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Search Results for: pedro cutler
We finally made it to Christmas…
I’d like to wish all blog readers, contributors and friends a merry Christmas and a very happy, peaceful and prosperous new year – may 2016 bring all you hope for.
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Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, cycling, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff, Wildlife
Tagged 2015, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Christmas, Cycle rides, cycling, Greetings, local blogs, Local History, Local politics, New Photos, Politics, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Council, Walsall politics, Walsall Wood, Wildlife
15 Comments
In Coalpool did Brewer a pleasure ground erect?
Last week I revealed the mystery archive where I’d been finding all those great architecture pictures, and also pointed out that the filing system was curious, in that there seemed to be several dislocated images in the system – including the one of ‘Harden Hall’, which actually turned out to not be a Walsall image at all.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Council
Tagged 2015, Architecture, Arden, brewer, cardigan, Chapel, Coalpool, Derelict, garden, Grounds, Harden, Historic England, Ian, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Pedro, Pell, Peter Cutler, Pleaseure, Simon Briercliffe, Staffordshire, Things to do, up the oss road, Walsall, Walsall Council
9 Comments
Pound signs
The remarkable photo featured at the weekend from Geoff Harrington really has stirred you lot up – lots of debate about the location, photo position and what’s visible – but also, some great points about waterway construction and terminology.
A hitherto unknown talent
Edgar Ewart Pritchard – Brother of Syd – was a noted and talented amateur filmmaker who was recognised by the British film industry for his remarkable skill and ability within his lifetime, but has since slipped into obscurity – here, Peter lovingly tells Edgar’s story, based on a huge amount of research, legwork and large amounts of help and generosity from David Evans and of course, Margaret Thompson.
The Old Hednesford Pit Disaster: a question of Merrit
Incisive and tenacious historian Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler has been quietly continuing his investigations into the Old Hednesford Colliery Disaster, the 1911 accident that was brought to our attention when Reg ‘Are Reg’ Fullelove donated a poem he’d come to have in his collection to the blog.
Posted in Bad Science, Cannock Chase, Environment, Events, Followups, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1911, Bravery, Hednesfold, Henry Merrit, Hero, heroism, inquest, journalism, Lichfield, Lichfield Mercury, local blogs, Local History, Medal, New Photos, Old, Pedro, Peter Cutler, pit disaster, Poem, Report, South Staffordshire Times, Staffordshire, Thomas Stokes
7 Comments
Open day and night
Last week I featured here an interesting postcard I’d spotted for sale on eBay, featuring a cafe on the Watling Street I’d not heard of before – The Jubilee, which turned out to be what is now an Indian restaurant, but was previously the Happy Eater, and the adjacent garage of Paul Depper MGs.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged 2015, bridgtown, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Cafe, Cannock, ebay, great Wylrley, Jubilee, Jubilee Cafe, Lichfield, Local History, New Photos, Postcard, Social Club, Staffordshire, Wailing Street
7 Comments
A mine of information
In my last article, I pointed out that I’d received extra information on a couple of posts over the weekend – both on the Anglesey/sea question, and also on the Mine Rescue Team image shared by John Sale and Bill Mayo.
Posted in Cannock Chase, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1935, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Cannock Chase, cannock Chase jubilee souvenir, coal mines, colliery, Coppy Pit, David Evans, Features, Grove Colliery, Grove pit, jan Wilson, Local History, Mine rescue, mines recue cup, Mines rescue, mining, New Photos, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Staffordshire, Twitter, Walsall Wood, Walsall Wood Colliery, Walsall Wood Pit, William Harrison
4 Comments
Crushed nuts and juice, sonny?
Rightho – it’s Sunday, it’s summer (just about; the rain is getting warmer so it must be), so what could be more appropriate than an ice cream from the travelling ice cream man?
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged 1958, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, David Evans, Desmond Burton, Facebook, Ice Cream, local blogs, Local History, Main Street, Shire Oak, Sonnall, Staffordshire, Stonnall, video, Walsall Wood, Wordsley House
4 Comments
A Brownhills hero caught on film
A couple of weeks ago, I ran an article here that has proven remarkably popular: a story of amazing sporting heroism and a subsequent life of administering fair play as a snooker referee – the wonderful life story of local man Geoff Harrington.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged 1951, 1952, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Chris Lawrence, David Evans, Events, Film, Geoff Harrington, Lichfield, Local History, New Year, newreel, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Powderhall, referee, snooker, sport, Sprint, Staffordshire, World Record, Youtube
3 Comments
Thomas Stokes: Unsung hero of the Old Hednesford Pit Disaster
I must say there hasn’t been enough local history stuff here of late and it has also been too long since I last featured a research article by the incisive and tenacious historian Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler.
Posted in Bad Science, Cannock Chase, Environment, Events, Followups, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1911, Bravery, Hednesfold, Hero, heroism, inquest, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, Medal, New Photos, Old, Pedro, Peter Cutler, pit disaster, Poem, Report, Staffordshire, Thomas Stokes
4 Comments
Arachnofoolya
A bit of a departure, but this is an article of been longing to run since I received it a couple of weeks ago, but sadly ongoing current affairs prevented it – However, I’m proud today to feature Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler’s latest piece of historical investigation.
Posted in Bad Science, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media
Tagged 2015, Bannock House, Coseley Spider, eophrynus prestvicii, Geology, Lichfield, Local History, Staffordshire, Things to do, Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton City Council
6 Comments
Going out for an Italian
There’s been an interesting question been rattling around the wires between seasoned blog contributors over the past couple of weeks about Italian Prisoners of War in World War Two, and where they were held locally and the nature of their interaction with the local population.
Everything went off without a hitch…
Sometimes, something pops up that raises lots of questions – and so it is with this snippet from the Lichfield Mercury of 12th July 1940, when the emergency services, officials and even Boy Scouts of Brownhills and the local area came together to stage a mock air raid response operation at Sandhills House in Shire Oak.
That didn’t go to plan… or did it?
I realise this is a bit off piste for the Brownhills Blog, but we have interests in Lichfield, so I think it’s appropriate – a few weeks ago Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler spotted the following clipping in the newspaper archives.
Posted in Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, planning, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged 1925, 2015, Bowling Green, clock tower, island, July 31, Lichfield, Lichfield Mercurey, Local History, New Photos, Old maps, planning, Redevelopment, road scheme, Staffordshire, The Friary, Things to do
2 Comments
Divided loyalties
In another remarkable instance of BrownhillsBob’s ‘How they are unexpectedly connected’ combined with the ‘Small world, innit?’ department, I today feature an unusual, but beautiful and warm followup to the Littleton Colliery 1912 strike article from last Sunday.
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Having no Truck with it
There’s recently been debate here about why the Wesley Church in Walsall Wood was apparently, and uncharacteristically for the area, made from stone – most think it was limestone, but even that statement has proven contentious.
Welcome to the pleasure grounds
I am indebted to friends of the blog and top local historians Clive Roberts and Stuart Williams who both sent me copies of the following image of Coalpool Pleasure Grounds taken I believe around 1910.
Posted in Churches, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall community, Walsall Council
Tagged 2015, Architecture, Arden, brewer, cardigan, Chapel, Clive Roberts, Coalpool, Derelict, garden, Grounds, Harden, Historic England, Ian, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Pedro, Pell, Peter Cutler, Pleaseure, Simon Briercliffe, Staffordshire, Stuart Williams, Things to do, up the oss road, Walsall, Walsall Council
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His time might be far better occupied
I am indebted to local history rapscallion Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler for the following piece which I’ve been sat on for ages, but I think in the current political and parochial climate is startlingly appropriate.
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He staked his all for the miners
Today I post another great piece from Peter Cutler that I’ve had in the bag for a while – undeservedly so, for it’s important and yet again shines light on someone the more lofty local mining historians seem to have cruelly overlooks: Albert Stanley MP.
In a hasty and unbusinesslike manner
I am pleased to see iconoclast and local history rapscallion Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler has been busy once more this week; rather than resting on his laurels over las week’s article about Captain W.B. Harrison’s unfortunate electoral dysfunction, he has been again trawling the archives and found that Harrison was apparently involved in murky business elsewhere.
Littleton Colliery 1912, another Battle of Orgreave?
One of the more contentious issues in the history and folklore of mining communities is that of strikes and protest – we all know they happened, but for some historical retailers and gatekeepers the actuality has always been a wee bit too raw, rough and ready for their liking, so the stories are often given a subtle cast to better align with delicate sensibilities.
A Bill you can’t ignore
Here’s a quick one via David Evans from that highly respected great grandfather of local photographic and oral history Bill Mayo – Bill and his wife, Clarice have been behind some of the greatest and most appreciated local history photo books about our area, including Memories of Old Brownhills, Memories of Old Walsall Wood and Memories of Brownhills Past.
Posted in News
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For the want of timber
Last week I featured an article by local history Rapscallion Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler about a text, available for free via Google Books called ‘Black Diamonds or the Gospel in a Colliery District’ written around 1860 by mystery author HHB.
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Posted in Cannock Chase, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1889, Andy, Black Diamonds; or The Gospel in a Colliery District, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, CCMHS, coal, Dennis, Ellen, Foster and Co, Google Books, Gravestone, Headstone, HHB, Lichfield, Lichfield Mercury, Lloyds, local blogs, Local History, mining, Pedro, Peter Cutler, pits, Rev J.B. Owen, St James, Staffordshire, Things to do, Thomas, tragedy, Walsall, Walsall Wood
4 Comments
Diamonds and dust
This is an important one, and I think there may well be more to follow, as top local history wonk Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler is not one to let sleeping dogs – or local history matters that are niggling him – lie.
Posted in Cannock Chase, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Black Diamonds; or The Gospel in a Colliery District, Black Diamonds; the Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Catherine Bailey, CCMHS, coal, Foster and Co, Google Books, HHB, Lichfield, Lloyds, local blogs, Local History, mining, Pedro, Peter Cutler, pits, Rev J.B. Owen, Staffordshire, Things to do, Walsall, Walsall Wood
1 Comment
Turning the screw
I was surprised and pleased at the huge response to my posting scans of the Meccano Magazine from July 1945 here on the blog at the weekend: the magazine was bought in Lichfield and scanned for the blog by the young David Evans, who correctly posited it as something readers would love.
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Just William
The interesting history of William Roberts – the father of modern Brownhills – continues, and this time, Peter ‘pedro’ Cutler has taken issue with some other, intersecting local history, and just when exactly William Roberts came to Brownhills as a lad, and where he lived when his family moved here.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged brewer, Brewery, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Coppice, Farm, Gerald Reece, JP, Lichfield, Local History, Local politics, Marklew, Pedro, Peter Cutler, philanthropist, Pubs, q, Staffordshire, Station Hotel, The Coppice, The Old Tommy Shop, Things to do, Tommy Shop, William ROberts
43 Comments
Mines, Methodists and Music – the Deakin family by Gillian Gaiser
The Mavis Woodhouse material featured here recently has certainly spawned some interesting tangents, one of the most interesting of which was the conversation the sprung up in the comments to the Fred Shingler Film a couple of weeks ago, between Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler and Gill Gaiser.
Posted in News
18 Comments
Local history events this week
Kate Cardigan Gomez from the wonderful Lichfield Lore is really going some with her local history group, Lichfield Discovered – in the next week they have two events, one of which is tonight, and on an appropriate Great War theme, with author Joss Musgrave Knibb.
Posted in Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged 10th November, 15th December, 2014, Archeology, Book, Brewood, cells, Channock Chase, Discovered, event, Events, Facebook, First Lines, First World War, Gaol, Great War, Guildhall, Hoard, Joss Musgrove Knibb, Kate Gomez, Library, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, Lore, Messines, Model, New Photos, November 11th, Panoramio, Peter Pedro Cutler, poety, prison, Saturday, Staffordshire, Stephen Dean, Talk, Things to do, Twitter, WW1
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The Brownhills Darktown Poker Club… in 1881
Here’s a quick one from local history rapscallion Peter ‘pedro’ Cutler while I’m prepping some other stuff for the weekend – debauchery and cards in a Brownhills Working Men’s Club in 1881!
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Events, Interesting photos, Just plain daft, Local History, Local media, News, Shared media, Shared memories, Spotted whilst browsing the web
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills Progressive Working Men's Club, Brownhills West, Cheap tat, Hednesford Road, Lichfield, Local History, Mercury, New Photos, Police, Pubs, Raid, Silly, Staffordshire
3 Comments
Trouble brewing?
There’s something I’ve been needing to get off my chest for a good while, and it won’t go away – however, recent finds and articles on the blog have brought it to the fore in my mind, and this is as good a juncture as any to brooch the subject: William Roberts is not recognised enough in our collective history.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged brewer, Brewery, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, JP, Lichfield, Local History, Local politics, Pedro, Peter Cutler, philanthropist, Pubs, Staffordshire, Station Hotel, Things to do, William ROberts
9 Comments
Doctor Fell
This is just a quick one, as I thought we needed to get at least a little bit of history in at long last – and this one has piqued my curiosity, as my antenna always twitch when I hear subsidence legends.
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Posted in Bad Science, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories
Tagged Bell pit, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Common, Cottage, David Evans, Derelict, JB Cox, legends, Lichfield, Local History, Mavis Woodhouse, mines, mining colliery, Norton Pool, Old maps, Oscar johnson, planning, Pool Road, Redevelopment, Reservoir, shallow, Staffordshire, Subsidence, Things to do, Watling Street
14 Comments
Geared up for Christmas
I’d just like to take this opportunity to wish all the readers, contributors, commenters and supporters of the Brownhills Blog and it’s associated side projects a very merry Christmas, and a healthy, happy, prosperous and peaceful 2015.
Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, cycling, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff, Wildlife
Tagged Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Christmas, Cycle rides, cycling, Greetings, local blogs, Local History, Local politics, New Photos, Politics, Twitter, Walsall, Walsall Council, Walsall politics, Walsall Wood, Wildlife
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Such was his devotion
Back to William Roberts, then – railway plate layer, ganger, publican, entrepreneur, civic stalwart, JP and philanthropist – a very rare man in his time, he appears to have been generous, considerate, imbued with a real sense of social justice, and was undoubtedly a sharp-dealing rogue too.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged brewer, Brewery, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Gerald Reece, JP, Lichfield, Local History, Local politics, Pedro, Peter Cutler, philanthropist, Pubs, q, Staffordshire, Station Hotel, Things to do, William ROberts
14 Comments
Message in a bottle
Local history has proven to be a more complex thing than I ever imagined when I started this blog – back then, I foolishly believed that different people had different memories, but generally coincided enough so that a diligent researcher might be able to form a cogent impression of things.
Posted in News
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The estate we’re in
I had an interesting email from reader and top local history technician Andy Dennis a couple of weeks ago that expands on a recent topic beautifully: that of William Roberts and his empire.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community
Tagged 1943, Andy Dennis, bagby, brewer, Brewery, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, clara, Coppice, death, deceased, Farm, Gerald Reece, inheritance, JP, Lichfield, Lichfield Mercury, Local History, Local politics, Marklew, Pedro, Peter Cutler, philanthropist, Pubs, q, sale, Staffordshire, Station Hotel, The Coppice, The Old Tommy Shop, Things to do, Tommy Shop, will, William ROberts
10 Comments
Safe as houses?
I’m pleased to say that, somewhat like rust, Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler never sleeps, and his tireless and somewhat relentless pursuit of the evidential history behind some of the commonly accepted ‘authoritative sources’ of local mining history continues unabated.
Posted in Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Aldershaw, Aldershawe, Bill May, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills UDC, Brownhills Urban District Council, Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society, CCMHS, Election, estate, hall, john, Local History, Mick Drury, Morton House, Norton, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Staffordshire, Walsall Wood, William, William Harrison, William ROberts
3 Comments
A desperate attempt to stave-off bankruptcy
A few weeks ago, Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler, part time local historian and full time historical mischief-maker, ferreted out the remarkable story of the collapse of a bank in Lichfield in 1856, which detailed early mining in Brownhills, and showed some of the machinations of the railway and mining magnates in the area at the time.
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An electoral deformity
It’s interesting to note that Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler is coming over all iconoclastic again – and I, for one, welcome it, as Peter has a fine record of kicking over the statues of the local mining history – particularly in regard the the Harrison colliery dynasty.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, Local politics, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Aldershaw, Aldershawe, Bill May, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Brownhills UDC, Brownhills Urban District Council, Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society, CCMHS, Election, estate, hall, john, Local History, Mick Drury, Morton House, Norton, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Staffordshire, Walsall Wood, William, William Harrison, William ROberts
6 Comments
Swept everything before it
Last weekend, I revisited for the first time in ages the subject that was once so prominent here – Chasewater dam – but not in reference to the recent renovations, but to the creation of the reservoir and the failure of the earthwork dam in 1799.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Chasewater, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Panoramio updates, Shared media, Shared memories, Wildlife
Tagged 1799, Blackbrook, bridge, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Burst, Canal, Chasewater, Chasewater Dam, Dam, Drayton, Events, Hopwas, Lichfield, local blogs, Local History, New Photos, Panoramio, Pedro, Peter Cutler, Reservoir, Shenstone, Staffordshire, Stafforshire Advertiser, Stone
7 Comments
Believed to have been a good man…
To my shame, I have been sitting on this article for a while now – Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler fist sent it to me at the end of July, and getting it into an article just hasn’t been possible, for which I wholeheartedly apologise.
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Posted in News
8 Comments
Panic on the Streets of Lichfield
Local history rapscallion Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler regularly comes up with some incredible stuff that fires off at interesting tangents to light up lost fragments of our history that might otherwise be overlooked – time and time again, Peter has investigated news reports and other material behind the accepted truth of stories and found them somewhat different to that which was expected.
From Brownhills to Brandwood – a sad but fascinating history
Hanging on by my fingernails as I am at the moment, I keep meaning to push this remarkable post from the excellent Wyrleyblog – a from Walsall Local History Centre’s top researcher and historian, Paul Ford.
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2 Comments
The mothers and daughters of Cannock Chase
After I published the piece about Cannock Chase from 1925 that Peter “Pedro’ Cutler found in the Lichfield Mercury archives – ‘This wild land of heather and gorse’ – readers seem to have become very engaged with matters concerning Cannock Chase.
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Bandy Walsall legs, Sedgley trulls and the thieves of Brum…
Still juggling work, home and the blog, this week has been as mad as ever, but in light of the recent Black Country Day success, I feel I must share this wonderful piece found by Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler, even if it does risk raising the maelstrom of a Black Country internecine bloodbath…
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Hare and gone
One of the more popular pieces of historical curiosity published here of late was the 1925 article about Cannock Chase – ‘This wild land of heather and gorse’, which local history dynamo Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler found in the newspaper archives and transcribed for readers.
This wild land of heather and gorse
Here’s a quirky one found in the newspaper archives by friend of the blog and researcher extraordinaire Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler, who’s spotted a lovely, devotional essay to Cannock Chase from a walker and enthusiast in 1925.
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Posted in News
4 Comments
Light and graceful
From time to time here, we mention the history of Aldershawe, the estate and large house overlooking Lichfield from high on the hill near Wall – this remarkable and secluded property is, of course, closely intertwined with the Harrison family who owned it for a time.
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Posted in cycling, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories
Tagged 1999, Aldershaw, Aldershawe, big house, Craft Village, Cycle rides, cycling, Edward Brown, estate, Harrison, Lichfield, livery, Local History, Mansions and Country Seats of Staffordshire and Warwickshire, Mercury, New Photos, Panoramio, Pedro Cutler, Pedrocut, Peter Cutler, Redevelopment, software, stables, Staffordshire, Wall
3 Comments
When an old cricketer leaves the crease
Following the remarkable and fascinating response to Julie Le-Moine’s enquiry last weekend about a mystery cricket team photo from Walsall Wood, Julie has been good enough to send me another image – this time, it’s her Grandfather Walter Hollender.
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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Events, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged 1933, 1935, 1st Walsall Wood Scouts, Booker T, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Cricket, Events, Facebook, Julie Le-Moine, Lichfield, Local History, Lynn, MGs, New Photos, photo, Shire Oak, Soul Limbo, Staffordshire, team, Things to do, Walsall Wood, Walter Hollender
11 Comments
Vapour trials
The really fascinating thing about curating this blog is the way it inspires people to look into not just history, but the retelling of it; I have been banging on for years that we need to be careful not just of our own accounts and beliefs, but also of those accounts we hold as truths from authoritative sources.
Posted in Bad Science, Brownhills stuff, Cannock Chase, Environment, Followups, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall Wood stuff
Tagged Bradbury, Brian Rollins, Brownhills, Brownhills local history, Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society, Coal Mining, Coal Mining in Walsall Wood, Coppy Pit, Explosion, Fire, James Rigby, Local History, New Photos, Nigel A Chapman, Pedro, Peter Cutler, petrol, Petrol engine mine, petroleum, Priestman Engine, Protector Lamp, Staffordshire, The South Staffordshire Coalfield, Thomas Clarke, vapour, Walsall Wood, Walsall Wood Colliery Co, Walsall Wood olliery, Walsall Wood Pit
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