Category Archives: News

Now we’re getting back on track after the pandemic, it’s good to see the return after two years of absence of the periodic Toy and Train Collectors Fair at Oak Park Leisure Centre, Walsall Wood. The next one runs Sunday, … Continue reading →

Breaking a long and unintentional silence today (sorry) with a post reflecting some great material that’s surfaced from the wonderful Tony Portman who’s contributed so much fine material to the blog over the years – but this time Tony has … Continue reading →

I have been proud to feature in past posts here the remarkable paintings of local artist Dave Dunkley of Rushall Station and level crossing and of Rushall Square as he remembered it from his youth. Well, Dave’s been in touch again – … Continue reading →

I’m glad to see that some important social activities are resuming in light of their cancellation for lockdown – and the resumption of the Wednesday afternoon walking group in Brownhills is great news. The Walsall Healthy Spaces Team volunteer led … Continue reading →

Today, I have a remarkable set of photos for readers from longtime reader, friend and contributor to the blog Robert Sault. Robert, you might remember, contributed a remarkable gallery of images, mostly old-school aerial ones, of the M6 Toll being … Continue reading →

I’m glad to see that some important social activities are resuming in light of their cancellation for lockdown – and the resumption of the Wednesday afternoon walking group in Brownhills is great news. The Walsall Healthy Spaces Team volunteer led … Continue reading →

I’m glad to see that some important social activities are resuming in light of their cancellation for lockdown – and the resumption of the Wednesday afternoon walking group in Brownhills is great news. The Walsall Healthy Spaces Team volunteer led … Continue reading →

I’m glad to see that some important social activities are resuming in light of their cancellation for lockdown – and the resumption of the Wednesday afternoon walking group in Brownhills is great news. The Walsall Healthy Spaces Team volunteer led … Continue reading →

Today, I have a great bit of local ecclesiastical history to share with readers who will, I’m sure, be interested in the Opening and Dedication Service Programme to Silver Street Methodist Church, Brownhills, which opened at 3pm on Saturday, April … Continue reading →

Old friend of the blog Ian Broad has been in touch again to reprise his hugely popular series of historical then and now photos that he started creating in 2020 as part of his lockdown exercise bike rides. Ian sent … Continue reading →

I’m glad to see that some important social activities are resuming in light of their cancellation for lockdown – and the resumption of the Wednesday afternoon walking group in Brownhills is great news. The Walsall Healthy Spaces Team volunteer led … Continue reading →

Long term readers will remember the annual music and fun festival that’s taken place on the smallholding just off the A5 at Newtown, Brownhills every summer – except last year, when it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Obviously none … Continue reading →

I am honoured today to be able to share with readers an archive gallery of images that are of Chasewater and the Speedboat Club in the earliest years, when the lake was still surrounded by the remnants of mining history … Continue reading →

It’s always nice to know the blog has helped a reader in some small way and today I can share with readers a fine email I’ve had thanking me for scanning and posting the booklet ‘Old Chasetown’ on the blog … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago I featured a post here telling the remarkable story of a soldier from Walsall Wood – Trooper Henry Hall – who died in the liberation of Dieteren in The Netherlands from Nazi occupation, and of the … Continue reading →

A quick one for now while I sort out another post, but this remarkable image came to light a couple of weeks ago, posted on Facebook by Gill Brown. It shows Gill’s grandfather, Henry Penton standing in the crater caused … Continue reading →

Here’s a great one from reader Peter Gibbs who’s making a rather wonderful enquiry relating to an incident in Chasetown/Burntwood in 1917 which seems to have been the talk of the area! I’ll let Peter explain. This is, genuinely wonderful … Continue reading →

Hello folks – I have a very important request here from blog contributor, friend and historian David Evans who is helping a team from the Netherlands uncover the history of the forces that liberated their village of Dieteren in 1945. … Continue reading →

I featured a few weeks ago a painting by local artist Dave Dunkley of Rushall Station and level crossing that was very well received and generated a lost of positive debate about the station’s history. Well, spurred on by this, … Continue reading →

Back in the end of November (what seems like an age away now) Dave Dunkley, a talented local artist and Rushall lad sent me a picture he’d painted from memory of the Rushall Station he remembered from his youth. Rushall … Continue reading →

Another great piece of research comes in from reader and local military historian Isaac Marklew-Brown, whose article on his relative Thomas Marklew, a victorian ere soldier was so well received here a few months ago. This time Isaac again writes … Continue reading →

An interesting contribution today from veteran blog writer and local industrial historian Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler, who has once again been delving via the newspaper archives into the grizzly reality of life as a miner, rather than indulging the more airbrushed … Continue reading →

Hi all I’d just like to take five minutes to wish you a happy Christmas and let us all hope for a better 2021, and hopefully a return to some kind of normal when we can enjoy cafes, a pint … Continue reading →

It’s been a while since I featured a local history article by the young David Evans who’s still beavering away diligently in the background, and today we return to his home ground of Walsall Wood, where the good gentleman has … Continue reading →

Hi folks – here’s a heads up to something lovely that’s very local and a credit to the creator, lovely local lady Kathryn ‘Chalk Fairy’ Grace – The Clayhanger Common Nativity Trail. Kathryn works tirelessly for the good of the … Continue reading →

Just a quick heads up as the great Canal Hunter Andy Tidy has posted some new episodes of a great canal history series on YouTube that I have plugged before about lost local canals – this time covering coal transport from … Continue reading →

As a long time supporter of Walsall Wood Football Club as a historic, community institution, I’m angry and saddened to see West Midlands Police post the following statement yesterday. I will not carry any further material from the club until … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I featured here a very popular article about a local late-Victorian era soldier from Brownhills from an engaging, enthusiastic and interesting man: Isaac Marklew Brown. His fascinating research and supporting material on the history of soldier … Continue reading →

I was contacted earlier this month by old friend of the blog and frequent contributor Sheila Norris, with some rather sad news – her father, Leonard Jones sadly passed away last April. Len was the last of the Jones brothers … Continue reading →

I was contacted in the week by local artist and reader Dave Dunkley who’s sent me a remarkable and lovely painting of something I was only peripherally aware existed: Rushall Station. And what’s most interesting is that Dave had painted … Continue reading →

Sorry, been a bit busy this week but hopefully can get some interesting stuff up in the next few days or so,. including some gems from the Young David Evans. In the meantime, a bit of motorbike racing ephemera that … Continue reading →

This lovely tribute video was made by old friend of the blog Matin Littler and sent to me earlier in the year. A lovely thing. Thank you Martin! As explained in my previous post, since life under Coronavirus restrictions has … Continue reading →

In the remarkable and worrying times in which we now live, there are few constants remaining. One of those that has sustained, but in a very different – and somehow more starkly appropriate form – is the annual act of … Continue reading →

Hello everyone – I’d just like to issue an apology for missing the traditional Remembrance post this year – last night I have something unexpected to deal with and events overtook me. There is some coverage coming up in the … Continue reading →