April 13th – Only mid April, yet the canal at Lindon Road, Brownhills is greening up well. On a cold evening as I headed on an errand up to Ogley Hay it was cold, but there is spring everywhere. I can’t really get over how quickly and seamlessly we seem to have progressed to this. It doesn’t seem five minutes ago it was Christmas.
Who knows where the time goes?
It would be nice if last week’s sun and warmth came back to see us, though…
March 16th – The old Effluent Disposal/Leigh Environmental/Sarp/Veolia site in Walsall Wood, itself formerly the Walsall Wood Colliery remains empty, but secure. This once controversial plant, where huge quantities of industrial waste were poured into a former mineshaft deep under Walsall Wood, was often the seen of protest and trouble, then when dumping stopped here, it was laboratories and main offices. The plant flipped between a few companies over the years, and the last one – Veolia – moved to larger, new build premises a few years ago in Cannock.
The site is very secure, with caretakers living on site, and seems to be just quietly decaying.
There was talk of a food company buying these premises and moving production here, but I think they must have realised the former use probably wasn’t conducive to good customer feeling, and the place is still like a set from Day of the Triffids.
I would imagine this plant will be quite hard to sell.
January 15th – also seemingly decaying unloved is the old Veolia plant on the Lindon Road on the border between Walsall Wood and Brownhills. Once a chemical waste disposal site, it started life as Effluent Disposal, and went through a number of incarnations before being purchased by Veolia, who’ve since built a new HQ at Cannock, leaving this place vacant.
It appears to have resident security on site, as one would expect.
There was talk of this place being converted into a food processing factory, which seemed bizarre, given the history. The site was up for sale for ages. It’s hard to think of what it could be next, really.
I imagine any estate agent has a challenge on their hands shifting this.
Deember 21st – I’m interested in road safety technology and lighting as many readers will have gathered, and I’m intrigued by the recent upgrade to the zebra crossing on the Lindon Road by the Clayhanger Road junction.
The conventional Belisha Beacons have been replace for two LED streetlights, shining down on the crossing and adjacent footpaths, bathing the whole area in white light. This gives a stunning effect in an area of orange sodium lights; further, the beacons themselves are bracketed off the lighting columns, which have LED lights in them and shine out the white bands on the post that would normally just be paint or reflectives.
The overall effect is remarkable, but very hard to photograph. I’m impressed.
October 16th – The patch of grass near Anchor Bridge in Brownhills is not something I ever pay much attention to, if I’m honest; it just exists, and it never occurred to me until recently how odd it is that it has never been built upon.
It remains unspoiled, mowed regularly by the council, and separates the canal from the Lindon Road. There are a good few deciduous trees here and in Autumn, they’re beautiful.
An odd little patch of beauty in an otherwise unremarkable urban landscape.
November 27th – I came back to Brownhills late, and on an oddly warm evening. I was knackered, frankly; I hadn’t had lunch and my energy reserves were very low. I’d fought what seemed like a devilish headwind from Lichfield but it was, in reality, nothing extreme. I pulled over on Anchor Bridge to get a shot down the High Street, which turned out lousy due to headlights. However, this quick image of the canal didn’t turn out too bad.
When I last looked, those trees had leaves… my, how the year has mached on.
April 10th – I notice it’s still for sale, the old Veolia site in Lindon Road on the Walsall Wood/Brownhills border. This chemical waste disposal facility, an old pit shaft, was filled with industrial effluent in the 70s and 80s. When it was full, the company kept their labs and offices here and moved the site to a different pit system at Stubbers Green, in Aldridge.
The company names operating this facility changed regularly; Effluent Disposal, Leigh Environmental, Sarp, Veolia.
The site is large, mostly empty, including the Victorian house out front used as offices for some years. There are only a skeleton staff here, as administration moved to shiny new offices up in Cannock a year or so ago, leaving this site mostly deserted.
Whoever buys this will get a lot of land. But as a former mine, the land is contaminated from the colliery, let alone later uses. Any buyer will have to deal with the shaft itself, down which the poison was poured.
Don’t think about entering this place; the security is full on and tight, and there are still people here. I wonder what will become of this site, and the secrets it keeps.
January 3rd – This is the entry I wasn’t going to make. I really wasn’t going to continue. Then, I had my mind changed. You can read about that later today on my main blog.
So when it came to actually taking pictures for it, I was still wrestling with whether I should or not on the way home. So, with the gorillapod at the bottom of a tea-logged saddlebag (don’t ask) I headed for the industrial estate on Maybrook Road, Walsall Wood, and then checked out the rapidly decaying Wheel inn, nearby on Lindon Road.
There’s something about the actual act of taking photos I like. It gives me a buzz. I guess, in the daily grind, and terrible weather over Christmas, I’d forgotten that. The joy of the hunt. The pleasure in finding a really good photo.
Sadly, I think it rather eluded me today.
But hey, tomorrow is another day, and tomorrow never, ever knows…
May 4th – Now, here’s a thing. I’ve cycled past this remaining fragment of wall lots lately, mainly to go and see if the swans had had hatched their eggs yet. It stands at the canal side between Catshill Junction and Anchor Bridge, and I think it’s the last evidence of the Iron Foundry that was here at the turn of the century. The foundry didn’t exist in my lifetime – there were industrial units here in the old buildings. I think one may have been a non-ferrous casting shop. There was also a plant hire company and an accident repairs firm. These were all razed in the 1990’s and Chandlers Keep built – a close of new build housing, named after one of the last businesses here, a boat company. Oddly, this 3 meter section of engineering brick wall, with ancient graffiti declaring approval for Aston Villa, remains.
February 17th – I’ve no idea what’s going on here. This building, sat halfway along Lindon Road, Brownhills, was once a gent’s barbers. Latterly workshop of Maurice Baker, genius but grumpy engineer, it was converted back into a house in the mid-80’s. I’m unsure what the joke is or was, but whoever restored the building embedded the tail fin of a bomb into the gable wall just below the eaves. Originally painted red, it has fascinated me for years. There is, as far as I can tell, no record of the property being bombed. Anyone got any idea what it’s about?
The house has since been converted to flats and is in some disrepair. I’d love to know what this distinctly Brownhillian bit of wit is all about.
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