WME Flickr Focus: July 2016

There's only one place to start this month and that's with the news that the West Midlands Exploration photostream has taken delivery of its 3,000th picture! Rough Wood nature reserve had the honour of providing the milestone moment but there were a few other July additions to help things along...

WME Wolverhampton has been central to recent progress thanks to contributions from Northwood Park, Monmore Green and Penn - please welcome accordingly a Family Shopper sign (outside what was formerly the Staffordshire Volunteer), greyhound traps at dusk and a shot of St Michael's Church Hall. Star billing must go though to Northycote Farm where mint fresh from the herb garden joins a genteel goose and some rather cute sleepy piggies, just going to prove WME isn't always about pubs and transport.

WME Birmingham mixed the predictable with the surprising for its latest offerings. Handsworth's 101 bus terminus at Oxhill Road and the Plough & Harrow sign at Roughley are probably par for the course but the Welcome Garden at Perry Hall Park or the butchers sign at Pool Way are arguably a little more unexpected. A Church Road street sign at Moseley and the flame-themed Beggars Bush at New Oscott round off the half dozen of new arrivals here.

July was a decent month over on WME Telford where Muxton made its photostream debut through the auspices of the local primary school. Newport lent a hand too, ushering forth a canal basin scene, a Barley pub sign and an interior shot from the New Inn, homely Joule's fireplace very much to the fore. From Newport to Newtown of the WME Staffordshire variety and the inclusion of the Ivy House, scene of an evening call with Nickolenko back in August 2011; Norton Lakeside's basic halt on the Chasewater Railway also merits a mention.

A general sweep of the remaining WME galleries reveals the following: WME Dudley dabbled with the Yew Tree in Netherton, WME Sandwell sought out a brace of Old Hill pub prospects (the Boat and the Spring Meadow), WME Coventry reeled in two bridges off the Oxford Canal and even the lesser-spotted WME Solihull summoned a train at Dorridge. Finally, Exploration Extra eased back to life with a Grassington stone wall and a River Swale scene from Richmond. 3,000 photos then and counting - I'd better start working towards my next noteworthy number...