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 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.
August 5th – The Swan still remains closed, in apparent contradiction to the desire of prospective purchasers to reopen this lost community local. One of several closed pubs in Brownhills, it lies dormant, a symptom of a trade and tradition sadly in decline.
Find out about the unfortunate fate of another lost local on my main blog.
July 31st – Darnford Bridge Farm sits in the middle of a short, unnamed, decaying, unadopted cut through between the A51 Tamworth Road and Darnford Lane, just on the eastern side of Lichfield. Wedged in between a golf driving range and Lichfield Rugby Club, the farm has been derelict and abandoned for some time. I have no idea who owns it, or why it lies decaying as it so sadly does. The fabric of the farmhouse and building still seems quite good, and efforts have been taken to ensure security. Wonder what the story is?
July 21st – Walsall has plenty of abandoned buildings of historical interest. Sadly, our civic masters don’t have the best record of caring for them, and seem to have learned little about protecting heritage from developer’s aspirations over the years. The parish church, dramatically built atop a hill overlooking the town, has it’s aspect sullied by The Overstrand restaurant, built four decades ago, and is now similarly blighted by a hideous Asda shed carelessly permitted five years ago. We never learn.
A couple of weeks ago, town officials were having a ‘crisis meeting’ about the last remnants of the workhouse that stand unloved and derelict outside the new hospital. Once part of the old one, this dramatic building is empty and rotting. I can see why a crisis meeting might be be necessary, after all it’s a bugger when Victorian buildings unexpectedly materialise overnight.
Fear not though, as Walsall has it’s own way of dealing with it’s inconvenient past, often it gets burned to the ground. Trembling before the arsonist’s zippo are several inconveniently located old buildings including Lime House and the former Walkways community centre. The council is now applying to demolish Lime House, but overactive firebugs will probably beat the developer vandals to it.
Welcome to Walsall where our past makes fine fuel.
July 21st – Saint Andrew’s Methodist Church in Kings Hill, Darlaston is a sad sight. An interesting edifice, built out of very red, red brick, it seems derelict and abandoned. Let’s hope it doesn’t befall the same fate as the Mellish Road methodist church in Walsall, currently being demolished after a 20 year abandonment. I wonder who owns it and way may lie in store. I fear for old buildings in our area, we seem so negligent with our architectural heritage.
July 8th – Working from home, I popped out at lunchtime to clear my head and get some supplies in. After a largely dry morning, the heavens opened on me for the second time in two days. I spent 20 minutes watching the storm from the deserted, derelict Ravens Court. Due to the apathy of Tesco, we’re likely to be stuck with this decaying edifice for another 18 months.
July 6th – 10 minutes after the storm, I was on my way again. I don’t know what this forlorn, decaying building was, but it looks like a mill of some kind. Like many industrial canal side buildings in Walsall, it’s original purpose seems to be lost. I’d like to see the edifice fixed up and used for something nicer. Buildings are like dogs – they don’t care if their owner is good or bad, just that they care for them.
At least this one hasn’t been burned down yet, the fate of many good building in the town.
June 7th – The old St. John’s School and adjacent bungalow in Walsall Wood continue to deteriorate unloved, as they have done for 30 years or more. This formerly handsome, well liked building is slated for demolition and redevelopment, yet nothing ever seems to happen. This belies a tale of neglect, bad management and community frustration. It’s sad to see a beautiful building, a gift to the community of Walsall Wood over a century ago, just rot away on the whims of those after a fast buck from the property market.
May 30th – As the weather broke, and the rain began to ease, I headed out for Cannock Chase. Crossing the common, then up through Norton, Heath hayes and Hednesford, I stopped to note this poor, unloved old pub. For students of mining subsidence, this is quite a good one, and there are’t many straight edges to the building.
Another victim of corrosive social change.
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