I’d love scans of anything you have. I’ll drop you a line later today and see what we can sort out.
I am truly bowled over by your thoughtfulness. Cheers, these are remarkable images and very well scanned!
To readers, pick the bones out of this lot. Observations welcome, and handwriting expertise would be welcome, please, as you know how bad I am with reading old script…
Comment here or BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers!
Durrant? Nether Beacon? One for Lichfield Lore I think. Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Hand tinted, an image seen before, but never in this quality. Love the bike. Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Iconic image of the Council House – but what’s on the cart? Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Gibbs? Help required, please… Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Brewes corner – that’s their bakery on the corner. Nice hats. Again, a cracking quality image. Love the scallies outside the shop. Station Hotel on the right, of course. Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
Lower Slaughter – wonderful placename. Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.
The Ogley Schools – left and right, with the police station on the left, looking down Church Road to the High Street. Image courtesy of Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.