Tag: Bridgman Street

#365daysofbiking Beaming!

September 3rd – Hornbeam trees are fascinating. Often mistaken (particularly by me) for beech, the leaves are perfectly ridged and beautiful, but the seeds, in long drop chains a bit like sycamore, are fascinating.

They’re ripening now and will soon be dappling the cycleways, pavements and industrial estate backways with golden brown mast.

Autumn’s colours may be more muted, but they’re still gorgeous.

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November 6th – One of those cursed days when you don’t forget the camera, but you forget to put the card in, so it’s useless. Having to make do with the phone, I nipped into Walsall lunchtime from work in Darlaston, and on my way back, caught this remarkable shaft of sunlight on the canal near Bridgman Street.

It was a misty, soft sunlight day – presumably the remains of the firework-frenzy fug – and maybe that was what created it, but it was beautiful. 

Just a shame I didn’t have a better camera to catch it with.

December 3rd – I went to work on a grey, threatening, but mostly dry morning, against a steady, but not harsh headwind. There was heavy rain and a gale forecast – so serious, a public Christmas light turn-on event and market had been cancelled in Walsall.

I missed the worst of the rain, and it merely spotted a bit as the wind blew me home. I averaged 19MPH – only the traffic lights stopped me. A remarkable journey in what is also unusually warm weather.

This year has been a bit strange meteorologically.

March 25th – Cruising down the canal, a great sunset seemed to be building up, and near Bridgman Street in Walsall, I stopped to capture the view towards Birchills. I was interested to note the colour balance change between the tow images, and that soon after taking them I discovered what happens if you forget to charge the camera properly the night before hand: it goes flat.

Ah well, never mind. That’s a great view, and you’d never think it was right in the heart of Walsall. Roll on spring and let’s have some leaves on the trees, then it’ll be even better!

December 10th – If I’ve got time, when cycling to Darlaston, I like to hop onto the canal. It’s a quieter, more interesting and contemplative route, and depending how much time I have dictates where I join the towpath. Today, I was running a bit tight for time so I left it until Bridgman Street, in the industrial centre of Walsall. This is an area of small units, some old, some very new. About ten years ago, it seemed the industry here was threatened with encroaching apartments and gentrification, but the credit crunch saw to that.It’s generally a thriving, humming area with frantic commerce of the daytime being replaced by an eerie desolateness at night. 

The view from the canal bridge is quite good, if not beautiful, showing many of the architectural and development phases of Walsall. Interesting to note that you can now see St. Matthew’s Church from here, a sight impossible until the BOAK building burnt down last year.

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.

June 6th – A day of short, sharp showers and sunny spells. Sadly, the wind, absent of late, seems to have returned. I was fortunate on my way to work to avoid being caught in this squall by taking shelter under the canal bridge that conducts Bridgman Street in Walsall over the canal. 10 minutes later I was on my way in warm, bright sunshine.