BrownhillsBob

December 19th – Monday was a busy day of dashing about in frankly awful weather. It was a horrid day, and the Christmas spirit utterly eluded me. Finally getting on the bike at 8pm, I shot round the wet streets of Walsall Wood for inspiration. It was coming up the Lichfield Road towards the church that I noticed these views; they’re really, really festive, yet there’s little hint of Christmas in them. Despite the downbeat mood and wet weather, I felt much better after spotting these. Tomorrow was going to be better…

December 18th – A sharp, cold evening and rather dramatic sunset. Not having long, I headed out to Hammerwich to check out the views. Climbing up Meerash Hill, the ice was thick on the road, and the going on the ungritted country lanes of South Staffordshire was very treacherous. The tricky conditions were worth it, though, and rewarded me with some great pictures of the sun setting over Brownhills, and Hammerwich Church and it’s former windmill. A delightful place.

December 17th – For the first year in ages, Brownhills actually gained more pubs than it lost in 2011. The Hussey Arms – reopened by Greene King as a family pub – always seems rammed, and is getting good reports, although I’ve yet to visit. The Swan, also revitalised, renovated and reopened, is thankfully doing well, too. A traditional boozer, I had the pleasure of trying this fine pub a few weeks ago. Both are excellent additions to the social life of Brownhills, and I wish them well. Nice to see a full bike rack at The Hussey, too…

December 17th – A day infused with pre-Christmas rush. I finally got out on my bike at teatime, and took a spin around a very wet Brownhills. The roads glistened and it felt quite Christmassy. Morris Miner, when viewed from the Lichfield Road, always looks to me as if he’s expressing contempt towards the town. Still not absolutely sure they erected him the right way around… the blue lighting cheapens him, too. Shame they couldn’t have lit his lamp, like the residents requested.

December 16th – I’d been looking forward to a snowy, wintry commute. The weather forecasts had been for a cold morning with maybe a settling of snow, but it was not to be. Sadly for me, I was sold short and have never quite been so disappointed to find myself cycling on a bright, sunny and temperate morning. Here at Darlaston Green, the sun caught the wet town and made it beautiful. Yet another example of why I love Darlaston so much. Ah well, the snow can wait…

December 16th – On the Walsall Canal at the back of the factory units Pleck Road, I noticed this curious sight. I guess the caravan – which someone appears to be using, maybe even living in – must have been put there before the steel leanto adjacent went up, as the only way that can now be removed is by floating it down the canal. I particularly like the decking made out of pallets. Curious.

December 15th – Of all Walsall’s notable folk, I think perhaps the most loved is Sister Dora. Dorothy Pattison was one of the first nurses in the town, and she worked tirelessly to heal the sick and injured from industrial accidents and smallpox. She was well respected in her lifetime, and her reputation remains to this day. She’s buried at the sadly dilapidated Queen Street Cemetery in Walsall, in a very low key grave. Her statue stands proudly on The Bridge in Walsall, and as well as giving her name to streets and buildings locally, Dora also gave her name to the town’s mental hospital.

Wikipedia has this to say about the great nurse:

She was the second-youngest child of the Rev. Mark James Pattison, and sister of the scholar Mark Pattison Jnr. From 1861–1864, she ran the village school at Little Woolstone,Buckinghamshire.

In the autumn of 1864, she joined the Sisterhood of the Good Samaritans at Coatham, Middlesbrough and devoted her life to nursing. She was sent to work at Walsall’s hospital in Bridge Street and arrived in Walsall on 8 January 1865. The rest of her life was spent in Walsall and it was there that in local eyes she became to be compared with Florence Nightingale.

Later she worked at the Cottage Hospital at The Mount.

In 1875, when Walsall was hit by smallpox, Sister Dora worked for six months at an epidemic hospital being set up in Deadman’s Lane (now Hospital Street). During 1876, Sister Dora attended more than 12,000 patients.

The last two years of her life, Sister Dora worked at the hospital in Bridgeman Street, overlooking the South Staffordshire Railway (later the London and North Western Railway). It was there that she developed a special bond of friendship with railway workers who often sufferen in industrial accidents. The railwaymen gave her a pony and a carriage and even raised the sum of £50 from their own wages to enable Sister Dora to visit housebound patients more easily.

In 1877 Sister Dora contracted breast cancer, and died on Christmas Eve in 1878. At her funeral on 28 December the town of Walsall turned out to see her off to Queen Street Cemetery, borne by eighteen railwaymen, engine drivers, porters and guards, all in working uniform. On her death Florence Nightingale paid the following tribute, ‘May every nurse, though not gifted with Sister Dora’s genius, grow in training and care of her patients, that none but may be better for her care, whether for life or death’. Her epitaph read, ‘Quietly I came among you and quietly let me go’.

December 15th – Hopping on the canal at Bridgman Street in Walsall today on the way to work, I noticed new graffiti – or at least, some I hadn’t noticed before – on the walkway wall. Someone has clearly been taking inspiration from Banksy, and having a go with stencils. As things go, I don’t mind these, as they’re attractive and interesting. I thought the cat and magpie were particularly well executed. I’m intrigued, though; a caped, make man, Marylin Monroe, a magpie and a cat. What do they have in common, if anything? I looked out for more, but didn’t spot any.

December 14th – I spotted this interesting old bike captive in the old mill by the canal in Walsall today. It looks about 70’s vintage – it’s a large frame, drop-handlebar tourer. It was clearly a high quality machine, as the front wheel is secured with the old style butterfly quick release – these were only fitted on the highest end bikes. I’d really like to rescue this forlorn steed, yet have no idea who the mill, or the yard around it, belongs to.

December 14th – Walsall Housing Group have spent a huge amount – said to be about 6½ million pounds – on a new headquarters at Hatherton Street on the new ring road in Walsall. The development seems to have undergone some difficulty, with the glazing suffering a manufacturing fault causing condensation ingress and having to be replaced. The entire project was hoped to kickstart Walsall Council’s ill-fated Gigaport project, a development area intended for high tech businesses. There have been few takers, however, and the council sold the land this block stands on for a pound. Sometimes, I think councils should leave development stuff to the developers. These things never seem to go right…