Tag Archives: Coppice

Making a Marklew

One enduring subject of very much debate here that continues to receive a lot of attention is the thorny subject of the Marklew family, Marklew’s pond off Coppice Lane, William Roberts and the claim that the farm was one of the last Tommy Shops operating.

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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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A remarkable local rail journey – stepping right out of time

There’s currently a buzz in the local rail community and in some groups on Facebook about a 1968 cinefilm recently converted to digital and uploaded online by rail historian and blog regular, Ian Pell – it’s a remarkable, wonderful thing, and Ian has written a fascinating account of the film and line it covers especially for the blog, which I feature below.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Something fishy afoot?

I’ve had an interesting question in from Taffy of Tamworth, who’s an angler who enjoys fishing Marklews Pond, off Engine Lane in Brownhills – but he’s recently noticed something.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Features, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, Panoramio photo discussions, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Fired up

Last week, we looked at early evidence of local brick making on an industrial scale, after a remarkable passage describing a local brickworks was spotted in an 1850 book by the wonderful Simon Briercliffe.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

A Coppice, lots of timber and a little backtracking

The SLS rail tour that took place in 1959 has proven to be a rich seam of material, and has provoked much debate amongst blog readers about the locations of some photos, and just how and where the Diesel Multiple Unit pictured managed to reverse.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Up around the bend

More here today that goes to show the Venn diagram of history forever curiously overlaps – Ian pell has waded in once more on the subject of the notorious May 1959 rail tour up the Walsall Wood line to the Conduit Colliery – from which a few pictures have emerged over the years and was raised here again last week by Simon Swain with a great new picture.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Chasewater, Environment, Events, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Feet of clay

Well, I always say I don’t get much right here and so it was on Saturday last when completely misunderstood the location accompanying a photograph Godfrey Hucker shared from friend of the blog Jean Houghton – what I thought was Coppice Lane was in fact Coppice Side, and the house was not Coombe House, but Big House Farm.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Clayhanger stuff, Environment, Followups, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

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.

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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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

My Fair Lady

This is a wonderful article from local history rapscallion Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler which I think readers will really, really enjoy. Peter has developed a reputation hereabouts for being something of the iconoclast; formerly he has not pulled punches in his … Continue reading

Posted in Cannock Chase, Chasewater, Churches, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, It makes me mad!, Just plain daft, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Walsall community, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

From one end to the other…

Here’s another ride video of Walsall Wood and Brownhills for the expats, exiles and vicarious cyclists, but especially Trevor in Australia. Hope all is going well, old chap, and that the treatment isn’t knocking you about too much. We’re all thinking of … Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Churches, cycling, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Just plain daft, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Walsall Wood stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A token of my respect

Today, I’m going to do something I should have done a while ago. Students of Brownhills Local History will be aware of an elusive, long lost site by local chap Robert Webster. This great resource ceased to exist a few … Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Features, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Local Blogs, Local History, Local media, Panoramio photo discussions, Shared media, Shared memories, Social Media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments