June 27th – I was please to note as I spun past this evening, the formerly closed and shuttered pub The Hatherton Arms, just on the Mellish Road Island in The Butts, Walsall, is showing signs of life. The boards have been removed, the To Let sign has gone, and the place looks occupied. It doesn’t seem open as a pub, though, so we’ll have to see if that’s its destiny. It’s just nice to see it inhabited again.
June 25th – This handsome, slightly mad-looking and somewhat tame fellow was fishing near Pleck in Walsall when I returned late afternoon. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, and the canal looked great. Everything was so green and lush… and there he stood, amongst it all. He’s clearly used to people and didn’t move until I was 10 feet away from him. A gorgeous bird.
June 25th – Had to smile at this graffiti on a canal side wall in central Walsall today. Just by Bridgman Street bridge, it did seem oddly amusing. The hand looks familiar. Wonder who the wag is?
June 16th – First time I’d been to Walsall on a Saturday for over 18 months, and I quickly remembered why. It may have just been the rain, but the lack of anything decent in the town centre, the grinding misery of the shoppers, and the general air of shabbiness the place wears just ground the joy out of me. I walked up Chuch Hill, and then cycled to Caldmore to pick up my favourite sweets and savouries, then back to Crown Wharf and Maplin. Not finding what I was after, I went for a coffee in Starbucks, and locked my bike to the railings out front, as many others were doing. As I left the retail park, I noted with a wry smile that the cycle parking provided – a large quantity of Sheffield stands – was unused. Hidden away, with no CCTV cover, you’d be mad to lock your ride there. These town planning types just don’t get it, do they?
June 8th – The devastation of the Great British public house continues unabated. In recent weeks two pubs have been lost at Longdon, Staffordshire, the Railway at Pelsall has closed and Brownhills own Royal ‘Middle’ Oak is up for sale. The Hatherton Arms closed some weeks ago, and now stands as a forlorn gateway to Walsall. Once a lovely little community boozer, it is interesting architecturally, and had a George V memorial brick set into the lounge wall. Sadly, it doesn’t look like reopening anytime soon, and would tenure that it’s probably awaiting the ultimate death by fire that so many abandoned Walsall buildings seem to succumb to.
A great tragedy.
June 7th – Between The Chuckery and Highgate in Walsall, the architecture on the Sutton Road continues to fascinate. On a wet Thursday evening, even in the dark murk of the tail end of a rainstorm, the glistening tiles, Victorian bays and ornate chimney pots still looked precious. A pleasure, whatever the season or weather.
May 31st – My unexpected commuting grief did lead to an unexpected visit to the throbbing metropolis that is Walsall. It was quite fortuitous really; it meant the wind was at my back on the ride home, and also that I could check out the damage caused by yet another derelict building fire in the town the previous night.
The fire was in an abandoned, derelict former leather works smack bang in the middle of the Waterfront development area. Immediately adjacent to a new apartment block, the old factory has been derelict for a few years, and I guess this will lead to another hasty demolition and yet another rubberstamped planning application. I circled the former factory, and noticed something about this development area I’ve never noticed before – it’s very shabby, in reality. New blocks of housing, both new build and renovations, are punctuated by derelict, rotting hulks of workshops, dark and forbidding. The planning here has been lousy, and I wouldn’t fancy walking in this area at night. Who’d want to buy a new luxury apartment next to a derelict drugs den?
May 10th – Later on, back in Walsall thanks to the Sultan’s Magic Carpet that is London Midland, I cycled up Church Hill and over into Chuckery. St. Matthews was looking fine in the evening light, but the top of the market looks shabby and unloved. I still can’t get used to the architectural insensitivity of the Asda shed built nearby. A complete contrast to the fine building I passed on the corner of Bernard Street and Sutton Road. It’s one of those I’ve been passing on and off for years, but never really stopped to study. What a remarkable building, of which I know absolutely nothing. Do any readers have any information? I just love the ‘tower’…
April 20th – Britain is obsessed with it’s refuse. I say obsessed, but only to a certain extent. We become very energised about having it taken away – debates rage about recycling, bi-weekly collections and fines. Oddly enough, we never seem too bothered about where our rubbish goes after it’s collected, so long as the landfill or incinerator isn’t near us or something we love. Walsall Council gets a fair amount of stick for it’s waste service, but I feel it’s generally unfair. We have wheelie bins, and decent schedules. Here in Leicester, rubbish is left out in different coloured bags the night before, where foxes and cats rip it open and spread it around. Bags frequently split on handling and their contents litter the road. The residents of Leicester, like those of Birmingham, would love a service as clean and reliable as that in Walsall.
April 2nd – Working in Telford today meant returning late from Walsall with the wind behind me, a few weeks since I’d undertaken this commute. The wind eased me home, as did the impending drizzle, and my legs found quite a bit of energy from somewhere. Cresting the Black Cock Bridge, I noted how grey it all looked, and how depressing it seemed. Yet it was 6:45pm and still light. That’s a good thing, I guess. I put the camera away, and sped downhill to Brownhills with a less heavy heart.
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