Search Results for: chasewater dam

When Amy Turtle silenced the skinheads at Chasewater

You all know I’m fascinated by Chasewater and it’s history – but there’s a period of history that’s not too well documented or understood, and is full of myth and foggy reality: The Amusement Park era from the 60s.  At … Continue reading

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Chasewater – what of the far pavilion?

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Laying some pipe

Thanks again to the continued treasure trove that is the local historian Gerald Reece and his astounding photo collection, I can now shed light on something that’s made me wonder for years – the arrangements for the modern overflow system … Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Panoramio updates, Reader enquiries, Shared memories, Social Media, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Oh brave new world

One of the most loved and respected contributors to the Brownhills Blog is the great Reg ‘Aer Reg’ Fullelove, historian, commenter, author, poet and honorary Grandfather of the blog. Reg regularly digs out stuff for the blog, and it’s with … Continue reading

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Above and beyond at Chasewater again – and a closer look at the dam house

It’s always nice to see local drone photography and I’m very pleased and honoured to share this set fro former Brownhills lad Steve Martin, whose incredible and high quality work I’ve featured here before. Steve has this time taken a … Continue reading

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Swanning around…

I’ve had a mail in from reader Natalie Edge-Edwards, who like our very own swan lady Irene Hodges, is very interested in her local birdlife in Rochester and monitors the black swans on the lake by JCB there. We’ve had … Continue reading

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Picture this: A Chasewater childhood

A wonderful one reached me yesterday morning from old pal of the blog Stuart Cowley, whose memories of growing up at Chasewater in the 1960s and 70s have been some of the most popular posts in the history of the … Continue reading

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The lost Brownhills tramway: Did they give a dam?

The mystery over the long lost tramway that is thought to have followed the route of The Parade over Brownhills Common in the 1800s continues today, as I feature another article from Ian Pell, who’s really got stuck in to … Continue reading

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Police incident at Chasewater yesterday evening

Update 5:25pm, Wednesday 1 August Latest statement from Staffordshire Police: Armed police deployed to Chasewater Country ParkStaffordshire Police received a call just after 8pm yesterday (31 July) reporting that a man had been assaulted with a weapon at Chasewater Country … Continue reading

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A remedy to the shortage of water

Several times over the previous eight years of this blog the question of the function and decommissioning of the steam pump that once stood at Chasewater has cropped up, and always provokes interesting debate – well, reader Ian James has been in touch with a snippet of information he’s found in a book relating to the long gone pumping plant.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Update on recent Chasewater Dam works from Andy Dennis

There’s ongoing interest in the drainage works taking place at Chasewater Dam, and I’m indebted to reader and top blog contributor Andy Dennis who’s kindly sent me another bunch of pictures and a short video of what’s going on.

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How did they get there? And what of the beach?

Since it’s a slow Sunday, some unusual images of Chasewater, and a bit of a mystery. As I’m sure you’ll recognise the images immediately above and below this text are of the south shore of Chasewater, over the road from … Continue reading

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Staffordshire County Council issue statement on Chasewater Dam works currently ongoing

I’ve been asked by more than a few people this week what’s going on with Chasewater Dam – in the last few weeks water levels have been lowered and traffic blocked from the dam road; crews and equipment have been working on apparent drainage works.

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Dam freeloaders?

It seems all is not rosy between Staffordshire County Council, owners of Chasewater, and the Canal and River Trust, the people who actually use the water it supplies to top up the canal network in Birmingham and the Black Country.

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A hole lot of sink

One of the curious things about writing and keeping this blog has always been the steady, curious dynamic of story arcs – where an old subject gets continually, slowly and gradually expanded as Google lists it, people search and find the post, comment and expand it.
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Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

There’s a litter pick at Chasewater this morning!

There’s a community litter pick event taking place in Brownhills this morning (Sunday 4th August 2019) from 10am until 11:30am at Chasewater ‘beach’ being organised by Burntwood #LitterHeroes. This event is being run by a local band of volunteers for … Continue reading

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Get stuck in the bog…

For those of you into conservation and the local environment, there’s this event going on at Norton Bog (that’s north Chasewater) this Sunday, 26th February 2017 – the Friends of Norton Bog are a great group and you can find out more about them at the event.
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A bank holiday at Chasewater in the swinging sixties

I’m pleased and delighted to have been contacted once more by top local photographer and friend of the blog Peter Booth, who this time has sent me some images from his father’s collection of Chasewater and Brownhills on a bank … Continue reading

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Where does the water go? Find out this Sunday!

An interesting history walk is taking place this Sunday, 26th March 2017 at Chasewater, entitled ‘Where does the water go?’ which takes a look at how the dam infrastructure functions, and some of the industrial history of Anglesey Basin and surrounds.

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A shore thing

On Saturday last (9th February 2019) I featured a postcard image here of Norton Pool with a picture of a sailing boat on the water before an ornate pavilion, which I believe to be depicting Chasewater early in the 1900s. … Continue reading

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Back in the black

Today (Monday, 30th January 2017) I was contacted by Irene ‘The Swan Lady’ Hodges who was in a state of some enthusiasm, as amongst her usual daily cohort of swans and waterfowl at Chasewater, there was a single black swan, which she fed and caught on video.

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The fall and rise: Fixing a hole in the cut begins

Following the sudden and unexpected drop in water level of the canal through Brownhills, and the Wyrley and Essignton Canal as a whole, top Canal and River Trust operatives have isolated the leak in the canal bed at Stoney Lane, … Continue reading

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Chasewater from above

It’s always nice to see local drone photography and I’m very pleased and honoured to share this set fro former Brownhills lad Steve Martin, whose incredible and high quality work I’ve featured here before. This time he’s taken a flight … Continue reading

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2017 New Year Quiz – the results are in!

Hi folks – the quiz is over – sorry, I seem to have made it too hard this year.
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On the shore

While I’m busy, a couple of great postcard images reach me from Dean Rogers in the Norton Canes History Group – these are of Norton Pool around 1910 and seem to have been taken at the same time.

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Part of the Union and more auction curiosities

As I expected when I posted, the curious image of Union Ro… has triggered an interesting debate – I must admit to thinking it probably wasn’t Brownhills, but one reader has responded with an interesting aspect – and I hope local history author, Shire Oak expert and certified Walsall Wood Mon ™ Clive Roberts is passing and can maybe help.

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Here comes the flood

Most readers will be aware of how passionately I’ve supported Brian Stringer and his crusade with the Back the Track crew to reopen the former South Staffordshire Railway cutting through Brownhills as a traffic free cycling and walking route for the whole community – well, the project has taken a very odd turn and I’m not happy with it at all.

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Chasewater Stadium – what do you recall?

Thanks to a curious sale on eBay, I can now share exactly when Chasewater Trotting Track opened – it was Monday 16th August, 1971.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, cycling, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, planning, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

The race for space

Thanks to Stuart Williams of Walsall Local History Centre, I can share with readers today another piece in the remarkable jigsaw that is the Ferrie family history – the Ferries, as many old hands will recall, were a larger than life father and son who were well known in Aldridge and Brownhills for their entrepreneurialism and propensity to acts of community largesse and showmanship.

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Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Open Mike

Yesterday, whilst mooching on Panoramio for an image of Chasewater (sometimes it’s the best way to find my own photos, oddly enough) I came upon a gallery by a reader and contributor the the blog, Mike Leonard – it’s remarkable.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Clayhanger stuff, Environment, Followups, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Panoramio updates, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Council, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Beware: blue-green algae again found at Chasewater

This is an important one for dog-walkers and users of Chasewater in general who may let dogs swim in the water – blue green algae has once more been found in the lake in the last few days after an earlier outbreak this year, and Staffordshire County Council yesterday (26th August 2016) issued a warning to park users.
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Brock and roll

This isn’t very pleasant, so I’ll be short and to the point – people, we have a burgeoning badger population at the moment as these guys come in from the fringes of local countryside into town, just as their brothers the foxes have done, and unfortunately they’re dying in large numbers on our roads.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Chasewater, Clayhanger stuff, cycling, Environment, Followups, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Just plain daft, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New road safety initiative for Brownhills

You all know that I love local wildlife – and that I’m particularly fond of the local deer population, who have sadly been involved in many accidents with vehicles in recent years on roads around our commons, countryside and open spaces.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Chasewater, Clayhanger stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Council, Walsall Wood stuff, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Beware: blue-green algae found at Chasewater

It’s important that I make readers aware of recent concerns about blue-green algae at Chasewater – over the weekend, the park management appear to have been hard at work printing, laminating and sticking up signs warning against swimming in the lake, and warning dogs and their owners to be wary as blue-green algae has been found in the water.

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Doctor Fell

This is just a quick one, as I thought we needed to get at least a little bit of history in at long last – and this one has piqued my curiosity, as my antenna always twitch when I hear subsidence legends.
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Posted in Bad Science, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Bathing beauties

I’ve noticed a few people posting images online of the red deer at Chasewater yesterday who decided that in the warm weather, a swim was in order – and friend of the blog Leah Braidman posted the above wonderful images on the Brownhills Past and Present Facebook page.

Image kindly supplied by Leah Braidman Continue reading

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Fast and sluice

Last week, I featured the third batch of images from the Canal and River Trust Archive, of the Grove Colliery near Brownhills in the late 1950s – also revealing the archive and inviting readers to go see what they could find.

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1095 days

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Chasewater, Churches, cycling, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local media, News, Panoramio photo discussions, Panoramio updates, Shared media, Social Media, Walsall Wood stuff, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Where does the water go? Find out this Saturday!

An interesting history walk is taking place this Saturday, 7th May at Chasewater, entitled ‘Where does the water go?’ which takes a look at how the dam infrastructure functions, and some of the industrial history of Anglesey Basin and surrounds.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, cycling, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The lost Howdles Lane dam

In a remarkable instance of coincidence, last Friday, reader and top local history ferret Andy Dennis sent me an astounding piece on a lost reservoir near Howdles Lane, in north Brownhills, between Chasewater and the Watling Street.
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Found dog – now reunited with owner.

Thanks to all who shared and helped on social media and in other channels – the lost Border Collie found by Lee Chapman yesterday has been reunited with her owner.

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Border Collie dog found on A5 in Brownhills

An urgent appeal reaches me via Facebook from Lee Chapman, who’s today (Saturday, 3rd January 2015) found a Collie dog near Brownhills Common on the A5.

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Urgent – Harris Hawk lost in Burntwood

I have no idea what to make of this – lost raptors are a new one for the blog, but never a dull moment – just has this report of a lost Harris Hawk in from Jim Mason of Burntwood:
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On a clear day

The wonderfully generous and knowledgable Sir Gerald of Reece recently sent me some scans of aerial images dating from 1948-52, taken of Brownhills and and stored on transparency, which I feature here today.
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Bramble wine’s orff, sir!

In a welcome change from the constant stream of Parish Notices this week (sorry, it’s just like that sometimes), I thought I’d share this wonderful contribution from long term friend of the blog Andy Dennis, who yesterday inspired me to go check out Chasewater on the way home, as it’s currently full to overflowing.

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A musical evening in Brownhills – this Saturday!

Local chap and musician John Carver contacted me a week or so ago to ask me to give this fine folk gig a plug, starring a lady with a rather remarkable local tale to tell – and she’s supported by some rather excellent welsh musicians, too.141018 Poster Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Churches, Clayhanger stuff, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local media, Local music, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pumping clear water

This is remarkable – I’m just going to leave it here for those among us interested in Chasewater, and the arrangements with the steam pump that used to return water from Anglesey Basin into the reservoir.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Captured moments

As many of you will have gathered from my 365daysofbiking blog I’ve been a bit under the weather of late and updates have been hard to keep up with – but here’s a treat I spotted on the Cannock local history group on Facebook, and I thought I’d post the images here.

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Paint it black

There has been huge interest in the post I published last week on the subject of the rare and rather beautiful black swan spotted at Chasewater last Wednesday by The Swan Lady, Irene Hodges.
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Overcome with emulsion

As I alluded yesterday when I featured the image of the Chasewater pump house, reader and friend of the blog Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe has been slaving over a warm scanner yet again to share with us some wonderful postcards from her late father’s personal collection, and all of these have a Chasetown theme.

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