Reviewing North Walsall

Thursday 22nd April – The latest stage in Centro’s quest to overhaul bus services in the West Midlands will see a number of route changes take place in North Walsall from this Sunday. The area has always been an exploration favourite but there were some routes that had escaped me until now…

• I start with the 549, a peaceful journey mainly because other passengers seemed scarce despite it being the morning peak. The Pool Hayes has a few schoolkids about, there’s still a strange stump of the Cavalcade which has yet to be flattened, and the Parkbrook has been repainted in a hideous shade of lime green – yuk!!
• Walsall: arrive on time so I have half an hour or so to gather a few timetables and mix in some photos of the Fountain, a traditional backstreet local on Lower Forster Street, and the Gala Baths.
• The 374 has been on the WME hitlist for quite some time, a small Walsall local route operated by Diamond Bus and set to become the plain 74. The bus itself arrived with a bright yellow all-over IKEA livery, very hard to miss and presumably branded for the 399 route – this will do nicely!! The ride is notable for Walhouse Rd (a rather leafy part of Chuckery), Gillity Avenue (with local shops including Gillity News) and Athlone Road (flanking either side of a pretty little green with some spring blossoms). It also includes aspects of the Park Hall estate, with the rather rural Skip Lane, before I hop off at Liskeard Road.
  
• Gillity: what a find! My decision to alight paid instant dividends as I could line up a couple of bus shots, IKEA yellow taking centre stage. The precinct was also appealing with some well-presented local shops, not forgetting the King Arthur pub, a modern building yes but it looked inviting with lots of pot plants and hanging baskets. There is a definite Cornwall theme with the street names as I set off in search of the canal.
  
• Rushall Canal: I joining the canal at Sutton Road, near the Longhorn pub and quickly focus in on Moat Bridge near the back of the arboretum. Sutton Road Bridge itself is quite grand but a little awkward to photograph, especially with the combination of sun glare and shadow. Gillity Bridge is a nice find, curving humpback flanked on one side by a green fence. The canal then encounters a series of locks – I think lock 3 was the first I came across, approaching Five Ways Bridge with its lovely cottage at Park Hall Road. Another lock brings me to Birmingham Road (grand and angular whilst being on a frustrating skew), then I arrive at Bell Bridge and lock 7? by Walstead Road. The walk was lovely and relaxing, enjoying the morning sunshine with some fascinating new territory.
• 319A: after a brief flirtation with Walstead Road, the Bell Inn and the X51, its back to Walsall for the next significant route of the day. The result was a 319A ride up towards Goscote, currently operated by National Express West Midlands but due to convert into the new 19 route. We zoom down Forest Lane, over the distinctive narrow railway bridges to connect into Dartmouth Avenue. This brings us directly into Coalpool, where St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church looms large next to its primary school. The local shops are a familiar sight, as is the old library building which I’m pleased is still in situ unlike the old pub on the bottom corner of Coalpool Lane. Harden Road and Walker Road round to the Royal Oak, Well Lane with a little wiggle, Goscote Lane by a demolished factory works, then Thames Road with housing works seemingly still ongoing from February 2005. I get a good view of the new Blakenall Village Centre at the end of the road, then hop off at Blakenall Heath for a bit of a stroll.
• Goscote Walk: Goscote has been an area I’ve tended to avoid other than a brave foray in June 2005, so I was keen to rewrite the record. Green Rock Lane feels ominous, and I’m surprised to find the Green Rock Tavern seemingly intact having assumed the place was closed and demolished. The top of the road brings me to Hollands Bridge – I can’t resist a few canal shots even though the bridge is essentially a concrete lump with detached walkways. Next up is the Barley Mow pub, situated on the corner of Goscote Lane where it bends round towards Pelsall – I focus on the side elevation with its bold lettering and signs for the tap room. Further down Goscote Lane is the site of the Dolphin (now levelled brown earth on Slacky Lane corner) and the old factory. Goscote Hospital is a building site as the facility is being converted into a palliative care centre, then I join the canal at Hildicks Bridge, taking me round to the remains of Shakespeare Crescent where a notorious estate has been flattened to leave an empty stretch of tarmac and waste ground blocked off by mounds of masonry.
• Coalpool: following up on those 319A landmarks with views of the old pub site (up for auction and surrounded by red and white hoardings), the Methodist chapel and the library (neatly framed by a lone tree) - all useful stuff I thought. I follow this by completing the 319A ride through to Bloxwich, taking in Abbotts Street then Lichfield Road – I’m shocked to find the Knave of Hearts is being demolished/converted to make way for a Co-op supermarket, another fine building gone!
• Bloxwich: the briefest of visits with just enough time to try a 319A shot and a view of the Pat Collins memorial clock looking pretty with lots of flowers underneath before spotting the 347 on the horizon.
• 347: operated by Midland/Choice, the route links Turnberry Road with Ryders Hayes near Pelsall. I believe the route is being absorbed partially into the new 25 Bloxwich-Pelsall-Aldridge route. Having missed out on the Bloxwich North section, I had to make do with the second half of the route, beginning with a bash down Bloxwich High Street and back up Field Road past the Wheatsheaf. Chantry Avenue bursts into Blakenall, a long narrow street to negotiate, then we have Well Lane twisting out onto Slacky Lane crossing the tight canal bridge and entering much greener surroundings. The rural retreat is only temporary as Goscote Road pokes into Pelsall, emerging by the Red Cow to join Allens Lane into Mouse Hill. Having negotiated Pelsall Village, the final section takes us into Ryders Hayes estate – Smithy Drive, Gilpin Crescent, Lothians Road, St Johns Rd and St Paul’s Crescent. I alight at what seemed like an opportune place near the top of the loop, although there’s no obvious layover so scope for photos was pretty limited.
• Ryders Hayes: this was my first look at the estate and it makes a good impression, well maintained gardens and houses although no real photoworthy landmarks. There are a few footpaths leading off into the surrounding fields, so there could be good walking opportunities towards Clayhanger.
• Pelsall: always a pleasure to call by, especially on a warm sunny afternoon. The Queens, the cenotaph and the finger post sign all add to the photos, then I decide to sample a spot of lunch overlooking the common, very nice indeed. Picking back up on the photo trail, I grab views of the library followed by the pubs (Railway Tavern, Old Bush and the Red Cow) before the 395/394 combination leads me to Rushall and onwards to Walsall Wood.
• Walsall Wood: I alight at the Brookland Road stop, which proved handy for photos of the new library and a public artwork comprising a series of silhouette figures with engraved local memories, very eyecatching. Walsall Wood High Street allows me to discover St John’s Church and war memorial then renew my acquaintance with the Boatman’s Rest and the Drunken Duck pubs.
• 380: a Black Diamond run to the Catshill estate near Brownhills, soon to be renumbered as the 24. The route takes in Castlefort, Holly Lane, Streets Corner, Friezland Lane and some backstreets behind Brownhills Town Centre before finishing with Sadler Road, Catshill Road and a tight loop of Fullelove Road - apparently a mobile homes park also featured in there somewhere.
• I do a circuit of Fullelove Road just for my own information, even though it is purely residential, then catch the 394 down by the Anchor for a decent enough ride back into Walsall. For once I drop lucky as the 549 is there waiting for me, cue for a storming run back through to Wednesfield. There are definitely more passengers outbound from Walsall but the bus is still by no means full. I’d still like to have a ride on the 335/336 Alumwell circulars to see if there’s anything else worthy of a photo across that way.
• Wednesfield: a final photographic indulgence on the way home. My focus here is St Thomas’ Church, where the flowerbeds are in full bloom and look glorious, and the new library, where landscaping works are drawing to a close - and that was that!
  

Another trip logged and it served its purpose. It was interesting to cover routes like the 347 and 380 even though the photos didn’t fall for me. I think it was important to add substance to my explorations of Goscote and Coalpool, whilst Pelsall delivered its usual customary village charm. The highlight for me though was Gillity, with the 374 Ikea bus, the pub and precinct and the canal too – all treats to savour and build on in future. It was a solid way to round up the final few routes before the changes, having covered most of the affected services quite well over the years. The new network will give me an excuse to return to North Walsall once again, and that can’t be bad!