Tag: Victoria Road

February 21st – Looking down Victoria Road from Darlaston Town Centre you’d never really think you were in the industrial Black Country. Although one can hear distant industry and traffic, this sleepy, architecturally fascinating byway remains a little place of calm and historic beauty. Just on the right, past the pub, the Town Hall, opposite the four square Post Office and Rectory Avenue. Beyond those, Victoria Park.

Even on busy days, this is a sedate place to wander into the town.

Just another reason to love Darlaston…

August 21st – Back in Darlaston, the building behind the town hall – for all the world nothing but a small, brick-built, ornate garage – had had more masonry removed, and scaffolding erected.

This is a sad state for what was the town’s fire station in the earliest days of the service to be in.

The site has been cleaned out and is tidy, and the further demolition seems too neat and level to be part of a total removal, so I’m hopeful this is the start of a full restoration.

I still have no idea what happened here, I’d be interested to find out.

August 18th – As I got nearer to work, I realised I’d just missed a very localised downpour, I love how the rain an light made Victoria Park look as things lightened up. Dripping gently, the green was beautiful and you’d never think you were in such an urban, industrial place so close to a town centre.

One of the many reasons to love Darlaston…

July 20th – Sad to see something seems to have happened to the building off Victoria Road in Darlaston that was once the town fore station – the roof appears to have collapsed.

I really don’t know what’s gone on, but the building seems to have been made fairly safe, but there’s extensive damage to the timbers, and the tiles have mostly been stripped.

Whilst this is a historically important building in Darlaston’s history, I’m a bit torn over the cost of repair – it will certainly cost a lost to sort out, for what is, effectively, an unused garage. But I do feell concerned for it’s future.

A sad sight. 

July 17th – Later the same day, in Darlaston. A summer place.

This, my friends, is the heart of the Black Country: thought by people who don’t know it to be ugly, defiled, polluted and unlovely. 

It’s actually mostly the absolute opposite and that’s why it has such a large part of my heart and soul.

This is my place.

October 29th – Just near the Post Office on Victoria Road, Darlaston, stands the War Memorial. Quite simply, it’s one of the best I have ever seen.

Contained in it’s own, peaceful gardens, it’s a sombre, quiet and lovely place with a wonderful sculpture. I often stop here and have five minutes rest and reflection.

I’ve seen a lot of such remembrance art before, a lot of it in much larger towns than Darlaston. I can honestly say none has matched this one. A beautiful, sombre thing indeed.