- Blake Street Station -
Monday 11th May then and the Cross City railway line either side of Sutton Coldfield is my area of focus for this particular mission. First of all we have Blake Street, the northernmost West Midlands stop before you enter Staffordshire. This is a station that has provided rich photo pickings in the past and does so again today; the main facilities and car park are on the Birmingham side but there is a separate feature entrance below the Lichfield platform with a tiled underpass connecting to the ticket office.
- Hill Hook Terminus -
Next door to the station is the Blake Barn, a corporate pub where Rog and I enjoyed some lunch once a few years ago. Blake Street (the actual road) then leads me to Watford Gap roundabout, a well-known junction in local circles where Staffordshire (Shenstone Wood End) awaits in one direction and Sutton Coldfield in the other. I keep firmly within the West Midlands boundary by doubling round to Bishops Way, soon reacquainting myself with Hill Hook bus terminus outside the local shops where the 902 is on hand for a very timely pose.
- Hill Hook Corn Mill -
One little pocket of Hill Hook I'd never set eyes on before is the local nature reserve as accessed from Netherstone Grove. A commemorative plaque informs visitors about the old corn mill that once stood in the vicinity - the mill's pool remains intact as the focal point of the modern-day reserve, providing an important haven for wildlife and waterfowl. The spring sunshine glistens on the rippling water to give a precious sense of peace and tranquility.
- Four Oaks Saints Cricket Club -
Following earthen tracks around the pool's perimeter, I catch a glimpse of an adjacent cricket pitch and can't resist investigating a little more closely. The ground is home to Four Oaks Saints Cricket Club with the clubhouse being properly accessed from Clarence Road. I have to make do with views from afar although a little scorebox does look quite quaint in a shady spot beneath some trees. I continue my rummage around the nature reserve before exiting into the network of cul-de-sacs that comprise Bradgate Drive.
- Little Aston Village Hall -
Emerging onto Clarence Road, the county boundary with Staffordshire is firmly in my sights again as I bear right for Little Aston. I'd flirted with the edges of the village during my Aldridge mission a fortnight ago so I was keen to uncover more of the area, and on Little Aston Lane I found a prime photo candidate in the form of the village hall. As well as hosting meetings and events, the hall is also the base for local bowls and tennis clubs.
- Tandem Twin Signs -
There are a clutch of local shops arranged around the crossroads where Blake Street, Rosemary Hill Road and Clarence Road all converge with Little Aston Lane. Flames Fireplaces, Abigail's dress shop and the Little Aston News & Convenience store all feature, while the junction is also marked by some signs detailing a twinning arrangement with Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche in the French region of Burgundy.
- Butlers Lane -
Back on Clarence Road, I spot the main entrance to the aforementioned cricket club as positioned behind a small shopping parade. Hill West Primary School is also encountered before I home in on my second Cross City station of the morning - Butlers Lane. The booking office here is on the Birmingham-bound platform and isn't especially old or interesting, while the steep ramps leading down to either platform are notable features that would surely present a considerable challenge to anyone with a wheelchair, pushchair or pram.
- Pint Pot -
From Butlers Lane I continue on foot towards Little Sutton with the Butlers Arms and White Lion contributing pub pictures in quick succession. Tower Road then takes me across the top of Mere Green where the Pint Pot promotes traditional pub games accompanied by a protruding white chimney. Onto Grange Lane next where my camera captures the Four Oaks Baptist Church with a little post office store directly opposite.
- Plough & Harrow -
I've now arrived into Roughley, a place I first explored with Roger over ten years ago but haven't really returned to since. Despite the long gap between visits, Slade Road is still familiar with the Plough & Harrow pub very much recognisable as the place Rog and I stopped off for a pint back in 2005.
- 905 at Roughley -
Just around the corner from the Plough is Roughley bus terminus where the 905 is conveniently already waiting at the stop on Weeford Road. Along with the 902 and 904, the route is part of a network linking the outlying estates of Sutton Coldfield with Birmingham City Centre. I board the bus for the short ride back to Mere Green via Gibbons Road and Sherifoot Lane.
- Four Oaks Station -
Mere Green is my lunchtime pit stop, pausing by the main roundabout where some landmark shops still remain empty pending redevelopment - the proposed Mulberry Walk scheme has become something of a protracted saga but work will hopefully start later this summer, Boots and Marks & Spencer being among the companies primed to move in upon completion. From here it is but a short walk to Four Oaks station where I admire the traditional waiting room and awnings on the island platform while awaiting my next Cross City connection.
- Oscott College Lodge -
Given the ten minute frequency on the line, I don't have to linger long at all before one of the ubiquitous Class 323 units screeches into view and a few minutes later I touch down at Chester Road. Today's finishing straight is now in sight as I wander past the Baptist Church and a sewing machine shop to reach New Oscott. The area is home to St Mary's College, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham where prospective Catholic priests undergo theological formation. Although I can't see anything of the main college building, the lodge on the corner of Chester Road and College Road is handsome in its own right. All I now have to account for is a shot or two of the Beggars Bush (these days a Flaming Grill establishment) before boarding a well-timed Walsall-bound 77 and that my friends is that. Another mission accomplished!
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