Tag Archives: Howdles Lane

Cartoon capers

The post here last Sunday discussing the Newtown area of Brownhills certainly created some interest and raised a few more memories and discussions – and one particular aspect caught the eye of reader and long term friend of the blog Tony Winn.

Angelsey Arms Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Illuminating Ray – one for the researchers?

I have here an excellent enquiry for a Sunday afternoon which I feel many readers will be very, very interested in – not least Andy Dennis, if he’s passing, but maybe others concerned with the Newtown area on the Watling Street, which has been the subject of so many past articles here on the blog.

Mum 16 2 Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Life after the war

I still have a little of the very popular Mavis Woodhouse material to come – so far we’ve had the Foxes Row and Victor Haines articles, the Fred Shingler film of Newtown, Mavis’s recollections of the mining history, the curious disappearing cottage, and memories of Sunday School in the small community on the Watling Street.

image009 Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

I’m after all the tanners!

The Mavis Woodhouse material featured here of late is a local history gift that just keeps giving, and yesterday, I had a fascinating email very kindly sent to me by Ann Grinstead, the lady who edited the initial copy of Mavis’s family history, subsequently later edited for the blog by the young David Evans.

Untitled Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A huge black cauldron

Mavis Woodhouse really started something when she kindly donated her family history material to the blog – the Foxes Row article was very popular, the Victor Haines material had us all head scratching, and the film of Newtown that was so newly relevant has had a huge number of views.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Not only customers, but friends

A lovely bit of ephemera relating to Deakins’ Central Stores and Jonah Deakin has been sent in by the wonderfully generous Gillian Gaiser, who donated her wonderful writing about the Deakin family to the blog, published last weekend.

1950 Deakins the Grocers Jubilee brochure Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The scars were always black

The generosity of Mavis Woodhouse in allowing David Evans, myself and you readers to share her privately produced family history book is really proving to be a rich source of discussion, debate and new local history tangents – the Foxes Row article was very popular, the Victor Haines material had us all head scratching, and the film of Newtown that was so newly relevant has had a huge number of views.

ab2 Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

As the dual carriageway came through

I’ve had a bunch of film clips for a while, which were recorded in short sections and obtained by the young David Evans from Barbara, the daughter of Fred Shingler who ran the Park View Methodist Chapel, which used to be on the Watling Street, just on the corner of Chapel Avenue.

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Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Early days in Foxes Row

In the sea of technical chaos I’ve been bobbing in in the last few days, I have somehow managed to find time to edit up the beginning of a new series of memories of life in Brownhills.Untitled Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Fun stuff to see and do, Interesting photos, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The lost Howdles Lane dam

In a remarkable instance of coincidence, last Friday, reader and top local history ferret Andy Dennis sent me an astounding piece on a lost reservoir near Howdles Lane, in north Brownhills, between Chasewater and the Watling Street.
howdles lane westward (1024x768) Continue reading

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Howdles Lane convenience store saved!

Back at the beginning of October, I had a somewhat concerning enquiry from reader Dave about the Co-operative convenience store in the small precinct just off the A5 in Brownhills by Howdles Lane – reports were that the Co-op were closing it and the future for the store was uncertain.McColls Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Events, Just plain daft, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Social Media, Walsall community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Whose Fault is it, anyway?

Here’s one for the Knaves Castle/The Fault/The Fort inquisitors out there. It’s been a while since I raided the mapping archives, so I thought I’d go rooting through the cartographic record, and see if I could find ‘The Fort’. Sadly, … Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, Environment, Followups, Fun stuff to see and do, Local History, Local media, News, Reader enquiries, Shared media, Shared memories, Walsall community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A5 roadworks coming soon…

An interesting (or maybe not…) press release reaches my humble inbox from the Highways Agency, about pedestrian crossing improvements on the A5 by Brownhills School at Newtown. Sadly, the release gives absolutely no information regarding the work that’s actually being … Continue reading

Posted in Brownhills stuff, cycling, Environment, Events, It makes me mad!, Just plain daft, Local media, News, planning, Shared media, Spotted whilst browsing the web, Walsall community, Walsall Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments