- Rushall Locks (No. 8) -
My opening ingredient on this occasion was the Rushall Canal, joining the towpath at Bell Bridge (Walstead Road) adjacent to lock seven. Heading south, the next couple of locks follow in quick succession as the canal skirts the edges of the Yew Tree estate with Shustoke and Hill Farm bridges for company.
- Rushall Junction -
Shortly after passing beneath the M6, the Rushall Canal terminates at Rushall Junction where it meets the Tame Valley Canal. This could be quite an appealing location if it wasn't for the presence of the motorway, and the slip road accesses for the M5 also seem eager to get in on the act. The Tame Valley enters a deep cutting as it makes its way through Grove Vale whereby Brickfields Turnover footbridge provides a route into the surrounding streets before Scott Bridge towers on high overhead.
- Scott Arms Shopping Centre -
Having satisfied my initial canal cravings, next on the menu is Newton Road and the Scott Arms so I can greedily gobble up some photos of Great Barr. This is a major crossroads junction with shops and local facilities on all sides, notably the Scott Arms Shopping Centre with stores including Ladbrokes and Greggs.
- The Scott Arms -
A defining feature of the area is of course the Scott Arms pub, which is effectively grafted onto the end of the precinct in typical 1960s flat-roofed style. The Scotts from which the pub takes its name were a prominent local family based at nearby Great Barr Hall, a listed building that has sadly been in a perilous condition for many years. A brief bite of the A34 Walsall Road then gives me tasters of Great Barr's branch library and the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church.
- Red House Park -
Nibbling along Cross Lane, I close in on a landmark that has dished up photos on a couple of previous occasions and repeats the treatment today - Red House Park is always worth a visit even though the future of the house itself remains uncertain. A travelling funfair is just setting up on one of the playing fields as I pause by the memorial obelisk dedicated to Princess Charlotte Augusta. Add in a portion of pictures documenting the park's pools and I feel nourished in readiness for the rest of my walk.
- The Hamstead -
Another place that usually delivers meaty morsels is Hamstead, an area I first photographed back in December 2004 that hasn't changed a huge amount over the intervening decade. Green Lane crosses high above the Tame Valley Canal as I emerge by the Hamstead pub (in shades of salmon pink) and the junction where the 16 bus turns around. Hamstead Road features in turn the local primary school, the Tanhouse Community Centre and Library, and a Tesco Express store in what used to be The Joker public house.
- Hamstead Colliery Memorial -
Continuing along Hamstead Road I reach the area referred to as Hamstead Village, complete with a bus turning circle where the 654 terminates. The Beaufort Arms provides more photographic food while there is a solemn note of reflection as represented by the Hamstead Colliery memorial, a symbolic coal truck that remembers the day in March 1908 when 26 people died at the mine in a fire-related disaster.
- The Garden Gate -
Hamstead Station marks the crossover point between Sandwell and Birmingham, with Hamstead Hill climbing up towards Handsworth Wood to reveal the Garden Gate - I'm not sure the pub itself was open except for a car wash service on the yard outside. Cherry Orchard Road is a leafy street of semi-detached suburbia, a pleasant estate where a clutch of local shops on Coopers Road includes Wards Chemist.
- Perry Hall Moat -
I've got the taste for new corners of Birmingham now and one place I'd never visited before was Perry Hall, where the park and playing fields flank either side of the River Tame. Of particular interest was a rectangular ornamental moat which is all that remains of the stately hall, home to the Gough family but demolished in the 1920s. Elsewhere, the park features an attractive 'Welcome Garden' and dedicated wildlife areas, so there is plenty for me to get my teeth into.
- Hamstead Station -
All that remains are a few final garnishes and my recipe will be complete. I therefore round off with Rocky Lane, undulating its way back to Hamstead Station with a peek at Perry Hall Methodist Church. My 14:43 connection is on time and some real work now awaits, but as a springtime serving of photo possibilities this outing had certainly satisfied my Hamstead-based hunger.
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