1905 postcard, sent to Aldridge Lodge. But what of the place? Image kindly donated by Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.

It’s often the case when compiling the blog that unconnected threads spring at tangents from original articles – and so it was last week when I featured Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe’s excellent scanned postcards in the awfully titled ‘Overcome with emulsion’ post.

One of the cards was addressed to a Mrs. J. Harrison at Aldridge Lodge, Walsall, and a quite involved and interesting comment thread sprang from it.

Back in it’s day, Aldridge Lodge was quite some place, as this extract from the 1884 1:10,000 Ordnance Survey mapping shows. Click for a larger version.

As sometimes happens, a passing local historian chanced upon the thread – and Lynne Ingram, Secretary of the rather excellent Lynn and Stonnall Conservation & Historical Society is somewhat coincidentally giving a talk this Wednesday about her own research into Aldridge Lodge.

How serendipitous is that? Just lately, everyone is talking about synchronicity…

Lynne wrote:

Hello Bob.

For the past 2 years I have been researching Aldridge Lodge and have just noticed a postcard on your website – whenever I find something new I get quite exited – how sad is that!

However, I just thought you might be interested to know that I will be presenting this ‘hot off the press’ research for the first time at the Lynn & Stonnall Conservation and Historical Society on Wednesday next.

The talk takes place at 7:30pm Wednesday 22nd October 2014, at the Youth and Community Centre in Stonnall to which you, or indeed anyone who may be interested would be very welcome.

Information about Aldridge Lodge over the centuries has been incredibly difficult to find but after 2 years I feel that I am getting to the bottom of it.

However, it is still relatively sketchy and I am hoping that people who attend the meeting may hold some keys to unlock some of the mystery.

Would it be possible for you to ask the lady who supplied the scanned image of the postcard of Aldridge Lodge if she would agree for me to keep a copy on record – not for use in my presentation next week.

With regards

Lynne Ingram
Secretary,
Lynn and Stonnall Conservation & Historical Society

I’d point out at this point that the Conservation & Historical Society are a wonderful group of dedicated historians who do this stuff thoroughly and well, and I have great respect for them. This talk will be well worth popping along to.

Thanks to Lynne for the heads – it just goes to show, you never know where a post will lead…

Often, really interesting comment threads evolve from only tenuously connected subjects. It’s why I love doing this and it’s all good. Postcard scan generously supplied by Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe.