Tag: 365daysofbiking

August 11th – Walsall Wood church of St. John is an imposing, typically industrial red-brick church, sadly vandalised by a thoroughly unsympathetic extension, an affliction meted out surprisingly frequently to local churches by the Lichfield Diocese, who seem to have about as much understanding of ecclesiastical aesthetics as I do of brain survey. Both Pelsall and Brownhills churches were similarly debased; it’s particularly sad in this case as the church itself has a beautiful, devotional interior and didn’t deserve this treatment.

August 11th – Thanks to The Stymaster of Pigblog fame who spotted this and tweeted it for the attention of Walsall Council. Until he posted, I was unaware that the bottom end of Queen Street by Binary Wharf had been renamed. Dictionary for town planning, I feel. Wonder how much that’ll cost to correct?

If the Express & Star are reading this, hope you get lost trying to find it…

August 10th – My dislike of the Walsall Wood pithead sculpture is well known and somewhat controversial. I actually think that it’s not only aesthetically dreadful, but badly engineered and ill thought out. In the construction, there’s a random mix of stainless steel fasteners and normal ones, which stands out; looking at the frame there are multiple sets of holes that appear to have been redrilled, but this may be intentional. The sign commemorating the pit seems to face the wrong way, and cannot be read from the road, whilst the construction is topped by a pennant bearing the initials NCB, for the National Coal Board. The NCB never actually operated the pit, but oversaw it’s closure, which shows a particular ignorance of history.

August 10th – The old Beehive Pub in Hall Lane, Walsall Wood closed years ago, and has since been a foundry and is now the offices of a construction company. I’m sure I remember an old, painted sign on the side, but it now seems to have gone. It’s an interesting building architecturally, made as it is of very red terracotta bricks, once produced locally. Not so much a beautiful building as very striking.

August 9th – one of the really encouraging things about the environmental enhancements that saw the reclamation of the Clayhanger refuse tip and slag heap in the early eighties is the way that trees and other flora are becoming well established where once was poisoned, polluted land. On the slopes of the canal bank between the new pool and Clayhanger Bridge there must be 20 or so young, healthy oak trees. Whether they were planted, or grew as a result of the annual guerrilla acorn scattering undertaken by myself and good mate [Howmuch?] over the years is uncertain, but now they’re growing acorns themselves. When ripe they will be collected, stored in coat pockets and cast into hedgerows and field margins as I pass by. Everyone should do this. 

August 9th – Down by Goblin Woods, just off Green Lane, Walsall Wood, there’s a field of barley gently ripening in the late afternoon sun. It’s an interesting strain as it’s very short, and I think it must be being organically grown due the high quantity of weeds in the crop. Nevertheless, it looks gorgeous against the trees, and is in superb condition. Wonder if it’s being grown for brewing?

August 8th – It was a showery, unsettled afternoon as I returned through Lower Stonnall. Here at Mill Lane, the summer is advancing, and Autumn, sadly, didn’t seem too far away. There are already leaves littering the verges, and the harvest, here slightly behind, has paused while the wheat dries out again. Please come back summer – we haven’t got to know each other properly yet…

August 8th – This annoys the hell out of me. Well-to-do house in Little Aston Lane, Little Aston. One presumes that the owners have left two old video recorders on the pavement for the tatters and scrap men to collect. Lots of people do this – I often see washing machines, fridges and household items left out in this way. After all, they take your rubbish, and make a few bob… What could possibly be wrong with that?

Most scrapyards pay less for contaminated metal loads – those containing plastic and other material – or will not accept them at all. Thus, the plastic parts of these devices will be smashed off. The metal will indeed end up in some tat yard, but the plastic? Look in lay-bys, wastelands and other spots for the flytipped remains of consumer whitegoods and junk like this. 

By leaving stuff out, people are contributing to the flytipping and metal theft plague we’re currently enduring. Tatters are competing for junk to the extent that I’ve seen them pulling metalwork out of the canal, so will take anything. Leaving stuff for them just encourages more of their nuisance. It’s also illegal to give waste to a non-licensed carrier – if this stuff is traced back, you can be prosecuted as well as the carrier.

All because the owner couldn’t be arsed to use the local refuse facility.

August 7th – The renovation of the Hussey Arms continues apace, and the results so far are looking really, really good. After being empty and boarded up for a long time, Greene King are turning this nice-looking building into a family pub under their ‘Hungry Horse’ brand. Intrigued to note they still haven’t sorted that wonky chimney yet…