WME Flickr Focus - January 2024

We're nearly a whole month into 2024 and how are those New Year's Resolutions of yours bearing up? Hmm, crashed and burned already, I thought as much! The West Midlands Exploration Flickr photostream hasn't attempted anything outlandishly different, instead merely plugging away with the usual diet of pictures...

Saying that, it is unusual for WME Solihull to keep stealing the spotlight (it has been my first gallery to be mentioned two digests in a row now). This rare accolade has been earned with assorted items from Solihull town centre itself, most notably St Alphege's Church framed by springtime blossom - it won't be long before we see the pretty petals again - as well as Homer Road, School Lane and the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary & Archangel Michael.

Solihull can't lay claim to all of our January plaudits so our next big fanfare goes to WME Staffordshire which has been solidly stockpiling items from Stafford, Trysull and Uttoxeter. Among these are the Tap Steakhouse off Sandon Road, Trysull Holloway with Seisdon Road for company, and the back room of the ever-beguiling Vaults pub (that long-time purveyor of lovely Draught Bass). Trescott tickles in a Shop Lane street sign whereas Tutbury tempts us with the New Inn, seen prior to Black Country Ales making it the 50th establishment under their ownership.

Canal considerations are the main motivation where WME Warwickshire is concerned, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal having supplied a dozen or so fresh arrivals. All of these are taken from the lock flight between Lapworth and Lowsonford for a veritable study in balance beams and bridge numbers - I'm nothing if not predictable! Whether a glimpse of the Metroline Bridge on the Tame Valley Canal for WME Sandwell is more or less exciting is open to debate...

Sticking with the Black Country, WME Wolverhampton accounts for a Tettenhall Massalla cat and a Tettenhall Wood coffee shop (Vanilla) while WME Walsall scouts around for bus depot detritus and memories of what used to be the Horse & Jockey off Bloxwich Road. WME Dudley samples Stourbridge for the Peplow & Son jewellery shop frontage, and there's a sneaky sighting of St Andrew's Church on The Straits for good measure.

What does that leave us with? Ah yes, those galleries which need to make it their resolution to up their game when it comes to photographic additions. WME Birmingham did admittedly grab a Stockland Green dartboard for its only January arrival; likewise WME Coventry called in on Tile Hill Library for a picture that dates back to 2008. Fingers crossed that February can keep those updates filing in - until then, enjoy the pictures...

Hub Marketing 2024: TELFORD

Telford trips have been a staple of Hub Marketing Board activities almost from the very start, with trips compiled in 2011 (Horsehay and Jackfield), 2012 (Hadley and High Ercall), 2015 (St George's), 2019 (Shawbirch and Admaston) and 2021 (Wet Weather Wellington). To this impressive back catalogue we can now add a sixth entry focusing upon Ketley, Trench and Wrockwardine Wood...

- Telford Central Station -

It's Friday 19th January 2024 and the first Hub Marketing meeting of the new year requires members to gather at Wolverhampton railway station in readiness for the 12:15 train. The Chairman naturally cuts it very fine but his tram+sprint routine is well rehearsed these days and our connection is caught as planned, delivering us to Telford Central by quarter to one. We never seem to have much luck when it comes to the Arriva bus network and the curse comes back to bite us again with delays and dubious 'real time' alerts proving puzzling. Eventually a 4 towards Leegomery deigns to appear and we're underway at last.

- Ketley War Memorial -

Ketley had cropped up on a couple of those five previous Telford incursions but we're happy to take another bite out of the area, noting the Community Centre (housed in a Victorian primary school which was erected in 1897) along with a neighbouring arts centre (the former Infants, similar in architectural style and built in 1904). The Waterloo Road/Holyhead Road crossroads has the Crispy Cod takeaway facing off against the Blue Elephant Indian restaurant while the local playing fields have a rusted arch entrance. One intriguing item I don't remember spotting before is the war memorial tablet near Red Lees, installed in 2022 thanks to support from Ketley Parish Council and the Telford & Wrekin Pride Fund. 

- Shropshire Star Squashed -

Waterloo Road offers echoes of our 2021 exploits but something feels different and it takes us a while to figure out what's changed - the Shropshire Star offices have disappeared!! I'd heard that newspaper operations had transferred to a new base at Grosvenor House but seeing the old site completely flattened is still quite a shock. Further down the lane, the Wrens Nest pub itself resembles a building site but is thankfully open (unlike three years ago), meaning we can claim a quick Carling apiece while sitting below a Peaky Blinders montage. Chairman D9 is in a nostalgic mood, recalling old-fashioned barber shops from the times when he had more hair. You don't get the likes of Mad Harry wielding the scissors anymore...

- A Proper Penny Pincher!! -

Another lengthy wait for a bus is put to good use playing our opening silly song selections for 2024, whereby Stephen Lewis (Inspector Blakey in On the Buses) encounters 'The Bed Sitter' and Rupert Davies (who played Maigret back in the 60s) is happily 'Smoking My Pipe'. The 4 then whisks us most of the way towards Wellington for the dual charms of the Railway and the Cock Hotel. The former serves up pristine Butty Bach with Jo Stafford's version of Jambalaya for accompaniment whereas the latter has been lovingly renovated by the Joules Brewery with genuinely impressive results. Our cask choice here is the ginger-infused Penny Pincher but any hopes Secretary WME has of the beer's name being matched by discount prices are way off the mark. Engraved mirrors, burnished woodwork and copper tabletops make for a stellar setting in which to prepare for the delayed 2023 Hub Awards.

- The Hub Awards are announced -

Speaking of which, Hub Marketing founder Charles Pemberton Rowbottom III is in the vicinity having contrived to avoid us in Stafford last time out. We therefore intercept an incoming 7 (the driver saw us running and kindly waited for us) via Haybridge Road and Hadley before landing at the Tap & Barrel where CPR3 awaits. This rather plain pub used to be known as the Duke and has a bit of Friday afternoon life to it - old boys, pool players, TV quizzes, you get the idea. We however concentrate on declaring the lucky winners from a range of categories: 2023 Pub of the Year was Hopinn, Newcastle-under-Lyme whereas the Dive of the Year could only be Bell Green's Rose & Crown. Bald Spot of the Year was the Daisy Bank Sarad Stores specimen and the Classic D9 drive was a Hearty Carty 20 reggaethon along the Bristol Road.

- Anyone for Carpet Whipping? -

Award formalities done and dusted, we see what else Trench has to offer although neither of us is remotely inclined to participate in any carpet whipping - it all sounds far too painful! A flat roof shopping parade contains betting shops and fast food outlets while we also catch glimpse of a bowling club with an expertly maintained green. Our next watering hole meanwhile will be the New Dun Cow, an ex-Banks's box boozer that's been given a wooden plank facelift to go with its transition into an Indian Bar and Grill example. It's smart and comfortable inside with swish seating booths plus the prospect of Stephen Fry on daytime television should you like that sort of thing. One wonders whether Mr Fry whips his carpets at all?

- 'Spotted' in Wrockwardine Wood -

A public footpath around the back of Holy Trinity Church is our twilight means of approaching Wrockwardine Wood, an old mining district which easily pre-dates the creation of Telford New Town. Hub Marketing history here isn't especially favourable and we can vividly recall a 2015 wild goose chase involving closed pubs and withdrawn bus routes - will our luck be any better this time around? The answer is a resounding yes because both the White Horse Tavern and the Bull's Head are trading steadily; naturally we visit each of them in turn, beginning with the White Horse and its tempting whiffs of home cooked food. Secretary WME is particularly taken by the Bull's Head's glazed tiling and etched vault windows, a classic heritage frontage for sure plus the Salopian Shropshire Gold within makes for a very decent drink.

- A Bostin' Bathams Nightcap -

The Lamb Inn on Moss Road can make it a Wrockwardine Wood pub hat trick for those of a thirsty persuasion (it's probably the scruffier of the three but worth a visit nevertheless), then we flag down an incoming number 5 bus for a brief trundle through St George's and down Station Hill into Oakengates. Swansong duties in this instance fall to the Station Hotel, alas minus any Elvis impersonators although the Bathams Best Bitter is absolutely impeccable. The place is packed to the rafters with a lovely welcoming atmosphere, exactly the kind of establishment you'd want to finish off at on a Friday night. There's just time to grab some chips as sustenance for the train ride home and that's another Telford triumph sorted!

Shenstone: A January Jaunt

Hmm, a very grey cold day in January but let's be grateful for small mercies - it isn't snowing, it isn't raining, and Nick and I are about to investigate a Staffordshire village which promises a quartet of pub possibilities. Shenstone, over to you...

- Shenstone Station -

Trip Log: Friday 12th January 2024 sees myself and our resident royal all set for Shenstone, an affluent community midway between Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield. Getting there is easy enough thanks to a straightforward half-hourly service on the Cross City line, meaning we can pitch up at Shenstone Station come ten past eleven. The Lichfield-bound platform is very plain with rudimentary running-in boards and not much else, but the Birmingham side has a rather stately railway house that reminds us of similar properties at both Stone and Atherstone. The building apparently dates from the 1880s but doesn't currently appear to be in use, although we can see an old-fashioned booking hall layout when peering through the windows. 

- A Postbox Pose -

From Station Road the village centre is merely a quarter of a mile away, turning right at the war memorial into Main Street by the Cooper Room function hall. Quaint cottages flank one side of the road as we reach a horseshoe-shaped shopping parade with a Costcutter at its apex. The other units comprise a pharmacy, a dentists, Russell's Family Butchers and the offices of the Parish Council while our eye also gets drawn towards a knitted postbox topper featuring Father Christmas and his wider snowy entourage.

- Shenstone Community Library -

Noting the Fox & Hounds for later on, we continue along Main Street to discover Shenstone's community library. In common with many of Staffordshire's smaller branches, this facility is no longer under direct council control but is instead run on an independent basis by a committed enthusiastic bunch of local volunteers. Part of the library has been turned into a cafe which hosts regular coffee mornings, although you can still borrow books, use the internet, access photocopiers and printers or attend the baby storytime sessions. 

- St John the Baptist Church -

Schoolfields Road and St John's Hill take us on a slightly circuitous route to reach St John the Baptist Parish Church, a dramatic Victorian edifice standing stoically on an escarpment. The unremitting greyness of the January skies seems entirely in keeping with the brooding Gothic architecture as we survey the wooded churchyard, spotting the remains of an earlier Norman church tower complete with an eroded emblem of the Merchant Tailors Guild by its east door. The Old Tower hosts regular open days for those keen to learn more about its history.

- Beaming with Pride in the Bulls Head -

A secluded path beside the churchyard brings us neatly to the Fox & Hounds bang on midday opening time, and we're excitedly greeted by a pair of inquisitive pet pooches when furnishing ourselves with a half of St Austell's Tribute Ale apiece. Leaving aside the apparent allegiances to Aston Villa, this is a nice village pub with dartboard, log piles and a passing interest in the Dubai Invitational golf tournament. By contrast, the Bull's Head on the A5127 Birmingham Road has much more of a food focus and is heavily booked on this Friday lunchtime. We're permitted to use one of two spare tables so as to steadily glug down some London Pride; it's good to see the place so busy but we'd best leave the diners to their gustatory pleasures.

- The Railway -

Our Shenstone circuit next involves passing some playing fields and utilising Pinfold Hill up by the remains of an old cattle pound. Our third watering hole is the Plough, stylishly refurbished after a prolonged period of closure circa 2012 and now seemingly back to full health. Golden Glow is always a winning ale in our opinion as we indulge in a lengthy discussion about 20th Century music icons, Nick being especially keen to mention Blondie and Kate Bush. Straight across the road is the Railway, a down-to-earth Marston's boozer which feels like the most basic of the four Shenstone hostelries although its still a very comfortable setting for a tasty half of Old Empire, just the throat-tickler you need with temperatures barely above freezing.

- Glorious Guinness in the New Inns -

Making use of the 14:48 train back towards Birmingham, we extend our explorations into Erdington by calling into the Charlie Hall for a spot of lunch (Nick never unknowingly turns down the chance of a discounted Fishy Friday deal). Very much a standard Wetherspoons experience - sticky tables, loud carpet, old boys aplenty - we learn that Charlie Hall himself was an actor who appeared in several Laurel & Hardy films, and that the premises was for many years a bingo hall. After a quick Cecil Road homage to one of Nick's uncles, we round the day off with New Inns Irishness (it has to be Guinness as we study a county map of the Emerald Isle) and Red Lion spectacle (one of Brum's finest pub frontages, albeit with a more ordinary feel inside) and that'll be that. One January Jaunt duly deposited - Cheers!

Nudging Netherton

Hello 2024, I wonder what you'll have to offer in terms of evidently exciting exploration memories? The year ahead stretches out like a blank sheet of parchment, waiting to be filled with news of new discoveries as well as old favourites being revisited. January's first contribution now has me reaching for the quill and the inkwell to bring you details of a jaunt around Netherton and Darby End...

- Cradley Heath DIY -

It's Saturday 6th January 2024, easily the nicest day we've had weather-wise for a while after what has seemed like constant rain since Christmas. Via a Smethwick Galton Bridge switch, I get myself to Cradley Heath so as to be reacquainted with Mary MacArthur Gardens (named after a prominent suffragist and campaigner in the women chainmakers strike of 1910) and Five Ways junction. The Cradley Heath DIY shop is showcasing its wares from the corner of Graingers Lane and High Street although I'm not in need of any broom handles, buckets or Miracle Gro compost bags on this occasion. 

- Terry's Timber -

Foxoak Street offers variety instead of my more customary stroll along Cradley Heath High Street, giving glimpses of the far side of the Tesco supermarket but also reminding me that Jasper's (also known as the Swan) has been turned into a private residence in ominous tones of battleship grey - I have fond memories of that pub as a Holden's outlet so it's sad to see it gone. The Hollybush on Newtown Lane appears to have survived, possibly as a Thursday night comedy venue rather than a standard boozer, while Terry's Timber has a neat line in homespun signage for anyone in need of kindling or picket fence pieces.

- Primrose Hill Community Church -

Mousesweet Brook marks the division between Sandwell and Dudley Boroughs as I cross from Cradley Heath into neighbouring Netherton, pressing on along Cradley Road to confirm another pub closure (RIP the Elephant & Castle). An Asda supermarket oversees the Saltwells Road traffic lights - diagonally opposite what used to be the Golden Cross - then I can check in again with Astle's Bridge which affectionately pays tribute to the legendary West Bromwich Albion striker. The structure's historic name was always Primrose Bridge but it gained its more colloquial title thanks to various 'Astle is King' graffiti daubings that appeared over the years. A Chapel Street detour then allows a sighting of Primrose Hill Community Church, intriguing!

- Darby End Bible Institute -

Emerging onto Halesowen Road, I fancy a dabble with Darby End because it's been a few years since I last passed through. Cole Street therefore offers a few interesting titbits such as the Gate Hangs Well (I've been in there with both D9 and Roger), a Methodist Church with 1960s hexagonal stained glass breezeblocks, and the M S H Premier corner shop. Darby End Wesley Bible Institute meanwhile traces its origins back to 1915 and looks every inch the kind of non-conformist chapel that would once have been commonplace across the Black Country.

- An Encounter with a Black Widow -

Windmill End might otherwise have tempted me with its ribbons of entangled canals but I'm very much counting down to my first pub pint of 2024 and want to get inside Ma Pardoes before it is swamped by eager diners. St Peter's Church and Greaves Road duly escort me towards Halesowen Road once more where the Pure Home Brewd Ales lettering is an iconic clue that I've arrived again at somewhere very special indeed. The public bar with its famous swan ceiling enamels is out of commission today so I find a perch in the restaurant section in order to partake of Entire, a lovely sweetish drop brewed on the premises. As anticipated, the lunchtime takers are arriving in their droves, discussing miscreant parrots and dodgy hips, but I linger around long enough to try the 6.7% Black Widow - not a lady to be trifled with!!

- Saltwells Road -

Ma Pardoes remains an unmissable classic that transports you back in time and to my mind is as good as ever; I'm far too young to have ever met the formidable Doris in person but if I ever get my hands on a time machine I'd whizz straight to 1974 I reckon. Anyway, this 2024 story continues with a dosage of Dudley Wood once I've figured out how to get from Yew Tree Hills down to Saltwells Road (answer: via Bratch Close and a footpath over Saltwells Bridge). Gone are the days when the area used to reverberate to the sound of speedway races, the final meeting having been held here in 1995.

- The Woodman -

Names of riders such as Erik Gundersen, Jan O. Pedersen, Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill are still fondly remembered in these parts and its fitting that the Woodman pays homage to Dudley Wood's sporting links among its artistic montages. A standard Marston's (Banks's) experience awaits with most of the youthful clientele watching the Sunderland v Newcastle match; I pick a table overlooking a well-maintained bowling green as strong winter sunshine streams in through the windows, the only downside being that I have to make do with Carling in the absence of real ale. My return route to Cradley Heath Station involves Brook Lane, Chapmans Corner and Reddal Hill Road (for an Amber splash and dash in the Waggon & Horses) and it's job done - legs stretched, pictures taken, a 2024 trip in the bank. Cheers!

WME Review of the Year - 2023

Happy New Year everybody as we expectantly welcome in 2024 whilst ushering out the dying embers of 2023. The WME Blog's rulebook stipulates that my first posting each January is a retrospective review of the preceding twelve months and I'm hardly one to go messing about with tradition - here goes...

January: a Waterways Walk broke my duck in terms of 2023 explorations whereby the Cannock Extension Canal had me fleetingly flirting with Pelsall Wood and Norton Canes. I dropped very lucky with the weather that day and was similarly fortunate during my Penkhull Pub Parade, a perfect Potteries afternoon that introduced me to the likes of the Marquis of Granby, the Beehive and bru with bonus points awarded for the comedic depictions of Sir Stanley Matthews. Foggy conditions tried their best to befuddle a solo Saturday spent in murky Wordsley and Kingswinford, while Nick had the pleasure of accompanying me at the Leviathan Brewery's well-hidden taphouse on a Sutton Coldfield industrial estate. A busy start to 2023 all things considered!

February: the brisk pace continued unabated into February when the star of the show was undoubtedly the Great British Beer Festival (Winter) as held at Burton Town Hall. Besides the thrill of hearing the Wurlitzer organ in full flow, the ales were excellent and the pub discoveries equally memorable (especially the Tower Brewery and Brews of the World). I tickled Telford somewhat courtesy of a Lawley Village and Dawley Bank day, gathering glimpses of Glendale and grappling with the Grazing Cow. The Hub Marketing Board braved a Bradley evening for warm hospitality in otherwise chilly temperatures, and there were Chip Foundation antics in Royal Leamington Spa including beating the drum in the Star & Garter. 

March: two Hub Marketing trips kept me occupied in March, both being Black Country-based pubcrawls which revisited West Bromwich (in honour of former bus driver 'Wincy' Willis) and Tipton respectively - the latter of those had us recreating a Juliet Bravo car chase along the Factory Locks. In other news, the Chip Foundation got well and truly Stoned in Staffordshire - Joules Brewery have done a fantastic job with their Crown Wharf development - and I paid my annual springtime visit to Stafford for a look at Beaconside Barracks when walking the Isabel Trail ex-railway footpath. Dorridge meanwhile detained me for another solo Saturday sojourn, this time accounting for Bentley Heath and Knowle's Oktogon along the way. 

April: the Bears on Tour bandwagon took the Beardsmores and myself to terrific Taunton; the match itself ended in a draw but we had a lot of fun investigating several Somerset watering holes and walking segments of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal. Closer to home, there were more waterways wanderings when Towpath Turpin and I tackled Boley Park and the Lichfield Canal at Darnford Moors. The Chip Foundation weaved their merry way around Walsall when celebrating Ken's birthday, then the Potteries dished up more pub pleasure thanks to the Hartshill Mile for an extended session between Newcastle under Lyme and Stoke Town. 

May: the 2023 instalment of Rail Rover profferred up a varied range of locations from Colwall to Macclesfield to Leicester to Oswestry (Nick being particularly intrigued by tales of severed arms giving rise to St Oswald's Well). Chairman D9 savoured Stonnall in the spring sunshine - aided and abetted by a Brownhills blast - and there was a Quarry Bank Quest comprising my very first sampling of the Old Liberal, an instant Paul favourite from the moment I saw it!

June: heading into the summer months, I recorded three special trips to mark my milestone birthday. Perry Barr hosted Stephen, John and yours truly for a roam around what's left of the former UCE campus - not forgetting dropping in at the ever-wonderful Bartons Arms - before the Chip Foundation breezed around Bewdley and Highley without ever quite making it to Cleobury Mortimer! The Hub Marketing Board's key contribution was a second staging of the Round Oak Run, ten years on from the original outing and yet the ales in Amblecote were still exceptional. A stop at the Stratford Beer Festival brought a certain Shakespearean flavour to proceedings with Ya Bard stealing the limelight on that occasion.  

July: the showpiece WME family holiday for 2023 saw us descending upon the South Coast resort of Bognor Regis for a few days, meaning I could scout around Sussex and even hustle over into Hampshire too - the Tuesday I spent in Southsea and Portsmouth was brilliant!! The Black Country Living Museum launched more of their 1940s to 1960s new town development with replicas of Marsh & Baxter's Butchers and Stanton's Music Shop, then Towpath Turpin was back in action for an aqueduct hunt along the Stratford Canal near Wootton Wawen. Add in Chip Foundation correspondence from RAF Cosford (meeting Soviet leaders in Russian doll formation) plus a Catshill collision for the Hub Marketing Board and it was go, go, go!

August: the height of summer had the weather just about behaving itself enough to permit a Beardsmore coach trip to lovely Llandudno - cue Alice in Wonderland carvings and a general liking for goats. My Saturday check on the Camp Hill Locks flight went very well indeed when topped off with a couple of Digbeth's finest ale establishments, and I was similarly impressed with the pubs on offer in Blakedown and Hagley - it's always a joy to do the King Arthur again. Nick's Bus Pass Birthday knees-up prompted a jolly wiggle around Warwick as Mr B Senior narrowly evaded getting locked up in the town's old gaol cell for the afternoon. 

September: a reasonable cricket season for Warwickshire draws to a close with the gang chewing the fat over a drink or two in Balsall Heath - yes, His Majesty King Nick did put in appearances at the Merry Maid and the Clock, shock horror! The royal one felt much more at home in the refined surroundings of St Mary's Church Shrewsbury for the town's beer festival, whereas Mr D9 had to contend with the glamour of the Roe Deer during a Hub Marketing tour of Lawnswood and Wordsley - the Kingsbridge was highly commended that day.  

October: I came over all cultural for a long overdue lurking at Wightwick Manor, admiring the Peach House and a magnificent display of pumpkins - just be mindful of any disapproving scarecrows... Trench and Oakengates were the twin destinations for the Beardsmores and I when getting nostalgic for Trench Pools and the Blue Pig pub (another all-time classic); Hall Green took its turn in the Saturday spotlight, supplemented by Shirley; non-stop rain couldn't deter the Hub Marketing Board from wading around Witton and Hockley - we've only just dried out again after that! October's final flourish was a Burslem Birthday Bash for Mr B Junior, giving Ken and Nick chance to practice being Holy Inadequate.

November: two beer festivals added to my autumn repertoire, beginning with Kidderminster's at the Harriers Social & Supporters Club - the other of course was Dudley, as unmissable as ever. Stephen was on hand for a gentle gambit involving Ashmore Park and Essington, neither of us having previously frequented the Minerva before, and there was much quiffing to be had around Coventry with Mr D9. Bell Green still makes me shudder although the Chairman is naturally much more enthusiastic when it comes to the Rose & Crown's dubious charms!

December: and we're almost bang up to date once more. Brandhall had me getting into the Christmas spirit with a frosty ferret across an abandoned golf course, and the seasonal style continued in Stafford where the D9 bald spot was salivating about the Morris Man at Kingston Hill. Earlswood and Wythall took up the gauntlet for the HRH Festive Forage, witnessing the feeder pool reservoirs at dusk, whereas Stephen grappled with gingerbread characters right here in Wolverhampton. 

Looking back, I certainly crammed a lot into those twelve months and my heartfelt gratitude must go to those redoubtable folks who joined me along the way, especially D9 Andy, His Royal Highness Nick (a.k.a. Towpath Turpin), the Beardsmores Elder and Junior, and our resident Bluenose Ken. Many thanks all, your company means a lot and here's to even more of the same in 2024!