A wonderful booklet about a renowned local institution.
A good friend has recently sent me the above booklet, published in 1992 by Walsall Local History Centre about the oral history of Walsall Market – although generally outside our normal area, I thought it would be of interest to many readers who have warm memories of the ‘Market on the hill’.
Markets all over the country are in decline, sadly – the boom in large supermarkets, decreasing incidence of the stay at home housewife and internet retail explosion have all contributed to the gradual erosion of a centuries old tradition, and when this booklet was compiled, I think the peak had probably just passed. It’s an interesting time capsule with lots of warm memories.
I know nothing of the compilation of the book, the people it quotes or the author, Joyce Hammond and I’ve never seen a copy in the wild. I’d be interested to know if there were indeed other books in the series and what they were?
The information page says the following:
I Remember Walsall Market
This is the first in a series of I Remember booklets using oral evidence to look at various aspects of life that have now changed.Here the market is recalled by voices talking from different points in time and with different experiences. The editor has tried to ensure that nothing obviously misremembered has been included and that the overall impressions and character of the market has been retained.
We would like to thank the following people for their contributions and assistance: Alan Brockhurst, Arthur Stephens, Amy Taylor, Florence Brown,
Beryl Nunn, Len Greenwell, Ted Brown, Trevor Sanders, Rene Leigh,
Barry Barker and David Brookhouse..ISBN 0 946652 25 0
Researched and edited by Joyce Hammond.
Thanks to my friend for scanning this and sending it to me – I really couldn’t manage this blog without the great help, generosity and support of readers like you.
I know this will get robbed blind by the local history scavengers on Facebook. Please, at least give the author and source a credit. Just for a change.
Download the whole book as a PDF file below, or use the gallery to click on individual pages. If you have anything to add, please do: comment here, or mail me – BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.
