- Tipton Station -
We're under starter's orders to converge at Tipton Station by twelve noon but as Stephen and I alight at platform 1 there is no sign of Nick at platform 2 - it turns out his train has been delayed due to a missing driver, so we're just thankful Nick wasn't tempted to take to the controls himself! A few general station photos help to pass the time, as do some shots of the 42 bus which stops by the station car park on route to both Dudley and West Bromwich.
- On form in The Fountain -
With everybody present and correct we can investigate a little of Tipton, with Owen Street presenting some local shops, St Martin's & St Paul's Church and the main offices of the Tipton & Coseley Building Society. A longstanding landmark on the side of the canal is the Fountain public house, a prime place to pause for an enjoyable half of Enville Ale.
- The Slasher's Statue -
The Fountain holds historic interest as the headquarters of William Perry - the 'Tipton Slasher' - a renowned pugilist who was champion of England between 1850 and 1857. This bare-knuckle boxer is remembered through a bronze statue that stands in Coronation Gardens just across the road from the pub.
- Poised for the Pie Factory -
Besides the Slasher, Tipton is also famous as the home of the Pie Factory, a quirky Mad O'Rourke's establishment where Desperate Dan Cow Pies come complete with pastry horns. We aren't quite brave (or hungry) enough to tackle that particular challenge but do still stop here for lunch. My steak and kidney suet pudding is delicious with a lovely gravy whereas Nick was Hen Pecked (buttered chicken and mushroom pie with puff pastry) and Stephen became a Skinny Boy (a solid burger with the 'green stuff' removed). All meals are accompanied by tasty battered chips served in frying baskets while Lumphammer Bitter in a dimpled glass is also a nice touch. The pub is certainly an experience with sawdust-sprinkled floors and various tongue-in-cheek pictures and artefacts to capture the imagination.
- D9 on display (but no sign of a bald spot) -
And so to our afore-mentioned centrepiece. The Black Country Living Museum has been preserving the area's heritage from its open air Tipton Road site for over 30 years, and the current £16.50 admission allows us to return regularly over the next twelve months for no additional charge. Initial exhibits to explore include the Bradburn & Wedge Motor Garage (showcasing several locally manufactured vehicles) while a Midland Red D9 bus can be spotted parked up by the war memorial originally erected at Wolverhampton's Springfield Brewery.
- Women Workers Banner -
The replica Newcomen Engine provides evidence of the ingenuity during the Industrial Revolution, then the Tilted Cottage (Jerushah) gives a glimpse into bygone living conditions with an outside privy and a pig pen. A feature I personally find particularly fascinating is the Cradley Heath Workers Institute with its trade union offices, displays about the chainworkers strike and an auditorium where a Women Workers banner hangs above the main stage.
- New Dudley Canal Trust Centre -
The Institute stands at one end of a 1930s shopping street that also includes Hobbs & Sons fish and chip shop (where the chips are traditionally cooked in beef dripping, very tempting but we do behave ourselves having eaten earlier), Hartill's Motorcycles and Preedy's Tobacconists. There are bakelite wireless sets to admire in Gripton's Radio Stores (a family firm that originally operated in West Bromwich and Oldbury) before we descend the steps into the canalside village beyond which we can see the completed new visitor centre at the neighbouring Dudley Canal Trust attraction.
- Silence in class, or else it's detention! -
Back in the main village, the Bottle & Glass Inn is a former Brockmoor public house rebuilt in the museum grounds; alas the bar had closed for the afternoon so we couldn't sample the Banks's Mild although we did peek in the parlour to see an aspidistra atop the old piano. A wander around the boat dock has Stephen on the lookout for fish before we seek out St James's School, pulling up a pew by the blackboard and resisting any instruction to recite our times tables. The Conway Garage and a fairground helter-skelter are also encountered as we wind our way back to the main entrance just as the museum starts to shut down for the evening. We didn't see everything by any means so there is plenty of scope for at least one more return visit, especially with those beef dripping chips to look forward to!
- Cheers from the Courthouse -
There are still a few traditional treats to enjoy today though, even if the customary traffic jams by Russells Hall Hospital do their best to delay things. A 246 ride to Brierley Hill and back allows for a swift half in the Three Crowns while I stock up on scratchings, then our finale is a Dudley dash comprising the Lamp Tavern (bostin' Bathams, need I say more) and the Courthouse (for a dark drop of Pothole Porter), not forgetting to say hello to Duncan Edwards's re-positioned statue. Cheers!
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