November 6th – As I’ve noted here before, I very much like Darlaston’s war memorial. Intimate, sombre and peaceful, it sits in its own sensory garden, a little oasis of calm in the middle of a Black Country town.
On this grey and foul morning, it cheered me as I passed, so I decided to record it for posterity.
I’ve never noticed the bench with the poppies on before. Wonder how that came about? It’s very beautiful.
June 7th – I went to the steam fair at Draycott, and came back through Marchington, over Marchington Cliff and back through the Needwood Valley.
I’ve never noticed Marchington Church before – it’s very curious. It looks old, with curious, almost Eastern European influences; maybe even a little bit industrial.
What really struck me was the unusual war memorial over the doorway.
Boxing Day – Out for a quick spin before the rains came in, and I headed to Stonnall Church, as I’d not been there for ages. It’s a lovely little church, mostly brick but with a stone extension on the rear. It looks such a homely little church, and the grounds surrounding it are full of curiosities – from the views of the surrounding village and hills to the sad, headstone-less grave under the hedge at the back. There’s a curious little war memorial made out of nails, and some of the most fascinating weather erosion I’ve ever seen.
Yet you could pass this church – high on the hill beside the road – and never notice it were there.
November 10th – I make no apology for featuring this war memorial twice in one week. Darlaston is always beautiful and poignant, but after Remembrance Sunday, even more so.
The crosses, flowers and wreaths tell their own stories of loss, valour and gratitude.
You can’t fail to be moved by it.
November 11th – I think the rain made this, in a funny kind of way. When I came past the war memorial in Darlaston, it was raining quite heavily, but the statue, wreaths and tributes positively glowed in the murk. It looks like Darlaston did it’s fallen proud. So touching, and beautiful, it was a great sight on a wet, grey monday morning.
A few minutes later in the town, I saw the regular street sweeper cheerfully litter picking in the rain. Just as I passed, a lady from a local shop shouted to him, and came out with a cup of tea for him, and praised him for his hard work.
Life here, distilled. I love this place.
November 7th – It is, of course, coming up to remembrance, and across Walsall, Streetpride teams from the Council and volunteers are both working to ensure our war memorials are clean, tidy and generally up to scratch. One of my favourite in Walsall is the one at Darlaston. Human, touching and poignant, the statue of the Tommy is emotive and devotional, and the surrounding peaceful garden is designed to be enjoyed by the blind and partially sighted.
Tucked away in a very quiet corner of Darlaston, I recommend visiting this one, and musing on the loss and service of those that paid the ultimate price.
For a list of Remembrance Events this weekend, see this post on my main blog.
November 2nd – I was pleased to note this year that the re will be a remembrance service on Moor Street Station, Birmingham. There is a war memorial on the concourse here to the fallen railwaymen of the Great Western Railway, spanning two wars. Tucked into a corner, the memorial was restored in 2003 upon the reopening of the old station. A sombre and beautiful thing.
September 23rd – A foul afternoon. I popped over to a freind’s house to do some bike spannering, and it was raining hard. Brownhills was hardly photogenic… But passing St. James Church I noticed the lights were on and a service was In progress. St. James is a good example of recovered memory – for most of my adult life I’d have sworn it had a clock, that chimed. I’d have put money on it. It was only after photographing it for an article 2 years ago that I realised it had no such thing. What I’d actually been hearing on still, summer nights was the three faced liar on the old Council House.
December 7th – The war memorial in Darlaston is also one of the best locally. Far more personal and intimate than that of Walsall, for me the only one to challenge it for beauty and presence is Wednesbury. I love the gardens and spaces to sit around it; the sympathetic, sharply observed Great War Soldier modelled on top. I love the way if fits beautifully into it’s urban environment, and the fact that there’s a playground and nursery nearby. I think those remembered here would appreciate the noises and joyful hubbub of the children playing nearby.
August 18th – Continuing this week’s Darlaton exploration (I’m working near here), I’m determined to show that this is a beautiful, complex and historic place. It’s easy to dismiss the Black Country as grimy, dirty and without aesthetic or cultural merit. That is wrong, very wrong. This is the top end of town, near the church and the beautiful and haunting war memorial. If you showed anyone from outside our area this picture, they’d never guess where it was taken. We don’t appreciate our area enough.
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