Tag: Rushall

February 9th – On the A461 Lichfield Road, between Rushall and Shelfield, a truly remarkable bit of parking. The rear tyre of this car hasn’t made it onto the pavement, but is about two inches clear of the road, too. One assumes the driver is too lazy or incompetent to even park the car properly, let alone the legality of leaving it on the pavement. Sadly, I doubt if a parking enforcement officer will wander this far from the revenue stream in central Walsall….

January 12th – I noted back before Christmas that following another of Walsall’s infectious arson attacks, the Miners Arms pub in Rushall was being demolished. Well, operations appear to have ground to a halt and work stalled. The formed pub sits truncated to the first floor, debris littered around it and on the lawn of the health centre next door. The people demolishing this building seem to have got bored and wandered off. Hardly professional.

What an eyesore.

December 9th – I like Christmas as much as the next man – that is, I generally keep my head down and enjoy the break. However, I don’t think I’ll ever match the enthusiasm of some of those who have adopted the odd suburban American tradition of decorating the outside of one’s house with lights. This example is in Rushall, and I quite like it. There are plenty of examples locally. I find the whole phenomena utterly baffling.

December 6th – Another lost pub appears to be going down the dust pipe. Since proving itself just as readily combustible as other closed pubs locally, the Miners Arms at Rushall has sat forlorn, with scaffolding half erected around it. This once lively, popular boozer used to have great live music and a decent pint, but like so many, couldn’t make enough to survive. Closed for a good while, then subject to the inevitable arson attack, it now appears that the demolition crew has moved in. I’m sure another block of highly individual apartments awaits. 

November 25th – Sadly, I took some photos this morning that weren’t good enough to use, so today, I just have these I took at Rushall Church on the way home from work. There’s been a church here since 1220; the current one – The Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel – being built around 1856, with the elegant, thin spire added later in place of an older, square one that was thought to have been centuries old. It’s a gorgeous church, tucked away in the side streets off the Lichfield Road in an almost rural location; at night it’s beautifully lit and brilliantly atmospheric, with the busy, crowded churchyard adding to the atmosphere. At 6pm I was undisturbed and the church and surrounding streets eerily quiet. A hidden gem.

October 14th – Another stretch of canal, 70 minutes later. Had to nip out to Walsall, so swung home on the canal from Sutton Road to Leighswood. The sunset was remarkable, but sadly, no herons today. I didn’t see a soul, and as the sun sank over Walsall, the familiar chill of autumn returned to the air. A gorgeous end to the day. 30 miles in two hours punctuated by the most gorgeous scenes and views. It doesn’t get much better than this…

August 23rd – The week took an unexpected turn as I found myself working late. Returning in the dark quite late at night, I decided to try some night photography. This normally comes with autumn, but I guess a little practice doesn’t hurt, and I found the activity quite relaxing after a stressful, long day at work.

May 23rd – An awful day to cycle – blustery, then rainstorms in the afternoon. I left work early for a meeting in Rushall, and dropped on to the canal at Pleck, south Walsall. I prefer the canal in this weather as traffic tends to be a bit mad in heavy rain. Cycling in the rain can be a lovely, sensual experience, and this was no exception, climbing the locks and bridges through Birchills and acing the traffic queue at Rushall was a joy…

The soundtrack is ‘Nice Weather for Ducks’ by the wonderful Lemon Jelly.