September 11th – I noticed a week or so ago that a gate had been erected at the Wharf Lane access to the canal bank in Newtown, Brownhills. I speculated then on how long it would be before it was damaged – not long, so it would seem. Passing it today, I noticed that the latch peg had been bent out to defeat the lock, and someone had refasten it with a cable tie. One may speculate that the lock was broken by anglers who often used to park there, but I couldn’t possibly comment…
September 10th – It wasn’t going to last. What was a sunny, mellow afternoon became harsh, squally and very, very wet. Taking shelter under the eaves of Tesco in Brownhills, I reflected on the other side of our area – the urbanisation, the decay, the hardstanding and traffic. As I cycled home in the wet, traffic impatient and irritable, I couldn’t help but curse the insanely variable weather. This year is arse-about-face; this is April. In September.
Setember 10th – I believe in random acts of kindness. I also believe in random acts of guerrilla planting. Myself and people who know me, at this time of year, engage in collecting the seeds and fruits of deciduous trees and shrubs – acorns, sycamore seeds, beech nuts, sloes, haws and so on – then spread them randomly on thin hedgerows, scrubs and wasteland. I’ve spread patches of cowslip on Clayhanger common, scattered wildflower seeds down the Goscote Valley, and collectively we’ve populated canal banks, footpaths and barren places with tree saplings.
We support the trees, because, well, the trees they need support. Do. It. Now.
September 10th – A leisurely Saturday breakfast followed by a spin up to Chasewater saw me call in at Ryders Mere. At this point in the day it was sunny, warm, and we seemed to have far more sky than we normally do. Looking over the mere from the Pelsall side, it becomes clear just how green this area of Walsall is. Never underestimate this. Lots of people will tell you that we live in an ugly, urban sprawl – which partially, we do. But it’s punctuated by fantastic green spaces that are a joy to the heart. Get out and explore them.
September 3rd – out briefly in the late afternoon, I shot out to Chasewater, but the security fencing from Anglesey Basin had been secured again and there was no way through. Doubling back, I headed off the canal at Wharf Lane and noticed that a new gate had been erected to stop cars getting down by the canal. This is probably a good thing – there’s been a lot of flytipping and some antisocial behaviour there – but I do wonder how long a wooden gate will last before some rogue sets light to it. I wonder who erected it?
September 3rd – The old flour mill on the canal at Catshill, Brownhills, was converted into flats a long time ago. I keep meaning to research the history, but never quite get round to it; I know it milled flour for years, and then was a factory for a while. I think it made some kind of pressings which were sprayed, as I remember the extraction vents having different coloured paint around them when I was a kid – sometimes red, sometimes navy blue. The house nearby, just visible beyond the fence – looks really quite old.
August 25th – an oddly depressing day. A quick spin out to get some shopping in took me to Brownhills. This wasteland is what used to be Silver Court Gardens – once one of the most deprived housing estates in the UK – now demolished over six years ago. Nothing has replaced the homes of the hundreds of people who lived here. Is it any wonder the town is dead? How long will Brownhills have to put up with huge tracts of desolate wasteland?
August 15th – I passed the sad, rotting hulk of The Wheel In, on Lindon Road, Brownhills this evening. Closed for several years now, this formerly buzzing community local is now quietly rotting, prospective buyers no doubt put off by the rumour spread locally that the building is suffering severe structural problems. I’m not sure if it is or not, but the rumour spread remarkably quickly. Curious.
I doubt this house will ever reopen. A tradgedy.
August 13th – Spotted parked in the lay-by in Engine Lane, this venerable old Reliant three-wheeler caught my eye. I’ve never been a fan of these quirky, unstable vehicles, but there was something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing this one. It must be a labour of love keeping it on the road, and require a very thick skin to drive it…
Edited shortly after posting:
Thanks to keen reader and local history whizz Julian Ward-Davies who points out that this isn’t actually a Reliant at all, but a Bond Minicar – a vehicle I’d never before been aware of. So there you go, you learn something new every day. Cheers, Julian!
August 12th – Ravens Court – named after Ravenseft, the developers – is the derelict, decaying shopping precinct that forms the focal point of Brownhills High Street. Now almost empty, we’re stuck with it until at least late 2012, when Tesco might, if they get round to it, demolish it and build a new superstore behind. Rather than integrate with the town centre, they plan to build a couple of shop units in the gap, effectively closing the High Street off to the new store.
Meanwhile, the old precinct – once a hive of business and activity – gently decays, a memorial to lost commercial horizons.
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