Blimey – McWarreners as a burger joint. There’s one to show the kids. Image by David Hodgkinson.
While I’m getting some stuff straight and catching up with the email mountain, here’s a post I’ve been meaning to do for ages to showcase the work of one of Brownhills longest-standing online historians: Old mate of the blog and constant inspiration David Hodkinson.
David runs one of the oldest – if not the oldest – online history site for Brownhills – check it out here.
David was the first person to my knowledge to record an online gallery of Brownhills pubs, which is still there (and being added to occasionally today). With that and David’s other work – most notably his efforts to chronicle local writing, both historic and fictional – it was this work that laid the inspirational foundation for the Brownhills Blog, which incidentally, is nine years old this week.
Nine years. Might get the hang of this soon.
Any road up, what I wanted to share was the fact that David has a great Flicker presence with some fascinating albums – including his large one on the pubs of Brownhills. I’ve grabbed some provocative ones to share here that will surely jerk some memories – may taken around the year 2000.
If you want to see the full album click here – but better start with David’s whole collection of albums which cover a lot of canal and other local history.
Explore. Get lost in the past for a bit. It’s bloody ace and I’d like to thank David for sharing his passions.
All the photos in the gallery below are David’s work – click any one to see a larger version.
Have anything to add? Please do – comment here or mail me: Brownhillsbob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.
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I always find it a pleasant surprise when people notice what I have set up under my various names over the years!
I think it all started for me due to “the curse of the photos in the shoe box”. The old box of family photos contained one third that I could identify, one third that the remaining older members of the family could identify and sadly one third that were a total mystery. I decided to try to apply the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws to photos – e-mail personal ones to family members and publish the others on my web site or on a searchable photo hosting site.
I’m so very glad you did! Thank you
Cheers
Bob
A fantastic suite of photographs documenting local history – I quite often stumble across touluru’s images whilst ‘researching’ the local waterways. Many thanks David 👍
I found these pub images fascinating and occasionally sad. Congrats to David, who, I think I went to school with.
Another Central School old boy! Were you in the same class as Michael Bloore (the son of the police sergeant)? If I remember rightly you were at W.H.Smith in Walsall after school. Just trying to get the memory into gear.
Hello David, what a pleasant surprise. Yes, it’s me, I remember you and Michael well, also Alan Morris, David Golden etc. Been many years since our Central days, some were good others less so, the inspirational A R Smith has stuck with me along with the often underrated Ron Massey.
I hope life has been good to you, I’m nowhere near Brownhills these days, we live just outside Luton. Indeed we went up for a family event a couple of years ago and I got lost amongst the new roads!.
Anyway, all best wishes and I hope you are able to keep up with the great photography. Bill
Yes. I was there at the same time with both the bloore boys. There dad and my dad were very good friends. Steve myatt
Hi have not seen pictures of the tavern in Lichfield road near the memo after dancing it was a good place to chill
Hi there, I remember all of those, any idea if the rising sun is still standing and in use in brown hills west at all? I lived and grew up around Brownhills back in the late 80’s up until I think the 90’s moved around a lot since then, and my first ex hubby actually grew up in Brownhills itself back in the 50’s. He used to visit quite regularly until his sister passed away a few years ago. You probably went to school with him.
The Rising Sun has been closed for many years. Now still standing but gutted by fire.
If you scroll through my pub album you will see it in its various states.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/131561068@N08/albums/72157654281911443
Hi Bob, has anyone got a photo of Friezland Lane WMC, can I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year, please keep up the good work.
I loved the Boat Inn when Alf Johnson had it in late 80s he was such a lovely man for if knowledge of the area