Images

January 24th – Sadly, there’s another derelict building in Kings Hill, Darlaston that I’ve as yet not recorded. The Scott Arms has been empty and boarded up for a long tome now, and like the other lost pubs in the locality, I doubt it will see life as an inn again. I don’t know what it was like as a pub, this isn’t my patch, but it’s clear to see that the decline of local industry and a change in social habits have sealed the fate of many a backstreet, blue collar boozer like this. A tragedy.

January 24th – I’m fascinated by some of the curious things people do to make mobile homes. From van conversions to trailers to… aberrations like this, really. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on with this. Parked near the old Charles Richards factory in  Darlaston Green, I’ve never seen it move. It appears to consist of an ex-military Landrover special vehicle with a truncated caravan mounted on the back. Seemingly keeping the ensemble together in a frame of tubular, square-section steel. Quite what the deal is with the outriggers is unknown. I don’t know who owns and built this, but I salute your inventiveness…

January 23rd – Returning to Walsall Wood at sunset for a meeting, I hauled my bike up the steps at Walsall Wood Bridge and was immediately awestruck by the colour of the sky. Without my gorillapod handy, I stood the camera gingerly on the handrail. Not to bad for a junk shot. It seemed chilly tonight, and a proper winter sunset to boot. This is more like it.

January 23rd – I also noticed that the piece of street-art under the reservoir place bridge has been completed. It’s quite impressive – there’s real skill and artistic ability there, and I love the way it adds interest and colour to an otherwise dark corner. The artist is called Apps, and @dhintheman on twitter found his youtube channel. You can see his self-made film there, together with other films of his derring do. Apps, I salute you.

January 23rd – Heading to Darlaston today, I ducked onto the canal as usual. I noted that the algae bloom that I speculated would be killed off by the cold spell was still apparently in rude health… last week, this spot was iced over. Today, the gloop is as thick and green as ever. It does move around, though. On windy days it disperses to little clumps at the banks and reed-beds. When conditions are more still, it regroups. Oddly hardy stuff, it would appear. Still none the wiser as to what it actually is. 

January 22nd – Tesco may not care much for Brownhills, but it has us in a stranglehold. The same company that operate our scruffy, down at heel supermarket are also one of the town’s biggest employers. Tesco own the One Stop group, operators of small community stores, which they bought up from T&S Stores a decade ago. Large numbers of folk are employed at the warehouse here, and there’s a constant flow of traffic and wagons into and out of the site. Tonight, it seemed quiet, but I could hear engines revving somewhere in the distance.

In Brownhills Tesco will get you, one way or another.

January 22nd – Still forlorn, abandoned and decaying to dust is The Rising Sun, at Brownhills West. One of Brownhills’ oldest pubs, it’s sad to see this place slide away. It doesn’t even appear to be for sale. Survivor of several arson and vandal attacks, the building clearly has some pride left. Can nobody be found to do something – anything – with it?

We’re gradually losing our history and culture, and it breaks my heart.

January 22nd – A bit of a lost weekend, cycling wise; the old health has been a bit up and down, but other commitments and general recuperation were the order of what proved to be a rather intemperate few days, weather-wise. The daylight hours today were beset with an evil wind, and so I slipped out at sunset and chose to throw the bike around the rough stuff on Brownhills Common. No deer today, sadly, but I did disturb a couple of badgers near Engine Lane. The sunset over Wyrley Common was quite remarkable tonight. 

January 21st – This is intriguing and good news. This new factory has been built from scratch on the Clayhanger/Walsall Wood border at Maybrook Road. This company have decided to move here from up north, creating real engineering jobs and bringing its business into the area. What fascinates me is that the occupiers have been moving in for ages now – loads of cranes and lifting equipment here every weekend. I don’t know what they’re doing here, but there must be a lot of heavy gear involved.