Tag: derelict

October 2nd – I know I keep banging on about this, but it’s on my mind and I’m seething about it.

This is the original Oak Park in Walsall Wood, on the south east side of the 1970s leisure centre bearing the same name. This park was for decades – and in my living memory – a neat little park with flowerbeds, tennis courts, public bowling green and paved paths. I think there was even a putting green. It stands on land held in charitable trust to be used for the enjoyment of the local residents, created to give miners and their families a lovely open space to take the air and enjoy the greenery.

On this basis, the popular and well-used leisure centre overlooking it was built, and the faithful flock to nearby Walsall Wood FC on match days. Sadly, Walsall Council who are charged with the upkeep of the park have let it slide into decay and ruin.

The flowerbeds are overgrown, the public bowling green floods every winter. Tennis courts locked out of use, the surfaces being reclaimed by weeds. The one manicured trees are overgrown. Walsall Council doesn’t care for this once lovely amenity and would rather we all forget it exists.

To me, this is sticking two fingers up to the memory of those for whom it was created. 

Shame on these who would neglect our civic heritage.

September 8th – I headed back to explore more of Hopwas Hays Wood, this time approaching from the bridleway across the old ranges. I stopped to check out the biggest one, which now seems derelict (although may not be). The dug-out and hand mechanisms for target raising are still there, although the mechanics are inhibited with catenary clamps. On the concrete slab roof of the dugout, locked hatches would seem to be covering an automatic target mechanism. It’s certainly fairly complicated, as armoured cables with lots of cores are cut off in the dugout, which seemed to connect them to the plant room at the end. A discarded optic sensor lies on top, together with some kind of equipment ID tags.

The sand-barrier to the rear is full of rabbit warrens and seems to be in process of being levelled by weather erosion. 

When I was young, I kept well clear of here. You could regularly hear machine gun fire from these ranges, but now the squaddies have gone, I wonder what’ll become of this stuff and the nearby assault course?

August 7th – There is a destructive force in our midst, reducing brickwork to rubble and invading any scrap of greenspace. Alien? Hardly. It’s buddleia  – an invasive shrub that infests the hinterlands, margins and rooftops of urban areas. Able to grow in the most precarious of situations, an accumulation of soot and grime in a brickwork fissure is all it takes to grow. Once taken hold, it’s very hard to eradicate, and the power of the roots to split apart man-made masonry cannot be overestimated.

This time of year, it’s in full, glorious purple flower. A joy to behold, unlike the damage it causes. 

August 4th – 3 former rail bridges in Brownhills, from 3 separate railway lines, all three suffering with age and the destructive tenacity of nature. The lone arch at the top corner of Clayhanger Common is slowly being pushed apart by shrubs and weeds, and is in what must be the final stages of natural reclamation. The Slough bridge, over the canal near Coppice Side, now serves as a pedestrian and cycleway over the Wyrley and Essington for National Cycle Route 54, but the familiar blue Freakley bricks are being pried apart here too by gentle, instant hydraulic pressure.

The third bridge is arguably the most interesting. One of only two listed buildings in the town, it is considered of rare enough design to be worth preserving, although it too is suffering the ravages of lack of care. As if to compound the misery, It has recently had a new nameplate installed, which reads ‘Pelsall Old Railway Bridge’.

This isn’t Pelsall, you muppets.

July 7th – Passing through Polesworth I noticed this fine, but decaying building. Not a handsome edifice by any stretch, but impressive, foursquare and imposing all the same. The chimneys alone are gorgeous, never mind the finials, cupola and that incredible door. I had no idea what it was, other than a school, and made a note to find out when I got home.

It turns out it’s the former Nethersoles School, latterly a community centre, and now derelict, awaiting planning to turn it into apartments. The latin above the door – to my broken understanding – says ‘School for paupers and girls’ or similar.

It’s a remarkable thing, and so sad to see i falling to ruin. I hope something can be done with it soon.

June 22nd – Up in Walsall Wood, near Streets Corner, there’s a sad sight. It had been positive news when plans were unveiled for the demolition of a row of derelict houses and the building of a new close.

Sadly, all that’s happened is demolition, and now the site is up for sale.

I had a feeling that was going to happen. This site has been derelict a long time – so sad to see. Looks like it’ll be that way for a while yet.

April 28th – I’ve not really studied this old, derelict mill on the canal at Rugeley before, but it’s quite fascinating, actually. Built in 1863, it’s older than I expected, and I’m interested in its history. Most intriguing are the metal canopies installed awkwardly below the upper row of windows. Wonder what their purpose was?

April 10th – The old derelict terraces at Streets Corner in Walsall Wood have been demolished now, except for the one at the southern end. This odd little house, under renovation for as long as I can remember, remains steadfastly in private ownership, and will, apparently, be built into the new development of houses to come here.

The new build scheme here seems to have taken ages to get off the ground. I hope it progresses well – the dereliction here until the demolition has been a blot on the landscape for many years, and that little end terrace, covered in creepers, looks very lonely on its own.

March 13th – There’s a lot of changes in progress at the moment in Walsall Wood, as I noted when I passed through tonight. The new Co-op store is finally ready to open on the 21st March at Streets Corner, and nearby, a new car sales showroom is being built on the site of the old library. Several applications had approval there, from a complex of flats to a convenience store. Nice to see something built after five years of dereliction.

Derelict for well over a decade, the abandoned terraces opposite Walsall Wood School are in the process of demolition, to enable the construction of a new housing development. It’s been a long time coming, and although it’s sad to see old buildings go, they were in a terrible state.

I hope the builders have the sensitivity to preserve the name-plaque and incorporate it into the new development, as was done with the Ivy House, nearby.