In Search of Old Oldbury

Friday 18th March: Following the success of our Smethwick outing last month, Andy and I joined forces once more for another slice of Sandwell shenanigans. This time our target was the Oldbury area as we hoped to uncover some hidden history...

WEST BROMWICH: As with our last trip, a 10:30 start gives me scope beforehand for some solo exploration. Spon Lane will do nicely, weaving around to find photo targets such as the Cricketers Arms on Kenrick Park and the Windsor Castle on the Lyng. Perhaps the most saddening discovery was the Forrester's Arms on Ault Street, a traditional little pub that has been reduced to a festering shell.

- The Forresters Arms -

After a little wander along West Bromwich High Street it's over to the bus station where Andy arrives armed with a vintage A-Z and a guide to historic Oldbury. We decide to recapture some history straight away with Mr D9 on hand to provide his own brand of transport re-enactments...

- The D9 leaves West Bromwich -

OLDBURY CANAL LOOP: We alight by Sandwell & Dudley Station and set to work investigating possible remnants of the former Oldbury Carriage Works before concentrating on the old loop canal that once encircled Oldbury town centre. Church Street Bridge provides a very big clue and from here we can follow a brambly track round to Birmingham Street - it's overgrown and litter-strewn in places but fascinating all the same.

- Church Street Bridge -

OLDBURY TOWN: Birmingham Street landmarks include Church Square, the Junction and the Bull's Head, whilst the junction with Halesowen Street has some little shops such as Aplin's and Lucy Thompson's which hint at what the town centre would've looked like before the arrival of the infamous Sainsbury's Savacentre - the supermarket probably saved the town from economic meltdown but wiped away so much heritage in the process. Along Church Street we find the Waggon & Horses, the public library (recently closed with services moving to Jack Judge House) and the architectural curiosity that is Sandwell Council House, I'm not convinced about on the appeal of that one!

INDUSTRIAL DECAY: Next up Andy introduces me to the site of the former Hunt Brothers foundry off West Bromwich Street, now just a flattened zone with only the occasional fragment of a gatepost or a manhole cover to tell of what went before. We also spot potential further canal remains and can't resist a bit of a scramble for a closer look. Various thorns and nettles did not deter us although Andy was concerned he might get a rat up his trousers!

OLDBURY PUBS: All this ferreting about had made us thirsty so it was time for a pint or two. The sounds of Elvis drew us towards the Junction, where Mr Presley certainly proved he was a 'Good Luck Charm' when the Guinness was on at £2 a pint (even Mr Wood would've been happy with that price!) The Waggon & Horses was also well worth a visit for some Enville White and a proper pub interior, although sadly we didn't get to see the resident ghost. A brief encounter with the Savacentre is required (yes, the bladder was calling) and then we're free to catch the 87 where Andy's bald spot turns green during another D9 demonstration.

- The D9 out and about in Oldbury -

TIVIDALE: One of Andy's old stomping grounds and the setting for a couple more pub visits. We braved the Albion despite my misgivings about setting foot inside a place that has a Baggies shirt on it's pub sign, then decamped to the safer territory of the Wonder down by Tividale Park, a nice Marston's local with a decent drink of Pedigree.

- The Wonder at Tividale -

BRADES VILLAGE: The 87 is working well for us, saving our legs with a few short hops as we head off to tackle the Brades. There used to be some heavy industry around here as Andy recalls how the local factories would have different clocking off times to avoid overcrowding from homerushing workers. The Brades Tavern is a fine landmark building that provides us with a handy bite to eat along with the chance to watch the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

CANALS CONTINUED: Having recovered somewhat from our earlier exertions we decided to do a bit more canal exploring. We join the towpath of the Old Main Line at Brades Bridge and keep a close eye out for any arms or wharves that might link up with the loop we’d covered this morning. Given its supreme status as the ugliest place I’ve thus far visited, Oldbury Junction is having an annoying habit of cropping up in my adventures. The pleasant sunshine did little to lift the pervading gloom of this desolate spot, but at least Andy can now say he's encountered ‘the Soviet Swimming Pool’ and survived. The Titford Canal provides welcome relief as we slog it into Langley, pausing briefly to admire Titford Pumphouse, Engine Street Bridge and the former railway line into Langley Green.

- Titford Pumphouse -

LANGLEY: Saying goodbye to the Titford, we venture into Langley and partake of a swift half each in the Crosswells and the Model. The Crosswells was another decent local at one end of Langley High Street, whilst the Model has had a bit of a makeover since Rog and I visited and now looks very smart indeed.

- Intrepid adventurers at the Crosswells Inn, Langley -

Going full circle back to Oldbury, we can't resist tracking down one of Mr Wood's alleged former haunts. Birchfield Lane was once home to Oldbury Garage, the depot site now partly occupied by the One and Two Halves pub. We believe Mr Wood briefly worked at Oldbury in his previous existence, so it seems highly likely that he would have visited the Manchester Stores as the local of choice for the old drivers. The pub was certainly busy today, barely a seat to be had.

- The Manchester Stores, does it look familiar Mr Wood? -

We decide to complete the day's proceedings in the same manner we finished off the Smethwick trip, hence it's a final call to the Jolly Collier and a well-earned closing pint (in this case Burton Bridge's Four Founders, named in honour of the four gentlemen who effectively formed CAMRA 40 years ago). We say our farewells and I make my home, detouring into Bilston especially to sample some live jazz in the Trumpet, an excellent way in which to set the seal on another fantastic day out. Cheers!