Oxley

When I think of classic autumnal outings, my local walk around Oxley back in November 2006 is always near the top of the list - the colours were spectacular and all on my own doorstep. Now a whole six years later, the falling leaves were calling to me again, beckoning me to see what had changed and what still remained the same...

GOODYEARS: my starting point is the Goodyears roundabout on the Stafford Road, a scene that has changed dramatically in recent years and continues to do so right now. Back in 2006 much of the site was still the Goodyears tyre factory complete with the iconic blue chimney being very much intact. Whilst the factory still has a presence here, much of the land is now being developed for housing. A new Aldi supermarket has made itself at home, and the finishing touches are being applied to The Gatehouse, a Hungry Horse chain pub that is due to open shortly.

- The Gatehouse -

OXLEY: with the arrival of one new pub, it is sad to report the final days of another. The Homestead on Lodge Road closed a few years back but the building has clung on grimly awaiting its ultimate fate. Passing by today I can see that houses are springing up on the pub's former car park, so I assume it can only be a matter of time before the pub itself is demolished. Another sad sight is the old Oxley Library - the branch was still open in November 2006 but since closing in 2009 the site has gradually looked increasingly untidy. Something needs to be done with this building one way or another.

RAKEGATE: the alleyway alongside the library brings me onto the St Anne's Road estate, where Rakegate School brings back a few early childhood memories. The facility has been completely transformed from when I remember it though, and now sports a curiously fetching shade of green in looking rather modern. The street names are familiar recalling English towns like Filey, Minehead and Arundel, whilst the park on Belgrade Road also sparks some fond recollections. 

- Foxley Campus -

WOBASTON: emerging onto Marsh Lane, I call by at what used to be Pendeford School, now masquerading as the Foxley Campus of the North East Wolverhampton Academy. The Fordhouses and Oxley Community Centre that I remember from Christmas parties and blood donations has been flattened and a smart new building has gone up in it's place as part of the academy redevelopment. Patshull Avenue and Chetton Green bring me round to Wobaston bus terminus, a location that has served me well over many years.

6: one considerable change to have occurred since 2006 has been the Wolverhampton Bus Network Review, so whereas the 506, 507 and 698 were the routes through Wobaston six years ago, nowadays you have the 3, the 25 and the 6 with the latter now terminating at Wobaston turning circle. I wasn't especially intending to catch the bus today, but having heard that the 6 had recently been amended to serve the new i54 development, I thought I'd hop on board and take a look. i54 has been one of Wolverhampton's rare good news stories in recent years, and the arrival of Jaguar Land Rover will be a huge boost for the local economy. The site is located off Wobaston Road with the 6 entering from the Droveway roundabout to perform a u-turn by the impressive Moog building. I look forward to seeing i54 take further shape over the coming months and years.

- Autumn on The Dovecotes -

DOVECOTES: staying on the 6 through Pendeford, I alight on Ryefield for my latest flirtation with The Dovecotes, starting with my customary photos of the Shropshire Union Canal bridges. Reapers Walk brings me into the heart of the estate where I am greeted by a golden carpet of leaves as I approach the Dove Learning Centre (formerly the Dovecote pub). The Haymarket Shopping Precinct remains as something of an eyesore despite various talk of regeneration schemes, whilst the 17th century dovecote is an altogether much more enticing photo target just across the way.

- Claregate Park -

CLAREGATE: after a brief venture into Blakeley Green to cast a nod to the Pilot, my exertions end with a wander around Claregate where the park looks delightful in contrasting shades of red, orange, gold, yellow and brown. The Claregate pub apparently might have a mini-Tesco store built on its car park, although I understand that the pub itself would still remain open. With that I catch the 5 back towards Wolverhampton, reflecting on the fact that change is one of the few certainties in life. 

I've known Oxley all my life and the area is different now from what it was when I was a child, and different again from the Oxley I encountered on that outing six years ago. Some things have changed for the better, some for the worse but some things have remained the same, providing a valuable constant and some personal nostalgia. It's safe to say that should I repeat a similar outing again six years hence, the Oxley of 2018 will have moved on again from what it is in 2012...