Tag: bridge

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 1st -Darlaston is full of odd little corners. Often architecturally stunning, as I’ve previously noted, this villagey little Black Country town is also peppered with delightful green spaces of various sizes. The site of the former railway station, close to the centre of town, is now known as Victoria Park, and still maintains the profile of a cutting.This wonderful stretch of greenery is a quiet spot crossed by a lovely wooden bridge. The walkway beneath also extends under the busy Walsall Road, providing a safe underpass for pedestrians.

September 16th – Pottering along the canal near Stubbers Green, I stopped to study the remains of the railway bridge that used to carry the spur line into Leighswood Colliery, later the site of Duckham’s Lubricants. It’s an interesting remnant, and several bridges crossed this canal in the space of a mile or so, all carrying railways into coal yards for loading. If one looks carefully, large sandstone capstones can be found in canal side undergrowth. I was intrigued to note that this bridge had a similar wooden plank insert under the deck as the Black Cock Bridge. They look of similar construction and age. The wood must have been as a cushion, I guess.

June 11th – Returning home from a day at work in the Black Country, I hopped onto the canal at Great Bridge and headed north through Darlaston and on to Walsall. I’ve passed this bridge at Moxley for years, but never actually studied it before. Is the bridge there for the pipe, or did the pipeline engineers just take advantage of it? Quite the most bizarre pipeline crossing I’ve ever seen… and the tree at the far end seems determined to cause a parting of the ways. Most odd.

June 30th – Unusually in mid summer, a night ride. Returning from a drink in Rushall, I returned via Green Lane, Walsall Wood, to see if there were any owls, badgers, bats or deer about. Plenty of bats, but other fauna evaded me. The Black Cock bridge is a notorious feature of the area formerly known as Bullens Heath, being steep, rickety and narrow. It looks even more forbidding at night.

May 15th – Further into the same ride, I dropped through the lovely village of Weeford. It’s proximity to, and isolation caused by the nearby A38 puts many cyclists off coming this way. A new cycle & equestrian bridge and cycle route were constructed in 2005, yet few realise as it’s not on many maps yet. It really is a dream, and you never have to deal with the dreaded dual carriageway.

May 14th – A hop out to get some essentials saw me caught in a downpour. Mooching around the canal, I noticed that the remainder of the old railway bridge at the canalside on Clayhanger Common was slowly being reclaimed by nature. Nothing more than the steady hydraulic pressure of organic growth is splitting apart the brickwork and reminding us that nature is really in charge, and it’s got all the time in the world.

April 29th – A return along the canal prompted me to photograph this fine piece of history. One of only two listed structures in Brownhills, it used to carry the South Staffordshire Railway over the Wyrley and Essington Canal. It’s now slowly decaying, with large holes in the bridge deck and the metalwork corroding steadily. 

Sadly, nobody seems to want to take responsibility for this unloved bridge. It’s a shame, because I think it’s a fine example of victorian utilitarian architecture – simple blue brick, lightly decorated, totally functional.