Galleries

December 10th – A photo I’ve wanted a crack at for a while, and will return to with a different camera, I think.

The twin sisters of Wednesbury, at night, from Kings Hill. This is a fantastic sight and I’m not sure how best to capture it. There’s something really warm, cosy and maybe even a little Christmassy about the lights, the houses, the skyline and somnambulant colours. 

The Black Country often isn’t conventionally beautiful – but the beauty it does display is breathtaking and unique. How I love this place.

December 9th – A better day today, for sure. For starters, it was dry, sunny and cooler – it felt like a real winter was coming. We’re getting really close now to the winter solstice and the start of the opening out – yet we’ve barely had a true frosty morning. This year has been odd.

I was further cheered to note that at James Bridge, on the Walsall/Darlaston border, the hard work by planning enforcement officers and the Environment Agency has led to the clearing of the mess here on the field next to the River Tame. It had been in use as a store for general building materials and assorted debris, apparently without planning approval. The whole site looked a mess and seemed to be little more that a glorified fly-tip. 

The site isn’t completely clear yet, although it’s much, much improved. It’s good to see action to remove the blight and a possible source of pollution to the recovering river.

Nice work. Thank you.

December 7th – Another fine commute on a dry but windy morning, and again, it felt warmer than it should. Victoria Park in Darlaston is gorgeous at this time of year; it’s contours, slopes and features – including the remarkable footbridge – look wonderful in the low winter sunlight.

A fantastic place that’s well worth a visit.

December 6th – A late spin around Chasewater, and the railway caught my eye. Finished for the day, the carriages were left on the platform for cleaning and the engine in the sidings further over towards the shed. I loved the light, the open doors and the gathering dusk. There was a real atmosphere of abandonment, as if everyone had just disappeared in some 1950s rush hour sic-fi movie.

I was lucky to catch this.

December 2nd – I came through Walsall early evening, having resolved to pay more attention to the place after yesterday taking pictures in the Civic Quarter. Tonight, I noted how nice the Christmas lights were this year, and how for once, we had a decent Christmas tree. 

Although we seem to be hurtling towards Christmas at a rate of knots at the moment, I haven’t felt very festive so far – until tonight.

Of course, Christmas means the winter solstice and the end of the darkening days, and the start of another season’s promise.

I’ll have some of that.

December 1st – Coming through Walsall early evening was oddly festive. Although I loathe the striped paving and out of place lighting columns, I love the ‘Civic Quarter’ at night.

Such a combination of architecture, surface, artificial light and mature urbanness. A very photogenic, under appreciated corner of Walsall.

November 30th – Telford, early in the rain. Not quite fully light. The skeletal, brutalist 80s footbridge and covered walkway at the station is like some strange portal. Ghosts of people, further away than you think; exaggerated perspective and peculiarly yellow lighting.

An otherworldly, slightly unsettling place.

November 30th – New Street again, but early morning feelings rather than late night ones. Seven in the morning, steady rain, not yet clear of the night before.

Something about the light, machinery, wet urban surfaces, overhead wires and signals spoke quietly of urban strength, reassurance, safety, control. Alpha Tower in the distance stood as a fixing to location.

My feelings towards this place are ambivalent these days. But this morning, on the darkest and most miserable of days, something beautiful happened and it took my breath away.

It’s what Birmingham does, and I suspect has always done.

November 29th – I returned to Brownhills via the cycleway and old Cement Works Bridge, hoping to see deer. Sadly my deer magnet was resolutely off and I saw nothing; but I did note this venerable mobile phone mast.

The same tower has been in use since the late 80s, when it had an analogue base station fitted. Since then, it’s acquired a curious variety of antenna from normal FM to microwave, and it now serves the local 4G network. A remarkable survivor.

Next to it in the trees is an Airwave Tetra emergency communications network base station – a secure mobile network for police, fire and ambulance. I’m unclear why this spot is so popular with radio infrastructure, but there sure is a lot going on.