It had been absolutely ages since I'd had a proper look around Willenhall, so last Friday I decided to pay the town a visit and get some local photos in the process.
I quite like Willenhall, its a proper Black Country town and it certainly comes alive when the market is on. I remember visiting the market as a kid, looking at the stalls as they wind off down the High Street, Saturday mornings out shopping and bumping into relatives that we hadn't seen for ages.
The walk renewed my acquaintance with the market, and also allowed a return to the Memorial Park, a nice spot in the early autumn for picture taking. Also on the photo front, I found a number of pubs to add to the archive - The Windmill (by the park), The County, The Crown (by the library), and The Waterglade. I didn't photo the Royal George but its certainly distinctive with a bright green exterior overlooking the marketplace.
Willenhall also offers good bus photo opportunities with routes such as the 341 and 369 calling at Union Street, and the 331 terminates by the Lion Hotel - two good locations that have served me well in the past; I might drag Rog across for a look around in the future.
The pub photos continued as I extended the walk down into Bilston, revisiting Portobello and then calling at Bunkers Hill for a look at The Borough and The Hustler, the latter all boarded up and looking forlorn. Saturday afternoon memories came flooding back of visiting Queen Street to watch Bilston Town play, with a cup win against Nuneaton Borough a particular highlight. Next was The Samson and Lion on Newbolt Street, before I came across a previously unexplored bit of Bilston in the form of Villiers Square, complete with Villiers Arms pub and a post office, a great discovery.
The outing finished off with a look around Hickman Park, looking absolutely glorious in the autumn sunshine, and recalling even more memories as I reflected on visits to the park for the annual bonfire spectacular, complete with hot pork sandwiches. The park had a magical atmosphere on those chilly, dark November nights, and it wasn't quite the same visiting on a September afternoon but even so I could enjoy strolling around admiring the flowerbeds and the amphitheatre and getting a few more photos. A look at the Dog & Partridge pub just down the road preceded a visit to the Metro stop on The Crescent for a few tram photos and a ride back into Wolverhampton.
Exploring is a year-round hobby, but the trips can certainly take on a seasonal character - take Hawkesley on an icy February morning for winter, or boiling hot days walking along the Wyrley and Essington Canal to Pelsall for summer. Well, this outing had a real autumnal air and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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