This Goblins Pit thing seems to be unstoppable. The irrepressible Kate from Lichfield Lore has been on the case this afternoon. First of all, she points out that Goblins Wood is marked on the Yates Map of 1798. Thus I think the Gobbins Pit thing can be nailed as a transcription error. I never thought to look at Yates, Kate proving to me the value of checking your own resources before looking for new ones. Consider me suitably cardiganned…
Clearly significant before Bullings Heath or Walsall Wood. Download the whole of this remarkable map from my 'Unfolding the map' post.
Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler – stirling Panoramian (whose comments I occasionally get round to answering there – sorry Peter!) has also pointed out in the comments to ‘Goblin it up…’ that a railway nearly came through Goblins Pit, or at least, within the vicinity.
Found in a number of Newspapers a Planning Application by South Staffs Railway to create an extensive Railway network with Branch Lines. The route mentions hundreds of places, but locally of interest, from the Newbury Herald Sat Nov 15th 1845…
I’m not really sure what’s going on here. It’s a story called ‘The Poor Widow’s Offering’ and it appeared in an 1888 church mag produced by the Latter Day Saints.
I haven’t read it through but it seems to be set in an old thatched cottage at Goblin’s Pit, Walsall Wood. It also references Green Lane and tells of childish legends of goblins roaming at night!
What’s interesting with things like is did legends give rise to the name, or did the name give rise to legends?
The ebook interface is horrid, so I’ve screen grabbed the relevant pages. Click on them for readable versions. This really is worth persevering with, and rather weird. What do you folks think?
Following the large – and welcome – interest in Goblin’s Pit/Wood/Coppy Wodd/Coppice Woods in Green Lane, Walsall Wood, I thought I’d trawl the mapping record to see what I could find. This section of the 1:50,000 scale pre 1884 first edition is where the name was first legitimised for me.
This 1:50,000 digital issue of the 1884 first edition is great to study, but very inaccurate in places. The naming record here is excellent. Notice ‘Goblins Pit Farm’.
I went trawling for other usage, but could find none other than that highlighted in these two posts. Interestingly, on all large scale (and subsequent small scale) mapping, the wood is unnamed, even on modern Ordnance survey vector media. However, the 1884 1:2,500 plot does show something interesting, highlighted by Andy Dennis’s wonderful contribution in the comments yesterday. There were, indeed, other dwellings near the wood.
I can find no record of a pit, mine or excavation, and revisiting Brian Rollins work, ‘Coal Mining in Walsall Wood, Brownhills and Aldridge’, he actually says the following in the introduction:
For instance, there was no ancient coal mine at Goblins Pit Farm or Goblins Pit Wood in Green Lane, Walsall Wood, the coal measures here are overlain by hundreds of feet of Etruria Marls. No doubt there were surface excavations but only in the marls and probably to spread on the fields before the days of fertilisers to help regenerate the soil. These depressions exist in many fields and are called ‘Borrow Pits’.
Which just goes to show my memory isn’t quite what is was…
1884 1:2,500 scale draft of the Bullings Heath/Goblin Pit area. Note the additional buildings, not extant today.
I overlaid the map segment on Google Earth to show where the cottages would be today. If anyone wants a copy of the whole overlay, drop me a line and I’ll post it up.
Where the cottages were, to the south of those remaining today, there now seems to be scrub. Wonder if there are any remnants, and why they were lost?
So we’re none the wiser, really, but we’ve learned a bit more about the Bullings Heath area… and goblins. You clearly can’t have enough of the little fellas.
I’ve been trying to post this all week, but haven’t had the time up until now. Last Sunday (26th February, 2012), I visited Chasewater, and to my surprise, the security fence around the remaining dam works site, surrounding the Pool Road bridge, Nine-Foot pool and spillway had been breached and access was possible from all directions. The work here is clearly very nearly complete and it’s interesting to see what has been constructed.
It’s fairly obvious that the contractors will be ready to vacate the site soon.
The bridge and spillways are very heavily engineered, perhaps overly so, as Graham Evans of Chasewater Wildlife Group recently speculated, but the designers have stringent safety standards to meet. This is a very carefully designed system, engineered to steer and remove energy from what could be a very damaging flow of water. Also evident is the environmental concern which has gone into the design. All in all I was quite impressed – but with the cost of works now topping six million pounds, it needs to be something special.
Sadly, access to the canal will appear to be as poor as ever it was. I also noted that the basin showed few signs of the draining that took place the day before to recover the capsized dredging vessel, which I later spotted moored in Ogley Basin. I bet someone got a right ear-bending for that episode…
The day after the great dredger disaster had happened. Apart from a slight sheen of oil, the canal basin was back to normality.
This earthwork creation had me baffled for a couple of weeks. I worked out what it was for after learning the basin was to be dredged: it's a drying lagoon for the canal mud. The dredging spoil will be left here to drain, as transporting it wet is expensive and wasteful.
This is the Nine-Foot pool, recreated. it will fill to the level of the low overflow culvert. In a heavy flow event, water comes through the bridge (behind me), hits the wall, and overtops the breakwater weir (left), by which time it's energy should be muted somewhat.
The Pool Road bridge is nearly complete - railings and kerbs in place, almost ready for surfacing. Nice job.
The sphagnum lawn - languishing behind the rangers hut for what seems like an age - has been replaced in the output channel of the spillway. It's kept wet by a small feeder pipe from the Nine-Foot.
There is a low level, low capacity culvert to keep the Nine-Foot topped up from the lake, and to vent it to the spillway. I trust it will be guarded with a grille eventually, as it's very much child-sized and looks inviting to crawl through.
Lots of work appears to have been done on the feeder culvert at the basin - that's a new (and seriously heavy) concrete plinth.
One of the features of the canal basin I hoped would disappear remains. Lichfied said this area was to have improved access, but it's unchanged. This post and rails prevent access to Chasewater from the canal to those in wheelchairs, on trikes or with pushchairs. It's a dammed pain for cyclists, too.
The dredger at the centre of the commotion of the previous days had worked its way to Ogley Basin, where it was looking distinctly sorry for itself.
Rich Johnstone is rapidly emerging as one of the primary voices in local blogging. He writes infrequently, but usually in a calm, directed anger with a precision that’s deeply impressive. He is latest work, about the ridiculous privatisation of the police, is absolutely wonderful, and I believe it deserves a much wider airing.
Rich has written some brilliant stuff, so while you’re over there, please do have a look at some of his previous works. I think he might be in the wrong job…
Reader David Evans raised a great point with me the other day, and one I’ve been meaning to raise obliquely for a while here on the blog. David’s point is specifically about Green Lane Woods – formerly known as Goblin Wood, and the area it sits in just on the bend of Green Lane, between Bullings Heath and Shelfield, once known as Goblins Pit.
This is an interesting name, and like many local names, has slipped into disuse. Places like Holly Bank, Castle Gate, Bullings Heath, The Slough and Ogley Square are all sliding into the past, and both myself and local history ferret [Howmuch?] are keen to see these names preserved.
To preserve them, though, it helps to know a little about them and their origin. Anyone have any idea why Goblins Pit was so named? Local mining historian Brian Rollins strongly asserts there was never a mine there – although I wouldn’t discount a lime or clay pit possibly. So what do you folks know about this in particular, or other odd local place names? Do you have any that everyone else has forgotten? David’s Walsall Wood quizzes may help jog the memory here.
A map from an 1832 Boundary Commission report as shown on Old Maps Online. Note Goblins Pit is recorded as Goblings Pit. Transcription error, or earlier name?
I would love to know the derivation of this name, whether it is an old spelling of Goblin in the plural, or if Goblings were objects. A pit where objects known as goblings were found…. and if goblings were a spoil, residue, by-product of a process… smelting iron? The odds and ends, slag or speller were left around… Knowing that the verb ‘to gob’ in local slang means to spit, I wonder if the local slang and whatever happened there were linked.
Wikipedia, at least, gives a start and shows this image of a goblin. Perhaps nothing to do with this particular instance, though.
I have in mind scratchings and chitterings, both unusual words in themselves, as the spur to this train of thought, and knowing that nail-making was an important local activity before the days of the coal-mine. I hope that this unusual place, its name and its possible activities from long ago can be clearly and accuratley defined.
I wonder what help your kind blog readers may be able to offer.
with kind regards
David
So? What do we think, folks? Anything to add? That’s BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com, or comment here. Cheers…
I’m very sad to hear that in the last 48 hours, local cyclist and partner of top local blogger Linda Mason (self styled ‘Mad old baggage’, although she doesn’t seem that mad to me), Aiden McHaffie has been injured in a car accident in central Birmingham on a frankly awful commute. It’s always heart-wrenching to hear of cycling accidents, and this one is even worse, as like many folk, I’ve been following Aiden’s Tumblr journal ‘Getting there’ – yesterdays post on which is pretty sobering reading.
Both Linda and Aiden have written frankly and emotionally on their blogs.
I’d like to wish Aiden and Linda all the very best. Neither of them seem to have had the best of luck lately, both having been laid low with ailments – so it’s really sad to see yet another of fate’s blows strike. I’m glad to hear that there are top legal bods from British Cycling involved, and hope the elbow will mend soon.
As soon as you can, old chap, get back on the bike, but do get well soon first. Thinking of you both. And to all my cycling readers – be careful. There are some right arseholes about. Trust nobody.
Be careful out there.
Linda always writes passionately and beautifully. This one really seers. Click on the image to visit her post.
Keeper’s Cottage has been derelict for as long as I can remember – and that’s at least three decades, along with the cottages in Footherley itself and the lodge bungalow at Owlettts Farm. I despair at seeing what could be good homes being carried to dust when the landowner has been offered good money for them on multiple occasions. A tragedy in itself, that makes me very angry indeed.
Click on the screen shot to visit Susan-Marie & Julian's great bit of research.
This is just part of the fabulous work being undertaken by Julian Ward-Davies, Susan-Marie Ward, GordonMycock, Steve Hickman and the other stalwarts of the Stonnall Local History Group on Facebook. It’s an impressive thing and some real gems are coming out of this interesting and engaging project. It’s nice to see a community and group engaging with, and investigating, their shared community history. Please check it out.
Here’s a great one. Spotted by The Aardvark on Twatter, curator of Burntwood Live and all round top chap. It’s a new site for old maps – it’s got lots of great material, including Ordnance Survey popular and inter-war editions, and the resolution and working area are great too, often a bit of a limitation on such services. Best of all, it’s absolutely free of charge to use.
The OldMapsOnline Portal is an easy-to-use gateway to historical maps in libraries around the world.
It allows the user to search for online digital historical maps across numerous different collections via a geographical search. Search by typing a place-name or by clicking in the map window, and narrow by date. The search results provide a direct link to the map image on the website of the host institution.
OldMapsOnline has been created by a collaboration between The Great Britain Historical GIS Project based at The University of Portsmouth, UK and Klokan Technologies GmbH, Switzerland.
There are plenty of maps of our area to study, why not check it out?
Mapping quality is excellent, as this screenshot shows, this extract from a Boundary Commission report dated 1832. Click on the image to visit the map.
The house had no architectural value, and was an eyesore on the way to Chasewater – I think most of us will be glad to see it gone. I wish the new owners well in their project and look forward to seeing the results – we need a better gateway to Chasewater. If you’re reading this, please do drop me a line and tell me all about it. BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers…
I paid visit Sunday Afternoon after being alerted by reader John. 3:06pm, Sunday, 26th February 2012.
I hope in time, the surrounding fields will be managed properly again. 3:06pm, Sunday, 26th February 2012.
The site was very busy. It'll be interesting to see the new house develop. 3:08pm, Sunday, 26th February 2012.
I notice from an article in the Express & Star that Tesco appear to be getting cold feet on their plan for a new store for Brownhills. This is grim news, but I’m not surprised, and have been sensing all has not been well for a while. Alarm bells started to ring when the store was downgraded from a massive Extra store with parking underneath, glass atria and extra retail units – like Cradley, Walsall or Lichfield – to a smaller, single-story affair that didn’t even show the courtesy of fronting the High Street. From being promised – and indeed, consulted on – a huge retail redevelopment of Brownhills, our town was sold out for a cheap option with none of the paybacks present in the original publicity.
From the Express & Star website, Monday, 27th February 2012. Click on the image to visit the story on their website.
The overhaul of a supermarket creating scores of new jobs is on hold after bosses admitted that there is no start date for the scheme.
Tesco says it is committed to the investment but it cannot confirm when the work will get under way.
It was initially anticipated the revamp of the store in Brownhills would get under way this spring. The nearby Ravenscourt Shopping Centre is due to be demolished as part of the project, and the remaining traders say that they are still not sure when they will have to move out.
The scheme includes a rebuild and expansion of the Silver Street store and two shop units for other retail or cafe-type use.
The plans have been in the pipeline for a number of years and planning approval with the creation of 150 jobs was granted 18 months ago but remains on hold.
Doreen Gent, manageress of the Acropolis coffee house in Ravenscourt Shopping Centre, said: “We have been left in limbo and don’t know what is happening.
“No-one has been telling us anything and we are struggling to survive.”
Tesco spokesman Jonathan Simpson said consent for the regeneration scheme is in place and they are finalising this year’s work plan. “At the moment we are just putting our plans together,” he added.
“We are reviewing our development programme all the time. We are committed to investing in the region.”
A new-look market pitch closer to High Street is eventually due to be created under the plans. It comes after the collapse of the relaunched Brownhills Market last summer.
The two-days-a-week event was scrapped nine months after it returned through private operators LSD Promotions who blamed a lack of traders and shoppers.
The project has faced delays throughout and had to be redrawn ahead of getting planning permission.
Ravens Court: a decaying monument to the gullibility of our civic leaders?
Unfortunately, the classic 2009 letter to the Walsall Advertiser, written by self-styled ‘Mr. Brownhills’, Doug Birch, no longer survives online. In it, he spoke loftily of new retail ‘coming on stream’, of new housing and a new dawn, all powered by Tesco and their wonderful benevolence, in which we wouldn’t need anything as anachronistic as a market. It was a classic demonstration of how a large supermarket chain and its developers can completely blind local dignitaries with unfeasible, unlikely schemes whilst all the time looking after their own vicarious goals. Instead of a retail dream, we seem to be drifting rudderless into a nightmare.
I’m not at all shocked by this, and have been predicting it for a while, but the sheer hubris of our big supermarkets is killing our towns. Brownhills seems to be just the latest in another long line of civic victims.
Tesco doesn’t care about Brownhills. It doesn’t care about you. It just wants your money. Remember that…
Click on the screen shot to visit Steve & Julian's great bit of research.
This is just part of the fabulous work being undertaken by Julian, Steve, Gordon and the other stalwarts of the Stonnall Local History Group on Facebook. It’s an impressive thing and some real gems are coming out of this interesting and engaging project. It’s nice to see a community and group engaging with, and investigating, their shared community history. Please check it out.
I noted a couple of weeks ago on my #365daysofbiking Tumblr journal that this was the time of year to expect great sunsets. There have been some wonderful ones of late, but yesterday’s was spectacular, and by a twist of good fortune I happened to be cycling back through Wall – possibly the best place to be locally for a good sunset – when it occurred. It was certainly one of the best sunsets I’ve seen for a year or so.
From the north end of Claypit Lane, looking toward Pipe Hill. 5:43pm, Saturday, 25th February 2012.
This house in Market Lane took on a wonderful silhouette. 5:57pm, Saturday, 25th February 2012.
The copse pool at the top of Aldershawe Hill. 5:48pm, Saturday, 25th February 2012.
The driveway to Aldershaw Livery Stables, looking towards Wall Village. 5:51pm, Saturday, 25th February 2012.
Looking east toward Know;e Hill and Deans Slade. 5:42pm, Saturday, 25th February 2012.
Stunning, too, from Wall cricket pitch. 5:56pm, Saturday, 25th February 2012.
David came over all enigmatic, and said only this:
Hi Bob
Yes, I just had to go to Lichfield again, to see how many people were counting bootscrapers and to enjoy some of the other interesting little nooks and crannies there. This little gem, for example.
I wonder how many of today’s first-generation Lichfeldians will recognise it?
cheers
David
I have no idea what David is talking about. Can anyone toss me a bone, please?
In a separate mail, David also asked me to pass on the following to Kate on the subject of the Lombard Street Forge and other bits and pieces concerning Ye Olde City:
Hi Bob
From cousin John, this evening:
He understands that there were two spas in Stowe Street long ago! I wonder if the locals mean wells?
Beacon Street was known as Bacon Street originally, and was the red light district of the town! So close to The Close, too!
Following David Dalley’s kind tipoff, as soon as I could, I cycled over to Anglesey Basin to check out what was happing in person. It’s not often I get chance to do the roving reporter thing, and this looked interesting.
When I got there at about 3:45pm, he canal was indeed dammed at Wharf Lane Bridge, employing the damming slots I mentioned in the original post. Wooden planks with a covering polythene sheet were holding back the waters, and the basin side was about 18 inches lower than the mainline. The dam was steadily leaking, but enough had clearly been removed for the purposes required.
As I approached the basin, a couple of stranded butties lay at oblique angles on the mud (buttes are unpowered vessels for holding, in this case, dredging spoil and are towed behind powered craft). Clearly unscheduled, this drain had taken place in a hurry.
I looked in vain for the dredger, and passing the outflow to the crane brook, chaps in wetsuits were clearing debris from the culvert. As I neared the basin, I saw the dredger – the right way up this time, but still clearly swamped – laid in against the bank and a couple of buttes. A large excavator was employed as a crane, hoisting the working end of the boat straight using lifting chains. I asked a nearby engineer what the situation was.
It seems that as part of the dam works, the basin is to be dredged. In the process of this, the dredger, which, when working sits on outriggers like a road crane, fell over for some reason when unattended. The engineer suggested that either one of the feet had sunk into the silt, or a pump had possibly failed, or even vandals may have caused the capsize. The canal had been drained to facilitate the salvage of the boat, he explained, but was being complicated by the concerns environmental advisors monitoring the condition of the canal.
The water level had been lowered to get as much water out of the dredger as possible, it was then pulled upright with the excavator, and attempts were made to refloat it. As I left, water was being pumped out of the boat and the workers were discussing raising the water level again. Clearly, not a great way to spend Saturday.
It was certainly worth going for a look – I was not aware of how this kind of operation was carried out. It’s not often you get chance to see a canal drained, either. Certainly an interesting thing – cheers to David for the headsup.
The temporary dam is made of planks and polythene sheeting. Primitive, but functional. This one was leaking quite a bit - see the turbulence in front of it?
David was quite right, water had been drained via the outfall to the Crane Brook, which is below this grille. Note the stranded muck butty.
The capsized dredger had been righted and towed to the outlet culvert end of the basin, This excavator was hiding the rear of the craft up using lifting chains.
The dredger itself was clearly in poor condition after it's adventure, and still quite swamped.
As I arrived, workers were hoping to let the water level rise and refloat the machine.
It was clearly a slow, frustrating process. Even after my loop of Chasewater, the engineers were still working to sort the problem out.
It’s been a while since I featured a David Evans piece here, so I thought I’d feature this one, which seems oddly appropriate for a sunny spring Saturday. As ever, I thank David for his tireless work and contributions, which are always a delight. Now, on with the show…
The final death throes of the Coppy Pit, and the realisation that the way of life which had been associated with the close-knit mining village of Walsall Wood could never return, strangely coincided with the exuberance and the thrust of the 1960s. Indeed, the finality of the silence where there had been coal trains, the stillness of the canal waters where they had been barges, and the quietness of the footpaths that had echoed to the stomping of hobnail boots in former years, sad though it was, belonged to a long-gone age to that of the rapidly changing, brash ,1960s.
Television was now part of every home. Its intrusion and effect was accepted possibly because of the ease and passivity of the instant entertainment and information that was on offer. The choice of programmes was expanding, too. Bernard Miles, Hughie Green and their ilk were pushed to one side. Now there was Wrestling to replace that Saturday afternoon walk to watch the local team play their football match. Television News, beamed direct into the box in the sitting-rooms began to replace the purchase of the daily newspaper at the bus-station in Walsall, or from the local newsagents in the Wood, ‘What’s my Line’ and other panel games replaced family board games. Gradually and imperceptibly the world of personality and commerce was creeping into every home. Documentaries, variety shows, and ultimately the soaps all replaced the social chat in the grocers, the friendly chat at the Post Office, over a pint in the local or whilst waiting your turn in the doctors’ surgery in Beech Tree Road. The base fabric of the community was changing.
New styles and fashions of everything descended on the society. That pair of shoes, that dress, that overcoat, all suddenly needed to be replaced to keep up with the latest fashion. Skirts became shorter and more expensive. Shoes? Winkle pickers or stilettos, please. That full-length raincoat or overcoat? Duffle coat or Parka. No time to waste. Appearance and image were paramount.
The family car went through osmosis from basic vehicle to fashion accessory. Style over function! The Austin (Baggypants) A55 changed into the two tone Austin Pininfarina. That brilliant car designer and engineer, Issigonis showed that four people, folded up a bit, could be transported, sardine-like perhaps, in a vehicle that measured only 10 feet long, and at a cost of one penny per mile in petrol. Instant success! Other manufacturers took note. They had to… Everybody had to have one, and would then ‘personalise’ their car. Local lads put aside their powerful motorbikes and bought Mini cars, or Minivans. Their girlfriends and other passengers could now travel in warmth and out of the weather!. Girls’ bouffant hairstyles and lads’ Elvis flicks kept their look.
Walsall Wood saw new housing estates constructed; pretty little detached units affectionately nicknamed ‘dog kennels’ and ‘rabbit hutches’, and more traditional semi-detached houses, all built on the slopes of Shire Oak Hill. The Wood was moving up in the world in every sense of the word. High density housing units were built by the canal on what had been long Victorian gardens. Big gardens were no longer needed. There were the new supermarkets, at Streets Corner and in Brownhills Shopping Centre, where all was instantly available without the need of gardening and tending the vegetable patch, or rearing the chickens and the pig. No need to queue up in individual shops any more. This was the age of self-service and pre-packaged foods from all over the world appeared on the store’ shelves. ‘The more you spend, the more you save’.
[You’ll never know just how hard I looked for a Victor Value advert to place here. Victor Value were, of course, the first supermarket in Brownhills, other than George Mason, more of a traditional grocers. Victor Value opened at the top of Ravens Court, and were later absorbed by Tesco. – Bob]
There was greater leisure time, and greater affluence. Elmdon airport in Birmingham became the departure point for holidays abroad, to sunny Spain and Majorca, with the thrill to flying in a BEA Viscount aeroplane.
The local playing fields in the village were destined to change into a ‘leisure Centre’ with its own indoor swimming pool. No need for lads to swim in the cut anymore. Static family-sized caravans on new caravan parks in Wales, or by the river Severn, were within easy and affordable reach. Weekends would be spent there.
The community spirit of the former mining village was rapidly fragmenting. There would be few communal events. The new Walsall Wood residents lived in the village, but, to a large extent, worked away. The age of the commuter was emerging from the darkness of the post-war years. Owning a motorcar, which had once been a dream, was now becoming a necessity. The trusty two wheel friend, the working man’s bike, was to transform itself into what would become a multi-gear, all-terrain vehicle, over time.
The interiors of homes had to reflect the fashion of the Age, too. The television set, the stereo-radio set, the upright vacuum cleaner, the fridge, the dramatic wall-paper, the eye-straining colour schemes, the fitted wardrobes, coloured bathroom suites (champagne? chateau plonk, perhaps), the rubber plants up to the ceiling, near the front window, to be visible, of course! No more Grace Field’s biggest whatsit in the world, or Grandma’s ‘Mind your Own Business’, not in the homes of the 1960s.
In Walsall Wood a new secondary school was built to replace the old one near to Streets Corner. This would be built on the top of Shire Oak Hill. The colliery yard was becoming a modern industrial estate and the original settlement of the village had expanded and had changed beyond belief.
Had some interesting pictures mailed to me yesterday by reader and friend of The Brownhills Blog David Dalley. They’re taken on the canal, near Chasewater at Anglesey Basin, where it seems British Waterways are experiencing a bit of an ‘Oh shit!’ moment. Will check it out myself later…
Hi Bob
Just been down the canal by chasewater and saw this.
Not only that, but they seem to be lowering the level of the canal via crane brook, with a dam just by wharf lane bridge.
Dave
My thanks to David for the pictures and tipoff. That has to be a very bad day at work for someone. I wonder if the water is being lowered solely to recover the boat?
This is a dredging vessel. I would imagine that British Waterways are clearing out the basin as part of the Chasewater Dam works. That's gotta hurt. The booms round the boat are to stop oil escapes spreading. Picture supplied by David Dalley.
Canals - if possible - are always dammed at the narrowest part possible, as the force on the dam can be considerable. Often this is at under bridges, many of which have slots in them for dam erection. Picture supplied by David Dalley.
Those swans look a bit cheesed off. Wonder it they've worked out they can walk or fly around the dam yet? Not the brightest birds ever created. Picture supplied by David Dalley.
It seems from a recent council press release that there’s still much to be learned from this fascinating period piece, and Walsall Local History Centre will be holding an event next Friday (24th February 2012) to discuss the work and what is known about it’s origins, history and the people connected to it.
Help needed from family and local historians in the boroughWalsall Local History Centre is trying to solve the mystery of a personal book which is packed with references of Walsall.
The history centre is holding an autograph book talk on Friday February 24th from 2.30pm until 4pm. The talk aims to unlock some of the mystery surrounding the book.
The Victorian autograph book turned-up in Sheffield and has been sent to Walsall as it packed with poems, cartoons, pictures, thoughts and even stunning oil paintings from people in the Walsall, Willenhall, Cannock, Pelsall, Great Wyrley, Cheslyn Hay and Brownhills areas.
The album is a human story and was an 18th birthday present from Lottie to her beloved sister, Emily, in 1900. Who were Emily, Lottie, their brother Garrett? Where did they come from and what happened to them?
Everyone is welcome to go along to the talk. To book a place please call 01922 721305.
Paul Ford and the staff of the history centre have made some remarkable contribution to the blog, and I’d like to draw readers attention to some of them, like the Yates Map of Staffordshire and The great Walsall Wood subsidence mystery or even The lost mortuary in Bullings Heath. Paul is just one of the team at Walsall Local History Centre who provide a largely free service to everyone from serious family historians to muppets like me involved in the bizarrest bits of local history. This service is the jewel in Walsall’s cultural crown and we need to cherish and protect it.
The Forge in Lombard Street. That's one old beam, there - wonder what the metal brace is for, fixed to it in the right-hand doorway? Great chimneys, too. Image expertly taken by David Evans. Looking good!
David mailed me the following with his photo:
Hi Bob
Street-walking around Lichfield this morning… [Really? – Bob] I think this is the smithy. It was Bates taxis yard in 1960sish. The faded red doors led to a big yard. The adjacent house, green door, is called The Forge. Possibly moved from across the road to give bigger space for the workshop long time ago? I may have more info in a few days …another mail to send.
Trying a new camera… no chapter on ‘guesswork’ fingers crossed!
cheers
David
Further, David sent me this, later on, a really interesting question, and one I’ve been pondering for several days.
I must have passed that doorway on countless occasions and not noticed the boot scrapers. Wow! Picture courtesy David Evans.
David added:
Lombard’s lost smithy set me thinking…..
No horses in the city anymore = no horse buns to clean = no need for boot scrapers…..
Only a few left now. There are some in Bore Street and just a few in Dam Street.
Another part of history disappearing!
cheers
David
This raises an interesting point. David is quite right, they’re a disappearing thing. Doesn’t the Cathedral have them? I know many rural churches do. Are there any other feature of architectural curiosity like this that are on the wane, or gone for good? I know [Howmuch] is fascinated by the sweeping access plates many chimneys have at their base. They certainly were’t universal, and only seems present on quite large houses. Are there any rope bell pulls left locally?
Your blog re tribute to miners reminded me that I was going to send you some bits of memorabilia concerning a local miner who died 50 years or so ago. They are largely self-explanatory, so rather than fill in details, of which I know few, I thought it would be better to see if your readers can contribute their ideas. I do know who the man was (to right of the two men), when and where born, lived, married, died, where his ancestors came from and have an uncertain idea of where he worked, but his story was probably much the same as many other locals.
The filenames should come out in chronological order.
Anyway, I hope you and your readers find this little collection interesting and worthy of discussion and speculation.
No gratitude or respect in this redundancy notice, but I do note that it’s dated November 28th, 1930. Remember that on the 1st OCtober 1930, the Grove Colliery Disaster occurred. If this wasn’t from the Grove, Harrison may well have been experiencing straightened times.
This video paying tribute to the former miners of Brownhills and Walsall Wood has been around for a few years now, but I thought I’d give it a plug on the blog. It’s and interesting compilation by Ulead123, posted on YouTube way back in 2007. It’s a bittersweet thing, and contains some interesting images. I thought it was about time I posted it for readers who maybe hadn’t come across it yet.
My compliments to Ulead123, and if you’re reading this, please shout up – I’d love to hear the story behind this lovely tribute.
I was aware last week of the publicity binge Staffordshire and Lichfield Councils were undertaking on the subject of Chasewater, and at the time, found the forced PR to be a little like the reservoir itself; shallow and lacking in depth. The 100 tonnes of concrete figure was openly misleading, and the idea that the lake will be anything like full by the spring of 2013 is straight from fantasy island.
Full by spring 2013? Better do your rain dance, folks...
I was going to write about the lamentable public relations puff and the real situation on the ground this week, but Graham has so neatly encapsulated what I wanted to say that there’s no point, so I reproduce his disassembly of the reportage here, and hope that he doesn’t mind.
On February 15th the latest posting was made on the Chasewater Dam blog and it coincided with an article on BBC’s Midlands Today. It appears to be in the form of a press release and repeats what has been said before. Unfortunately it is written in the style of a tabloid paper and contains what can only be regarded as deliberately misleading nonsense which I’ll try to translate a sentence or two at a time.
A Hard Task!
More than 100 tonnes of concrete is to be poured into Chasewater Reservoir to help support the 200-year-old dam. The concrete will help control the flow of water when the reservoir is full. Repairs to the reservoir’s drawdown culvert (or plughole), have also been carried out.
Translation: Over 100 tonnes of concrete (about 40 cubic metres) will be used in the casting of the weir and the completion of other works in the Nine-foot area at the south end of the dam. The apparently rather over engineered structure will only be put to use when the lake is full, on average once every 2-3 years, but health and safety regulations demand that the dam and weir have to be able to withstand a one in 10 000 year flooding event.
County councillor Mark Winnington said: “This is the last major milestone in what has been a hugely successful and high profile project to restore one of the most popular country parks in the Midlands to its former glory.
Translation: We are now approaching another milestone in the works which have taken over a year longer than originally planned and have cost over £6 million, which is around double the estimate made two years ago. The final milestone will only be reached when the long suffering Sailing Club, Outdoor Education Centre and Water-ski Club are able to fully function and the quality of the rare SSSI environment is restored to, at least, its former state, and this may take several years.
“The county council has carried out vital safety improvements to the overflow to safeguard nearby residents in the event of severe flooding, which will enable us to monitor the condition of the dam much more closely in the future”.
“The drawdown culvert – the equivalent of the plughole in a bath – was located and inspected for the first time in over 200 years. Vital improvements have now been made and the project is expected to be complete in the spring.”
Translation: Galliford Try is hoping to be off site by mid-March.
Water levels have begun to rise again after the plug was replaced last October. It is expected to be refilled fully by spring 2013.
Translation: The exceptionally dry 11 months since last March, when the last water was run off into the canal, has meant that the filling of the lake has been very slow and unless we have the wettest year on record, there’s not a remote chance of the lake being full, or even half-full, by next spring. The currently small surface area has only risen by about 90cm since last March and there’s another 7m to go before the lake is full.
Jeffrey’s Swag has refilled and is now overflowing into the main lake bed and helping to dilute the poor quality water flowing down from the Chasetown Industrial Estate, which is frequently polluted by an unadopted drain. Members of the public are urged to call the Environment Agency’s 24 hour Freephone Incident Line on 0800 80 70 60 whenever they sense pollution in this, or any other, stream flowing into Chasewater.
Well, at least this is what I feel should have been said but of course we all see things from different perspectives and I look forward to shifting into the parallel universe inhabited by the writers of the blog so I can fully experience the results of this ‘hugely successful’ project next spring.
Today, I set our for a short ride in the snow at 10:30am. Just a potter, things to do, you know how it is. I came back at 6pm. A nice 55 mile run through a chilly,lightly snow-dusted but sunny South Staffordshire. Plenty of stopping to nose around, investigate and take in the sights. This was my first long ride of the year, and the first since I’d been ill. I fell in love with the bike again. I fell in love with the countryside again. Every year, it gets me, spring unwinds it’s green tendrils to capture me, then seduces with warm sun on my back, fresh air in my lungs and energy in my legs. But it never felt as good as it did today. I feel better, really well. For the first time in ages. I make no apologies for posting so many pictures – it was glorious out there.
Spring? Bring it on.
Wyrley & Essington Canal, looking towards the former Smith's Mill, Catshill, Brownhills. 11:02am, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
Bullmoor Lane, Hilton, looking towards Wall. 11:58am, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
Freshley ploughed potato beds, Packington Moor, Near Weeford. 1:17pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
Croxall Hall and dovecote, taxed in the 16th century as having '16 hearths'. Real old England. 2:24pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
The remarkable church at Harlaston. Always loved this one. 2:56pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
Harlaston Royal Observer Core post. This is a small, derelict nuclear bunker, from the days of mutual assured destruction. Still sends me cold, but darkly fascinating. 3:15pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
Trees shivering in a naked row... as Joni Mitchell put it. Near Footherley. 5:04pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
The converted barn at Lower Stonnall still has no residents after three years. Sad. 5:11pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
It's a long, chilly climb out of Stonnall, and there's still snow on the rooftops here. 5:15pm, Sunday, 19th February 2012.
Kate, who’s still doing the investigative history thing so much better than I do over at the superlative Lichfield Lore, has a bit of a quandary on her hands. After investigating blacksmiths, whitesmiths and smithies in the old city, she came to wonder about one in Lombard Street. We chatted over twitter for some time about how such trades came and went, and how it appeared that often, working class widows seemed to take on their deceased husband’s trade. I pointed out that very often, the widows had already been working in the family business, and just took it over out of necessity with the skills they were already using, the idea of a housewife being, pre-war, an upper-middle class concept.
In the process of this discussion, Kate pointed out that in the patchy mapping record that she had access to, she couldn’t tell where the smithy was in Lombard Street, in that it seemed to be on the wrong side of the road. In an effort to help, I’ve sorted all the 1:2,500 Ordnance Survey maps of the city that I can find, four in total for the vaguely relevant period. These will be a bit of a treat for mapping fans, but sadly, they don’t really help Kate much. In 1884, the smithy isn’t marked at all, and where it is, in the 1902 and 1923 maps, the mark is non specific.
However, these are great maps and a wonderful record of a growing city, so please feel free to download and print out. If you’re not already, do read Lichfield Lore; it’s marvellous.
Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 draft from 1884. No smithy, but lots of other interesting bits. Click for a larger image.
Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 draft from 1902. A smithy is noted - and the city has visibly developed.. Click for a larger image.
Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 draft from 1923. Smithy still there, huge growth in housing. Click for a larger image.
Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 draft from 1966. No requirement for shoeing horses in the city, and it's definitely entering the modern age. Click for a larger image.
It's like a huge game of brownfield 'pass the parcel' - to me... to you... Note the Morris Homes sign dumped unceremoniously behind - surely a bonus for the local tatters.
After planning permission was granted, a whole bunch of nothing happened. Rumours circulated that the development was not to go ahead, and the ‘Coming soon…’ sign faded in the daylight. It seems that in the meantime, the site has been sold to Taylor Wimpey, one of the country’s biggest house builders. They’ve since applied for permission to change the development – which will remain pretty much the same in terms of number of dwellings and their specification, but the types will be interposed for those of Taylor Wimpey’s own design, which seems fair enough.
What the development will look like should it get built. Note the new mini-roundabout which would be made at the bend in Silver Street. Click on the image to visit the original plan at Walsall's planning interactive site.
I find it a bit odd that the project has changed hands, although it never appeared as an upcoming development on the Morris Homes website, so it always looked a bit questionable. Hopefully, should the application be approved (and there’s no reason to suspect otherwise), construction will soon commence. It may not be what the community was originally promised, but it’s got to be better than wasteland, I think.
It seems from a recent council press release that there’s still much to be learned from this fascinating period piece, and Walsall Local History Centre will be holding an event next Friday (24th February 2012) to discuss the work and what is known about it’s origins, history and the people connected to it.
Help needed from family and local historians in the boroughWalsall Local History Centre is trying to solve the mystery of a personal book which is packed with references of Walsall.
The history centre is holding an autograph book talk on Friday February 24th from 2.30pm until 4pm. The talk aims to unlock some of the mystery surrounding the book.
The Victorian autograph book turned-up in Sheffield and has been sent to Walsall as it packed with poems, cartoons, pictures, thoughts and even stunning oil paintings from people in the Walsall, Willenhall, Cannock, Pelsall, Great Wyrley, Cheslyn Hay and Brownhills areas.
The album is a human story and was an 18th birthday present from Lottie to her beloved sister, Emily, in 1900. Who were Emily, Lottie, their brother Garrett? Where did they come from and what happened to them?
Everyone is welcome to go along to the talk. To book a place please call 01922 721305.
Paul Ford and the staff of the history centre have made some remarkable contribution to the blog, and I’d like to draw readers attention to some of them, like the Yates Map of Staffordshire and The great Walsall Wood subsidence mystery or even The lost mortuary in Bullings Heath. Paul is just one of the team at Walsall Local History Centre who provide a largely free service to everyone from serious family historians to muppets like me involved in the bizarrest bits of local history. This service is the jewel in Walsall’s cultural crown and we need to cherish and protect it.
After I mentioned the remarkable Castings PLC video, I had a good read of the latest blog post by Aldridge’s very own Linda Mason, in which she recalls the heyday of the Redhouse Estate in Aldridge, and it’s neighbouring large employers – McKechnie, The BRD and Birlec. These weren’t just factories, they were institutions with social clubs, events and their own community spirit. This evocative, intelligent and nostalgic piece is, like all Linda’s work, well worth a read.
That which has been lost and destroyed, can never be put back. What we today call ‘Modern Apprenticeships’ – nothing more than the generally dead-end YTS schemes of yore are no substitute for the tens of thousands taken through the training schoolss of companies of that post-war era. This was a time of nearly full employment, and today, we are coercing the jobless into working for benefits for the likes of Tesco for way less than the minimum wage, with only the demeaningly vague promise of an interview at the end.
We need more companies like Castings in Brownhills to invest in the future, yet as long as our government cowers tremulously before bankers, asset-strippers and financial vultures, I fear we are doomed to decline.
Spotted by chance, I came upon this video on YouTube today, and just had to share it with readers of the blog. It features the last large manufacturing employer in Brownhills, Castings PLC and it’s machining arm, CNC Speedwell. This prominent local company is a successful metal foundry and has a long history in the town. This is a fascinating wander round their manufacturing process, and a showcase of some rather captivating automation.
For once, it’s nice to see manufacturing fighting back…
Feel free to download and print out… put one up on your local noticeboard.
Hi Bob,
I was passed on your details by a well wisher who informed me that you may be able to put something on your blog regarding our missing dog. She is a toy white poodle with a purple with white spots collar and is micro chipped and spayed. She went missing on Friday 10th February 2012 at 4.30pm at Aldridge Cricket Club and has not been seen since. We have put posters all around the local area and was wondering if anyone sees or hears anything to contact us on 07912858383 or 07921512714.
If you are able to put this on your blog, it would be very much appreciated.
Chasewater is a fantastic place, with a huge biodiversity and complex, engaging history. Why not learn from the man who knows more than just about anyone else?
I note from the news page of the excellent Chasewater Wildlife Group that this evening, Tuesday, 14th February 2011 at 7:00pm, Graham Evans will be giving a talk, ’The Natural History of Chasewater’ to Norton Canes Historical Society at Norton Canes Library.
The talk is open to everyone, If you love Chasewater, please do attend. Graham and his fellow enthusiasts spend hours observing, recording and documenting the natural life of our park. The chance to listen to and chat with him should not be missed.
I will be giving an illustrated talk to the Norton Canes Local History Society on Tuesday 14th February at Norton Canes Library from 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome to come along and share in the learning about the social and natural history of our special place. A great Valentines Day night out!
The Walking Tours booklets were heavily advertised and indicative of a forward thinking company going for the leisure market. Click on the image to download the walking tours PDF (3.7 meg - may take a while).
Here’s a quick one from reader David Evans, that wasn’t so quick to assemble. It’s kind of in the ‘I don’t know what to do with it’ pile, but it’s a wonderful bit of local transport history, and part of a nationwide series, for which the LMS railway was famous. It’s the complete scan of a 1935 LMS Walking tours guide for the area, from Birmingham, Dudley Port, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Coventry. It contains routes, trains, prices and walking club information, and is really rather special. The file is one .PDF (Adobe reader required – but you’ve probably already got it) and it’s 3.7 megabytes in size, so it may take a while to download.
This book dates from 1935, only three years after the mass trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932 brought access to the countryside for all. Many of the tours listed in the booklet are still achievable, and come summer, I’m thinking of having a go at some of them myself.
Thanks to David Evans, who put a whole heap of effort into scanning this, much against the will of his mail service, which kept shrinking the images to nothing. They don’t call it AO Hell for nothing, you know… seriously, much work was done and I’m pleased and grateful to be able to share this booklet with readers.
Get those walking boots on, folks…
When leisure was beginning to be big business. Click to download the booklet.
Here’s a brilliant piece from Walsall blogger Rich Johnstone. He’s written some brilliant stuff over the years, and this is no exception. Well said, old chap.
This just in from the ‘You couldn’t make it up’ department. Top local history ferret [Howmuch?] spotted this article in the archive of The Walsall Observer, from the issue of Friday, 3rd January 1958. Charles Ferrie was the father of Ralph, whom I believe took on his father’s business, as described by reader and friend of the blog, Godfrey Hucker, in a previous post. Sadly, the article wasn’t in an easily transposable format, so I’ve transcribed it below.
It would be very easy to mock this – but in the grip of the cold war, the space race and media paranoia was very real at the time. I guess the two companies Charles alluded to would have been McKechnie and Kynochs, which latterly became IMI. Both were specialist metal processors; the former copper and it’s alloys, mainly brass, the latter, titanium.
Did you know any of the students mentioned, or what became of Mr. Ferrie’s project? What happened to the Space Research Group? There’s echoes of the Philip Cheetham story in there, too, although he didn’t arrive in Brownhills until some years later. Please do contact me if you have anything. It seems that Charles Ferrie was every bit larger than life just like his son…
Brownhills Boffins May Make Rocket
From the Walsall Observer, 3rd January, 1958.
In a workshop less than 30 yards from High Street, Brownhills, physicists and students of chemistry from the universities of Bristol and Sheffield are completing plans for the making of a model combustion engine, which, it is hoped, will help them develop a rocket which would take a missile into outer space.
The scientific team now officially known as the Space Research Group came about as the result of an offer, by Mr. Charles Ferrie, the Brownhills industrialist and racehorse owner, of manufacturing facilities for students interested in outer space research.
Mr. Ferrie made his offer after the launching of Russia’s Sputniks in November. He said then: ‘I believe we have the brains in this country to compete with Russia or any other country in the field of space travel. But we do not give our young scientists the financial aid and encouragement to which they are entitled.’
Fourteen students have been selected to take advantage of the facilities offered. Apart from work on the model combustion engine, experiments will soon be made on fuel injection systems, radar tracking apparatus and outer casings for the proposed missile.
Two big industrialist concerns, one in Aldridge and one in Birmingham, are co-operating with Mr. Ferrie and are supplying special metals and drawings to the students free of charge.
Famous name
The ‘Observer’ understands that Mr. Barnes Wallis, the renowned scientist who perfected the bomb used by the ‘Dam Buster,’ will soon be approached for his observations on the project at Brownhills. Mr. Ferrie is himself negotiating for the lease of 400 acres on Salisbury Plain, where static rocket engines may be tested.
Many of the students have degrees, in chemistry and physics and are studying for their Ph.D. degree, while others are last-year students, and all intend taking up rocket research as a career. One girl is a medical student and is interested in space medicine.
Asked about the difficulties of launching a rocket, Mr. Ferrie said: ‘We realise this will prevent a problem, but, if the students perfect the rocket they envisage, we are sure that launching facilities will be made available. The cost will not be as startling as many people imagine, because industrialists are offering to help out with materials and manufacture and the scientists demand no wages.’
I’m not sure when Charles Ferrie passed on, but this boat was certainly named after him in 1962. Image from the Walsall Chronicle.
I appealed for some ephemera from the clubs’ history some time ago, and ever-obliging research dynamo David Evans knew just the chap to ask. I know Daryl himself is in several of these shots, but I’ll spare his blushes. I’m not actually a footballing chap, so please excuse my ignorance, particularly if anyone famous is pictured, as I suspect may be the case in the first picture. What I know about footy and it’s stalwarts could be written on a postage stamp – my apologies for that.
I’m very interested in the history of Walsall Wood FC. They’re a prominent local side with a massive history, and they are a staple of local life. Anyone with memories of club life, or who can illuminate some of these shots, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am, as ever, indebted to Daryl and David for their generosity of time and spirit.
That’s BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Over ‘ere, son! On me yed…
An important dinner. Recognise anyone? Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
One from the 1980’s. I’m sure I recognise a few of those faces… Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
Wonder what the occasion was? New floodlights, perhaps? That stadium was prominent in many a local childhood. Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
Enjoying a beer - but who were these fine chaps? Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
A new bar and lights in the 1980’s. Can anyone tell me what the beer advertised on the pumps is? It appears to be branded ‘Federation’ - Not seen that logo before… Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
There’s that logo again. Anyone know the two guys behind the bar? Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
Another intriguing group. Oh, how I miss beer in a pint jug with a handle… Picture kindly supplied by Daryl Preston.
Please, if you know this man, you witnessed something or have any information at all, please contact Walsall Police or Crimestoppers.
WALSALL POLICE are appealing for information from the public after a woman was sexually assaulted in Brownhills.
The incident happened on Sunday evening, 5 February, as the victim was walking near to Tamar Close.
A man approached her from behind and forced her to an area near to garages where she was the victim of a serious sexual assault.
Detective Inspector Scott Griffiths, from the Protection Unit at Bloxwich police station, said: ‘This was a very serious and nasty attack on a lone woman as she walked home.
‘We want to hear from anyone who was in the Tamar Close or Hednesford Road area of Brownhills between the times of 4pm and 7pm on Sunday 5th February, and who saw a man fitting the description of this offender.
‘The victim was also assaulted, and although her injuries were not serious, we are very keen to find the man responsible.
‘Thankfully incidents such as this are rare and officers continue to patrol the area to provide continued reassurance and support to the local community.’
The offender is described as a white man, aged in his 40s, of medium build, unkempt wavy mousy coloured hair, 5ft 8in to 6ft tall, with facial stubble, wearing a green three quarter length fisherman jacket, dark coloured bottoms and black work boots.
Sometimes, the old technology doesn’t play ball… a sad moment. But at least Peter tried.
Spare a thought for jazz enthusiast and all round good-egg Peter Barker. Having found and converted the soothing, stunning, seventies sounds of jazz at The Crown in Brownhills, he discovered another recording, and attempted to convert it too. Sadly, the ancient Ferrograph reel to reel gave up the ghost, and ate it’s precious magnetic tape, destroying it in the process. Understandably, Peter was gutted.
Peter wrote to me:
Hi Bob
Well that’s that, then.
Not only is the reel to reel tape lost; the one copy I made was rubbish quality so I deleted it before spotting that the deck had decided to do a passible imitation of your gear system and gone into simultaneous forward and reverse.
The drive wheel rotating on the stationary tape had turned into a gunk of molten neoprene, so sadly, the Ferrograph is now a sizeable and weighty doorstop.
Pity, because the session was a gem, with the wonderful vibraphone work of Norman Pritchard. Paul would have loved it because there was quite a bit of chat with his father running through what was on on each night of the week.
Oh well. Such is life and the wonders of not-so-modern technology.
Onwards and upwards!
Pete
I’d like to publicly thank Peter, as he found a rare gem that’s led to some excellent contributions from readers, and a somewhat unexpected outpouring of emotion. It’s funny how such an unusual artefact can cause such a hubbub. We may have lost the second recording, but you tried, and that’s all that counts. Thank you, it was a real eye opener, and I, for one, now understand part of the local history that I never knew existed. This is why I enjoy curating this blog.
Peter included a press clipping with his mail: it’s fascinating. The subjects are clearly the group pictured in my last post on the subject. Hopefully, this will prod a few memories, too. I notice the date of this piece is 1973. In the broadcast presented last week, the compere or DJ refers to the Crown as a Staffordshire Pub, which leads me to believe the recording was pre-1974 and the boundary change rather than 1977, when it would have been in the West Midlands.
The readers of this blog never cease to amaze me. Thanks, everyone.
Hi folks. Sorry it’s a bit scattergun this week, I’m very busy at work and fitting everything in is a challenge. I thought it was about time to feature another excellent piece from top contributor David Evans, this time about the little hamlet of Hilton, between Summerhill and Stonnall, and one of it’s old inhabitants.
‘We’d lots o’ things in them days they ‘aven’t got today – rickets, diptheria, Hitler and my, we did look well goin’ to school wi’ no backside in us trousers an’ all us little ‘eads painted purple because we ‘ad ringworm.’
These things sound great, but personally, whilst the community spirit may be weaker, the desire to grow your own is still strong. Just look at the competition for allotments, and I do think David needs to choose his pubs more carefully. I can think of several local hostelries where he’s guaranteed good quality, local food, and excellent, Brownhills-brewed real ale, from one of the two breweries in Brownhills. A visit to The Stymaster’s Publog will be of assistance.
The modern world may not be perfect, but as an elderly friend says to me, ‘Best days of my life? I’m living them now!’…
The lanes of Hilton, near Stonnall. Jinny would have recognised this lane, it doesn’t change much. From my Panoramio gallery.
I would imagine that most would-be Olde Worlde Country Pubs and Inns will have some kind of pseudo-vintage tool decoration adorning real or glassfibre beams, planted by reclaimed brickwork fires whose log cradles are never lit, or screwed to window-ledges . The aim is to give an impression that the food, ale, bacon buttie or traditional breakfast of cultivated mushrooms, flavour-enhanced beans, tinned tomatoes, standard six-inch ruler slices of factory bacon, plus genuine hash browns are as good as the food from times gone by.
If only the customers knew more of the reality of the situation.
Jinney was over eighty years of age when I first met her. She was the youngest of the eight children . She had been born and had lived all her life, and eventually she would die in the same simple cottage on the outskirts of Walsall Wood. As a child her first daily task was to walk over a mile to the fields in Hilton to catch and bring the poney back to the cottage . She then helped her father load up the cart with the vegetables to be taken to market ‘before the bell went’. This deadline was important. A late arrival at market incurred a fine sufficient to negate any profit made that day, and thus any ability to buy necessary goods for the family. A four-o clock start to the day was the norm for her.
The small-holding had two small pieces of ground that adjoined the cottage. All the digging, planting, weeding, hoeing, turning, cropping and tending was done by hand, and by hard, grinding graft every day in whatever weather ‘the Good Lord threw’ at those who worked there, meaning Jinney and her father and mother. One by one her elder brothers and sisters had moved out, married and lived elsewhere.
The cottage had its own water well, a big barn, a stable, a pigsty, a cellar, and a brew house. The original kitchen fire grate had been replaced by a Triplex unit, with its small coal fire which was never allowed to go out, a small oven which made the best apple pies you could imagine, and a small hot unit, for drying cloths. There was a big hook set into one of the ceiling beams. The kitchen was very small, though, and the only daylight came through a small side window.
Jinney always wore an apron and kept her blue-brick back yard as neat and tidy as her borders and her kitchen vegetable garden. Some of the varieties of colourful flowers that were common in back gardens locally have since disappeared. Fox-gloves, red-hot Pokers, Snapdragons and others; out of fashion nowadays, by and large.
The barn was a wonderland of vintage hand-tools, worn-out forks, wooden handles shiny through hard use over many years, a dutch hoe, a sharp spade, a rake, riddle, hand turning tool, ‘puts the air back into the soil’ and a big, heavy wooden wheelbarrow with metal spoked wheel. The stable had two stalls, hooks to hold nets of hay, rings to hold buckets of water, old swallow or swift nests up in the eaves, and the doors were kept shut by a big clout nail dropped into the hasp and eye; the barn had a big padlock with its key tied to it by binding twine.
Vegetables in season were taken to Walsall Market, weighed, sold, put into customers baskets, and the empty cart brought the ‘Old Mon’ back to his cottage at the end of a long, long day. The pony was the first to be looked after. It was unshackled from the cart, groomed, watered, fed, then led back to the fields for pasture and grazing.
These apples - Pippins I believe - grown on roadside trees near Hilton, and are delightful in late summer. From my Panoramio gallery.
Jinney walked a mile and a half to school every day, along the lanes. On Sundays she walked a mile to church, every Sunday, without fail, whatever the weather.
She was not at all bothered that she didn’t understand the modern twentieth century’s rapidly changing life. Sufficient that the light came on when she switched the brass light-switch. ‘If the Good Lord had meant men to fly He would have given them wings, like birds’ reassured her. She was an excellent cook, could made the best beef dinners, gravy, did amazing dishes from her garden vegetables, knew the secret of lamb en croute, stuffed marrow, white sauce, served damson pies made with fruit from her own ‘Little Diamond’ trees, apple pies from her own ‘Lord Suffield’ trees and unforgettable strawberry flans. Bacon was home killed and cured, the eggs were from those hens in the yard. She made her own bread.
In her later years she would sit by the fire, toast her bunions and toes, and enjoy a cup of tea, and few moments with a retired old farm-labourer neighbour conversing while he enjoyed a pipe full of plug baccy, and they would remember events, share opinions, pass good hours .
She died many years ago and her home has been demolished. All that still remains there is the tall gracious sycamore tree which stood by the cottage. Today’s noisy road traffic thunders past the spot in its headlong dash, belching out fumes, rattling through cogs and gears, pressing accelerators and carrying commuting drivers and passengers, livestock and goods alike up and down what is now a very busy main road.
The soft, fertile plain between Springhill, Summerhill and Shenstone, as viewed from Hilton, is gorgeously green in summer. From my panoramio gallery.
Her way of self-sufficient, hard-working life seems to have so little in common with today’s . In Walsall Wood the old mining-village era houses, and those from before the advent of the mine, were built to have sufficient garden space for the family to grow their own food, had a pigsty, fowl pen and a brew-house. These are mainly being replaced with much smaller houses whose gardens are only just big enough to hang some washing in, boast a minuscule front garden half-buried under tarmac, and a parking space for one of the necessary cars. The front gardens are minimum maintenance, barren, uninviting and cold . The flea-size garden sheds of today contain plastic coated colourful electric or petrol powered gadgets, all which will be have to be replaced many times over . I can’t see these ever being nailed up in future pubs or restaurants. ‘Regular capon twizzle cutlets with multi-vitamin flavour-enhanced reconstituted potato flavour fries’ [are people still doing that to roosters? Like, wow – Bob] somehow doesn’t have much of a commercial ring to it, let alone any prospect of much taste. All washed down with a stein/ flagon/ jug of chilled yellow, frothy liquid? Enjoy! No thanks.
Did I mention Jinny’s famous home-made medicinal parsnip wine? Best to sit down first.
View from the mound on Norton Bog on Boxing Day. It’s a fascinating place.
After a successful event in January, the Friends of Norton Bog are holding another of their scheduled work parties this Sunday.
The Friends of Norton Bog – the area of wetland lying northeast of Chasewater – are taking a special interest in their particular protected habitat, and are holding their second event this Sunday, 12th February, at 10:30am.
If you’ve nothing better to do on Sunday, this could be the thing for you. Families are welcome. This is a hugely important habitat in our area, and this is a great chance to help manage it for future generations. The chance to chat and learn a bit about it’s incredibly diverse inhabitants from some old hands can’t be a bad way to spend a Sunday morning, either. Meet at the car park on the Burntwood Road. Wear outdoor clothes and be prepared to get a bit grubby.
The dates for 2012 work parties on Norton Bog are as follows:
January 8th, February 12th, March 11th, April 15th, May 13th and June 17th.
All are on Sundays and run from 10:00 -13:00, meeting at the car park on the Burntwood Road (which is the little one with the horses)
Further dates will follow if there is enough interest!
Rob Davies of Staffs County Ranger Service – contact number 07855 336 907
Norton Bog is a remarkable wetland habitat bordered with urban development. The importance of such sites cannot be overstated. The Burnwood Road car park is highlighted in red.
This picture is so much of the period. Some great hair… and dig those flares! Picture supplied by Ian.
When Peter Barker approached me the other day with his found recording of jazz at the Crown in the 1970’s, I found it interesting, but wasn’t sure how the readership would take to it. I needn’t have worried, as reaction to the whole thing has been great. I love hearing the recollections of the time, there’s something clearly very special about what was going on there, the musicianship and professionalism of the players is plain to hear, even to those who may not know the music involved.
I’ve got a great big lump in my throat and am incredibly proud of my Grandad Fred, Nan Trude, and Uncle Paul, not to forget my late, wonderful mom’s voice.
Thank you so much.
Nan and Grandad ran the Crown until a barmaid ran off with the takings, then they took on the Greenacres club in Aldridge. Grandad died in 1979 from cancer, it had ravaged him. He was a very, very lovely man. Nan passed away in 1988, and mom in 1998. Uncle Paul is down in Herefordshire now, still gigging and as brilliant as ever. He has tons of videos from back in the day. I’ve a photo I’d like to add, please Bob…
Well, Ian sent me an email this afternoon with the above picture: isn’t it a brilliant period piece? These were clearly musicians having a great time playing music that they loved.
Ian added:
Hi Bob,
Thank you so much for the post today, it brought my family back to life. I have just come off the phone to my Uncle Paul, who was also thrilled. Hopefully he’ll be in touch too with some more memories.
Please see attached the photo I mentioned. Uncle Paul is in the middle with 70s hair, and Granddad on the end in 70s sandals (he always wore them!).
Your wonderful site has led to a little family reunion too, so many thanks for that. Keep posting those great stories mate!
Cheers and thanks again,
Ian
I’d like to thank Ian for this wonderful addition to the story. This has been a really touching thing, and I’d again like to pay tribute to the generosity of Peter Barker in making the recordings and handing them to me to post. I welcome anything else Ian or any jazz fans who remember this scene would like to add. I really had no idea that this was going on in Brownhills at that time.
Some weeks, when I look back at what I’ve posted on the blog, I can hardly believe where the stories came from. I think this is going to be one of these weeks. To do this is such a pleasure. Thanks.
It seems Mondays at the Crown were jazz night. Peter isn’t certain, but thinks the recording is from 1977 or perhaps a little earlier; it’s of a program aired on BBC Birmingham (latterly Radio WM) called ‘Down Your Local’ which used to feature music and entertainment from around the station’s broadcast area.
Peter had this to say about the recording:
Hi Bob
I’ve split up the recording from the Crown into separate tracks, and I’m sending them on separate emails so hopefully you’ll get them all. Sorry the quality’s a bit ropy, thanks to the combination of a mangled reel to reel tape and a very temperamental old Ferrograph. I may give it another go in the near future but this is the best I can manage at present. I was planning on putting the Ferrograph on eBay but having tried it I think a skip would be a better destination. (Or failing that, I’ll stick it on Freecycle.)
With regard to the recording: it was broadcast on Radio Birmingham I believe (I’m not sure when it changed to WM). I have a feeling it may have been broadcast earlier than 1977 – could probably be a couple of years before that.
Paul Degville, Fred’s son, carries on the family tradition. Fred taught that other notable local musician, Noddy Holder, to play guitar...
Personnel: Paul Degville: Lead guitar; Fred Degville: Rhythm guitar; Ernie Jones (Johns (?)): Violin; Ron Thomas: Bass guitar; Len Coton: Drums.
I remember it being a long room with the bar down the left hand side and possibly two open fireplaces on the right, with a roaring coal fire in at least one of them. (My dad was always convinced the pub was sponsored by the NCB.) I know you had to get in early or you ended up barbecued by the end of the evening.
I can assure Peter that the recordings are fine, and astounding. Calling back from a time when Brownhills had a music scene, it may not be to everyone’s taste (I know [Howmuch?] is allergic to certain types of jazz), but it shows how diverse and interesting the pub circuit was in the town at that time. It must have taken an immense amount of work to transfer them and clean them up. It’s a fine job that Peter has accomplished there.
I’m interested (as is Peter) in any recollections you may have of that scene, or indeed, of the Crown itself. This is a remarkable find, and I’d like to thank Peter for it most profusely. Peter is a top bloke and also has something else for your perusal, later in the week. Top fellow, so he is.
Please feel free to listen or cut out and keep these recordings. Do listen to the intro chats, they’re wonderful.
Today, whilst taking a spin around Brownhills to get some shopping in, I was reminded of a niggling, but serious problem in Brownhills High Street that has been ongoing for years. I personally have complained to Walsall Council, to no avail, several times. Both David Evans and [Howmuch?] have prodded me to feature this on the blog, so as soon as I saw this today I grabbed a few pictures.
The problem is that it only takes a small amount of rainfall for large pools of standing water to gather in the gutters at either side of the High Street, just by the pedestrian crossing in front of Knaves Court. The situation is so bad, that anyone leaving the building by that doorway stands a chance of getting soaked. The splashes are leaving mud and silt on the front of the brand new building, which is disgraceful. On the far side of the road, the spray drenches the control cabinet for the pedestrian crossing, often causing it to malfunction. Phoning the council several years ago, I was told the problem was that the button was stuck. The engineer refused to believe that every time the control unit was drenched, the lights turned to red. I’d been watching it do so for twenty minutes.
I’d like to ask Walsall Council when they intend to do something about this. Complaints have been made, and apparently ignored; indeed, the general condition of Brownhills High Street has been deteriorating for some time, with large potholes opening up by Silver Court, the Silver Street junction, near Ravens Court and on the central island, the surface of which is getting so bad that it’s becoming hazardous to ride.
When it rains, huge pools of standing water accumulate either side of the road, adjacent to the pedestrian crossing. Pedestrians frequently get drenched by passing vehicles. 1:20pm, Sunday, 5th February 2012.
This isn’t a factor of the recent snow - it happens every time there’s even minor rainfall. 1:22pm, Sunday, 5th February 2012.
This situation isn’t new, and has been going on for several years. It’s damaging the frontage of Knave’s Court and causing danger to anyone using the front door. 1:25pm, Sunday, 5th February 2012.Anchor Bridge, Brownhills.
I have no idea. Can anyone date this? 1920’s, perhaps? Any familiar faces? From the Jenny Langford collection.
Here’s a quick one from top bloke David Evans. It stands on its own, really, so I thought I’d cover it individually. I believe the photo to be part of the Jenny Langford collection. Neither David nor myself know anything about the image, its date or who it’s of. Any ideas? Thats BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com, or comment here, please.
David had this to say:
Hi Bob
I wonder if your readers may recognise any of these holidaymakers? This card was sent from Rhyl to an address in Brownhills. Can anyone date the bus? Just count the number of passengers… And look at the wheels!
Today, we finally had some real winter weather. After the unseasonal warmth of Christmas, these last few cold, frosty, clear days have been a breath of fresh air for me. Yesterday, I watched the weather forecast hoping for snow. As it looked more and more likely, I prepared snacks, charged the cameras, warmed my waterproofs and checked the bike. Thankfully, the snow came, and I was off… and, as is usual when it snows, I headed for Cannock Chase.
Riding on studded snow tyres, I was able to cut through the snow, and Cannock Chase was a blast. The traffic on the A51 from Rugeley to Breretonhill was murder, though, and progress slow, but upon hitting the deserted back lanes of Longdon, I was able to open it out again. This was the first time I’d felt truly connected with nature and the bike since my illness over the new year. It was a great, tiring and challenging ride. For more of this kind of thing, my 365daysofbiking Tumblr journal is still running.
There were nine stags in total, with a group of hinds in the scrub behind. Cuckoo Bank, near the Cannnock Road, Heath Hayes, Staffordshire. 15:38pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
At times, the snow was really heavy. On the edge of the Hednesford Hills, I wondered if I should turn back. Hednesford, Staffordshire. 4:06pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
I’ve always loved the lighting on the buildings at Wolseley Bridge, Staffordshire. 5:34pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
The old railway line trail, Brownhills West, West Midlands. 3:07pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
There seem to be a few large herds of red deer about at the moment. i guess the hinds may be ready to give birth soon, and will be looking for suitable thicket. Heath Hayes, Staffordshire. 3:39pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
Parts of Cannock Chase were like a fairytale. At Parr’s Warren, there were no footprints and I was certainly the only cyclist to pass that way. Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. 4:36pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
The Wolseley Arms always looks such a welcoming, warm pub at night. I’ve never actually been in. Wolseley Bridge, Staffordshire. 5:36pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
What little light there was began to fail by the time I got to Rifle Range Corner. Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. 4:49pm, Saturday, 4th February 2012.
It looks like this from behind. Can’t find a better image, sadly. (Edit: This is the front, not the back. Thanks to Jeepboy for pointing that out!)
Another day, another press release from the local plod. This time, a rather special caravan has been half-inched from Springhill Farm, near Sandhills at the foot of Shire Oak.That really is a shitty thing to do. If you witnessed something or have any information at all, please contact Walsall Police or Crimestoppers.
Police in Walsall are appealing for help to trace an unusual touring caravan which was stolen from a farm in Brownhills.
Thieves took the Italian made Rimor touring caravan from Sandhills Farm in Lichfield Road, Brownhills, between 1pm on Tuesday 24 January and 11.15am on Thursday 26 January. Only six of the vans are in currently in the country at present.
The owners of the caravan had stored the vehicle at Sandhills Farm and found it had been stolen when they came to tow it away.
The caravan, worth £14,000 is a Rimor touring van, model: New Polaris 420 Velcoe and is off white with a coffee coloured trim. The van has a couple of other identifiable features, including a one foot long mark on the wheel arch and the door of the caravan is on the opposite side to British made ones.
PCSO Alex Buck from Brownhills Police Station said: “The thieves removed a wheel camp from the caravan and will have either used a vehicle to tow the van away or pulled it onto a truck. We are appealing for anyone locally who may have seen anything suspicious in the area between 24-26 January to contact the police at Brownhills on number 101 or call Crimestoppers confidentially on 0800 555 111.
Had trouble picturing where these houses were - see Google Earth extract at the foot of the article. Picture from original Walsall Observer article.
Here’s an interesting one turfed out by local history genius [Howmuch?], who’s still raiding the box under his sideboard for interesting clippings from local papers. The man really is a history magpie and a bit of a star. This extract is from The Walsall Observer, Friday, February 18th, 1977. I wasn’t aware of this at all. Have any readers any recollections of this?
Interested to note Councillor Burt, a well-knwn figure of the time. Taken from The Walsall Observer, Friday, February 18th, 1977.
Vandals Hit Empty Homes
Walsall Observer, Friday, February 18th, 1977.
Five council houses in Walsall Wood have been standing empty for a year because of mining subsidence.
And now the houses are in an even worse state of disrepair because of vandalism.
The council built the houses 16 years ago Coal Board land at Fort Crescent, in Walsall Wood.
Councillor Fred Burt [There’s a blast from the past – Bob] chairman of Walsall Housing Committee, said the council knew about the mine workings, but after taking expert advice, they decided to go ahead with the development.
When the mining subsidence first occurred the council called in Wardell & Partners, mining consultants, to act for them in negotiations with the Coal Board, to determine who is responsible. The council is still waiting for their report, he explained.
He said there were about 100 houses on the estate, but only five were empty because thy were not fit to live in because of subsidence.
There is today a large greenspace in Fort Crescent. Who’d have thought how it came to be there? Aerial imagery from Bing! maps, unfortunately cursed with a really, really stupid name. Poor Bing!.
Please note, people – for some reason this post has gone viral locally in Brownhills following an unconnected incident on the 4th July 2014. This e-fit relates to an completely different incident in February 2012 and is no longer current.
Thanks,
Bob
Police today released this image. Do you know who this might be? Please contact them in confidence and tell them what you know.
If you know this man, you witnessed something or have any information at all, please contact Walsall Police or Crimestoppers. That’s a lonely spot and we really need to get this sorted.
POLICE have released an e-fit of a man wanted for indecently exposing himself to a teenager in Brownhills.
It happened at 7.30pm on Sunday 29 January as the 15-year-old victim was waiting at the bus stop on the A5 opposite the Rising Sun public house island.
The offender approached her and exposed himself.
The young victim then ran from the bus stop to a friend’s address and reported the incident.
The man is described as white and in his late 30s to early 40s, just under six feet tall and of medium build, with spiky black hair and stubble. He was wearing a thigh length black fleece coat and blue jeans.
Anyone who recognises the man in the e-fit or who saw what happened is asked to call Walsall Police on 101 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Bryan and Pat Lynk, generous contributors to the blog via commentarian extraordinaire David Evans, have been good enough to share some very personal effects with readers of the Brownhills Blog. Readers will, of course, remember the details of the house that Enoch Pagett built from a couple of days ago. One of the very personal items from the Lynk family collection, which I present here, has touched me deeply, and I have no idea of how to best share it with readers in a sensitive and respectful way.
After much thought, I’ve decided to just post these two scans as-is. The date – surprisingly to me, noted in what I thought to be a modern format, is of course, 1893. This condolence note is therefore 119 years old, which I find stunning in itself. I don’t know what relationship Albert was to Enoch, but this is achingly, painfully, heart-jarringly tragic.
I’d like to personally thank Bryan and Pat. This is a remarkable, sad and sobering thing. It certainly made this cynical old blogger weep. Thank you.
This must have been very hard to write, but with the high child mortality of the period, very probably a fairly regular task. I find that frightening.
I’m curious, although it seems flippant, as to why the letter is laid out on two half-pages. Is there some old protocol reason for this to do with letter folding, I wonder?
Lisa Downes, great friend of the Brownhills Blog, got in touch with her family information soon after I posted her remarkable restoration of Daryl Preston’s wonderful Royal Oak 1915 photograph. There was a wealth of interest in Lisa’s handiwork, and I can honestly say that few posts on The Brownhills Blog have been so enthusiastically received. On the day of posting, the blog achieved over 1,000 hits which is a remarkable achievement.
Lisa is after some information here, and it would be nice if readers could return the favour and see what can be found. I know there are plenty of folks here from Walsall Wood, and also a few who like a bit of a challenge, so lets see what we can come up with.
It’s worth pointing out that Lisa has also restored these photos, which seem almost to call down the years. The original versions of the Miriam and William Holden Senior pictures are linked beneath, for comparison. If you’d like to ask Lisa about photo restoration, please mail me at brownhillsbob at googlemail dot com, and I’ll forward you her details.
The attached photos are of my great grandfather, William Holden, his daughter Miriam and his son (my grandad) William… Most of the older people in Walsall Wood may remember my grandad William Holden, Cag to his mates, who used to be the local window cleaner, his wife Ruth used to work in the Cafe in Walsall Wood and also the Red Lion.
My great grandfather, according to family oral history, came to England from Ireland in the mid to late 1800’s as part of a larger Holden family. Soon after arriving in England, some of the family decided to go on to America and some wanted to travel to Australia, so the family split up. My great grandfathers part of the family decided to stay in England. They were proper Romany Gypsies and they travelled in a caravan pulled by a piebald pony. The family travelled through Walsall and my great grandfather got off the caravan in Clayhanger and said he wasn’t going any further.
The younger William Holden, Lisa’s grandfather.
Soon after he met and married a woman called Louisa Johnson and according to the 1901 census they lived in Friezland Lane. After a year William and Louisa had a daughter called Harriet who died in infancy. Some time before 1910, Louisa left home (there is a story behind this split, but out of consideration to Louisa’s family who are still in the area, it’s best not to say anything). In the 1911 census William is listed as living in High Heath with his house keeper, Jane Boundford (nee Baggott) and their child Miriam. In 1912, Jane and William had another child, my grandad William. Sadly, Jane died 2 weeks later. Jane’s death was registered by Harriet Beddow who was her aunt.
Jane’s parents were Alice Carpenter and John Baggott. John died in 1889 and within a couple of years, Alice married Albert Beddow, who lived on the Canal Side in Walsall Wood and is listed as a canal boatman in the 1901 census. Albert’s brother Joseph was married to a lady called Hannah, who I believe is the person who registered Jane’s death.
Do any of your readers know of any of the Beddow family still living in the area? I am particularly interested in descendants of Joseph and Hannah or Albert Beddow as they may have access to photographs of my great grandparents. I know so little about my Holden roots, that any information, no matter how small, will be gratefully received.
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