An image has been sent to me by a reader this week they tell me they’ve found on internet auction site eBid, but I can’t locate the sale: It’s a fascinating picture of Chasewater before it was developed, so it really is worth posting here.
This… is remarkable. We have a sail boat of some kind (sorry, my expertise with sailing craft is only surpassed by my knowledge of brain surgery) with other boats along an undeveloped shoreline. There is an ornate Pavillon in the background, with people dotted about, and a flagpole.
The image is remarkably clear and I’m interested in where it was taken from and looking towards, and what the date of it might be. The only real thing linking it to Chasewater is the postcard says ‘Norton Pool’.
Now I’ve heard mention of a pavilion before, and the sailing club is old, as mentioned in the 1950s news clipping from Aer Reg last week. So this could, theoretically, be a very old image.
If you can help with this query, I’d love to hear your views. You can comment here on this post, ping me on social media or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.
Cheers to the anonymous reader who sent the image in.
Just to add to this, there is from that sailboat probably a view of the Chasewater Dam pump house, about which there’s been lot of debate about in the past, and courtesy of reader and contributor Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe, we have from a previous article the clearest scan ever of a remarkable postcard, which gives far more detail than previously seen.
Background can be found in this article, and this one too. Readers may also like to gen up by reading this exploration as well.
Thanks to Ruth – it seemed like a good accompanying image to get readers thinking!
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The top picture with boats could it be where the speed boat club house is now is that a slip way in picture
well you have got me on this one just a fiew comments never seen this kind of structure on norton pool also it dosnt look like dam it seems on open country no sine of pit stacks or collierys on the sky line something which ever way you look around the pool industry is visible and also the size and age look of those boats are large not dingy or yot size hence in my mind no sailing club days ope some one has the answere just to keep my grey matter static god bless
I think there’s every chance industry has been painted out of this one, like they pained out the brewery behind the sShire Oak in the famous image – but missed the chimney!
Cheers Reg
Bob
Speed boat club reg ???
Hi, if you look at the historical maps on the National Library of Scotland website (National Library of Scotland Maps/images) there are 5 different maps varying in years (1883/1903/1921/1921/1946) of Chasewater which is marked as ”Cannock Chase Reservoir”, if you look on the 1921 map a ”Pavillion” is marked on the map on the east bank (at the end of what is today marked as Pool Lane on Bing Maps site). The ”Pavillion” is marked on a corner of the lake south of a large inlet and the photo shows the bank the entire width, therefore i think the photo was taken North to North-West of it on the opposite bank of the large inlet (if photo was taken further east then the photo would show open water to the right). There is a man standing just right of flagpole and right behind that man there are what looks like spoil heaps (appear faint but can be seen) those spoil heaps i’m guessing may be somewhere around Brownhills Common area, also there are what appears to be two vintage cars by slipway. The ”Pavilion” does not show on the 1883/1903 maps and first shows on the 1921 map. ATB,
there is a popular photograph of a steamer on that inlet at norton pool i was told it was owned by a publcan years ago you could have the answer ihave a photograph of it i think it was taken by our old friend edga pritchard
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Im the Bosun at chase sailing club. I was digging around in the compound recently, looking for boat ground anchor points. I came across something you might find interesting.
About an inch below the soil I discovered a bunch of old style bricks, they are all in line and looks like part of a wall.
Nothing has been on there since at least the 1950’s when the present day sailing club was founded.
So This wall definately pre dates that.
Could be the pavilion perhaps?
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Im going back 1940s. We used to go to Norton Pool for a picnic and a paddle from the Chasetown side of the pool and dam. I would say that the photo is from that site, looking SW towards Brownhills.
Incidentally, I lived in Cannock Wood. My father who worked at No 3 Colliery, was in the ARP. They used to say that the German bombers came from the east, picked up the bottom of the Trent river loop near Rugeley and then headed south over Norton Pool towards Birmingham. They would have been silver in the moonlight. I believe a bomb was dropped into Norton Pool.
Bill Willett