Life in the northern wastes of Walsall
Images Kindly supplied by Brian Stringer via the young David Evans. Last week I pointed out that this weekend, there was to be an unveiling ceremony of the restored George Fullelove Memorial Shelter near The Parade in Brownhills – well, the event took place on Saturday morning (21st April 2018) in splendid weather to an…
There’s something that’s quite historically important been going on for months now right in the heart of Brownhills, that whilst not earth shattering, is very significant to our local history, and helps to preserve the memory of one of the finest sons of Brownhills: Chorister and Choir Master George Fullelove. I think few people realise…
Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a preserved industrial railway right on our doorstep is holding it’s annual Diesel Gala this weekend, Saturday and Sunday 24-25th March 2018.
This is just a quick note to warn people given to exploring the open spaces of the area that over the next 8-10 weeks or so the deer population will be getting amorous – it’s rutting time for our large brown friends, and that means one thing: the heaths around Brownhills, Clayhanger, Pelsall and Chasewater in particular are likely to be host to rather grumpy, aggressive stags guarding their female harems.
Reader Andrea Atterbury has been in touch to warn readers that items of what is believed to be meat bait have been recently found on Clayhanger Common including pig’s trotters, leading to renewed fears that poisoned bait may be being placed on the common again.
Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a local preserved industrial railway is this Sunday (6th August 2017) staging it’s Annual Charities Day, when the railway will be operating with steam trains, and there will be charity stalls and activities at Brownhills West Station.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that this Sunday (June 18th 2017), the Third Staffordshire Ironman 70.3 Triathlon will be staged, with a 1.2 mile early morning swim in Chasewater being amongst the highlights.
There’s an important warning I need to share from Chasewater Rangers about the local deer population – not just at Chasewater, but all thought our area from the heaths of North Walsall to Cannock Chase.
Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a preserved industrial railway right on our doorstep is holding it’s annual Industrial Gala this weekend, Saturday and Sunday 18-19th March 2017.
I’ve noticed that Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a preserved industrial railway right on our doorstep is re-starting passenger services this weekend after the winter shutdown.
I have been contacted by John Currie of the 2nd Brownhills Scouts who’d like to appeal to folk who could help the group thrive and grow in the coming year.
You’ll remember a few days ago I cautioned local folk – especially dog walkers – to beware of the deer at the moment as the rut was getting underway, and they’d be a whole lot less tolerant as the hormones did their thing – well, I wasn’t wrong – as the video here shows, deer romance is well underway at Chasewater, with remarkable footage captured today by deer expert Jochen Langbein.
This is just a quick note to warn people given to exploring the open spaces of the area that over the next 8-10 weeks or so the deer population will be getting amorous – it’s rutting time for our large brown friends, and that means one thing: the heaths around Brownhills, Clayhanger, Pelsall and Chasewater in particular are likely to be host to rather grumpy, aggressive stags guarding their female harems.
Readers who’ve been hanging around this ramshackle, leaky village pump for a while will no doubt remember how we’ve touched here on the history of local marching bands, particularly the Burntwood Blue Birds Jazz Band.
There’s a great thing happening this Sunday (7th August 2016) when a bus service operated by classic vehicles will operate between Aston Manor Road Transport Museum in Aldridge, Chasewater Railway and the Museum of Cannock Chase.
Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a local preserved industrial railway is this Sunday (7th August 2016) staging it’s annual Charities Day, when the railway will be operating with steam trains, and there will be charity stalls and activities at Brownhills West Station.
Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a local preserved industrial railway is this Sunday (10th July 2016) staging a Burton Brewery Locomotives Day, which can be combined via a link-up heritage bus service with the Aston Manor Transport Museum open day in Aldridge, for a total transport blowout!
Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a preserved industrial railway is this this weekend staging a coal train special event, which sounds just the thing for train-loving dads and their families who may be looking for a special treat for the old fellow.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that this Sunday (June 12th 2016), the second Staffordshire Ironman Triathlon will be staged, with a 1.2 mile swim in Chasewater being amongst the highlights.
I’ve noticed in the last few days that Chasewater Railway – the little gem of a preserved industrial railway, running steam and vintage diesel trains around Chasewater Park- has won royal recognition for it’s work.
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.
A timely warning to residents of Clayhanger and further afield that the reported incidents of poisoned bait being left around the village seem to be ongoing still – after the horrid story of Meg, the dog believed to have been poisoned after eating doctored meat on Clayhanger Common and the subsequent discovery of possibly poisoned bait a little while later, comes this awful tale from Facebook user Shannon Vanessa Binding.
In my last article, I pointed out that I’d received extra information on a couple of posts over the weekend – both on the Anglesey/sea question, and also on the Mine Rescue Team image shared by John Sale and Bill Mayo.
The great Bill Mayo, local historian and photo collector, has recently been digging in his files and found a few mystery images, like the one above of a local mines rescue team.
Further to the horrid story of Meg, the dog believed to have been poisoned after eating doctored bait on Clayhanger Common that I featured here at the weekend, I have just received this very worrying message from reader Wendy, who was walking her dog in Clayhanger this morning (Tuesday 2nd February 2016) and found something of great concern.
I’ve been contacted by a number of people who’ve pointed out the following, very worrying story from Clayhanger – a local lady walking her dog on Clayhanger Common believes her beloved pet ate poisoned meat whilst being walked there and is warning other dog lovers to beware.
I have been contacted by John Currie of the 2nd Brownhills Scouts who’d like to say thanks to the wonderful people at Aldridge Fire Station for hosting them on a recent visit, and he has a useful bit of home safety information he’d like to share with readers.
Today, I made a decision – it’s been a hard couple of weeks at work, and yesterday was a gorgeous ride into Lichfield, so when I saw the wonderful weather I decided to abandon the stuff I’d planned today, and went up on the Chase for a blast in the unseasonably warm weather.
As usual, I’m a bit late to the party with this but this is a very important announcement for anyone who was a member of, or is interested in the marching bands so popular in our area that were huge from the 1930s onwards, but particularly in the 60s-90s.
This is just a quick note to warn people given to exploring the open spaces of the area that the deer population are getting amorous – it’s rutting time for our large brown friends, and that means one thing: the heaths around Brownhills, Clayhanger, Pelsall and Chasewater in particular are likely to be host to rather grumpy, aggressive stags guarding their female harems.
Incisive and tenacious historian Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler has been quietly continuing his investigations into the Old Hednesford Colliery Disaster, the 1911 accident that was brought to our attention when Reg ‘Are Reg’ Fullelove donated a poem he’d come to have in his collection to the blog.
There’s a discussion currently ongoing in the background between contributors the the Brownhills blog about our area during wartime, and the kind of effect the Second World War had on Brownhills and the wider area as a whole – we’re interested primarily in what people remember, or stories they were told about air raids in the locality.
Old friend of the blog Reg ‘Aer Reg’ Fullelove has been at it again – and this time, he’s written a fabulous piece on his early working days as an electricity supply engineer for the Chasetown Electricity Board, in the very earliest days of domestic supply.
In the last couple of days there’s been a degree of what can only be described as panic locally and on social media about the future of Cannock Chase, Chasewater and other Staffordshire Country Parks.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that this Sunday (June 14th 2015), the inaugural Staffordshire Ironman Triathlon will be staged, with a 1.2 mile swim in Chasewater being amongst the highlights.
I must say there hasn’t been enough local history stuff here of late and it has also been too long since I last featured a research article by the incisive and tenacious historian Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler.
Long-term readers will remember well friend of the blog Wendy Jones, who donated so much material to the blog – both in the form of photos of the area before the mM6 Toll came through, and her main interest, the history of local marching bands, particularly the Burntwood Blue Birds Jazz Band.
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.
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.
Here’s a really nice thing that caught my attention yesterday – fellow local blogger for Clayhanger Marsh and hero of mine (whose mail I must get around to answering, sorry) Chaz Mason has written something wonderful and very, very engaging.
Last week I featured an article by local history Rapscallion Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler about a text, available for free via Google Books called ‘Black Diamonds or the Gospel in a Colliery District’ written around 1860 by mystery author HHB.
Here’s one for Trevor in Aus and all the folks who enjoy the ride cams. I’ve been meaning to do this one all week, and today’s postings fell victim to the festivities, so this is as good a chance as any, really.
I’ve had this one in preparation for a while, and to paraphrase, it’s an absolute boster of a post – regular readers will remember with fondness Ruth Penrhyn-Lowe, who has previously sent scans of some remarkable postcards of Brownhills, a stunning large set of Aldridge, and another bunch from Aldridge and Stubbers Green – all of which were collected by her late father.
This is an important one, and I think there may well be more to follow, as top local history wonk Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler is not one to let sleeping dogs – or local history matters that are niggling him – lie.
The resident rail expert on the Brownhills Blog has been at it once more – Ian Pell, a man with a huge knowledge of the local railways, has written another excellent piece which I present here, covering a mystery rail depot handing cakes, closure of the Walsall Wood line and that lost canal/rail interchange wharf behind the Station Hotel.
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.
A few weeks ago, I shared here a mining plan of how workings in the Robbins coal seam under Walsall Wood, Clayhanger and Brownhills affected the railway line above it, showing the coal mine excavations in great detail under the village.
Since it’s Remembrance Sunday, I thought I’d publish this piece today, written by David Evans – as many readers will know, David has a particular and enduring interest in the Great War, and has worked hard to record the effects of it locally – from the stories of men who fought, like Cecil Arthur Burton and David’s Great Uncle, Levi Cooper, to more esoteric aspects like the Messiness model at Brocton on Cannock Chase.
Hi folks – it’s not often I do this here on the blog, but I feel that quality is important, particularly in the recording of historically important documents I present, and an article I wasn’t happy with at all was published here a few weeks ago with a very heavy heart.
