Bye Bye Bushbury

Isn't it strange how you can become attached to places as time goes by? Bushbury is certainly somewhere I have a lot of affection for having lived there for almost exactly thirty years, taking me from childhood into my mid-thirties. My time as a Bushbury resident is however drawing to a close, so on Friday 10th November I embarked on a farewell photo tour prior to moving house...

I begin with the local shops on Bushbury Lane where the old Butlers Arms stanchion still stands outside Co-op. I just about remember the pub while the supermarket has progressed through Kwik Save and Somerfield identities. Over the road various shops have come and gone, notably Terry’s Barbers, an old Bensons & Hedges newsagents (latterly incorporated into the All In One Supersave) and the branch post office that has since become home to Ladbrokes.  The other side of the Kempthorne Avenue roundabout is the Good All Chinese takeaway, pretty much unchanged since the late 1980s having supplied the occasional curry treat over the years - I used to catch my school coach to Telford just outside.

- Good All Takeaway -

Sandy Lane conjures up more memories, most particularly of Bushbury Pool where I (and no doubt many others) recall swimming lessons with the fearsome Mrs Turner. I was always a little nervous about going near the deep end, but if I did my lengths properly I might get treated to a snack from the vending machine in the upstairs viewing gallery. The building was a 1960s brutalist beauty/eyesore depending on your opinion, protruding out from Bushbury Hill in angular fashion until its final demise in 2008. Bushbury Hill itself has been the subject of many strolls, looking out over the horizon towards the Wrekin and more recently witnessing the sprawling emergence of i54.

- St Mary's Churchyard -

Indeed, Bushbury walks in general have been the bedrock of my digital explorations, providing a reliable source of inspiration since I first took hold of a camera. St Mary's Church is the very definition of an established photographic favourite, underpinning my WME archive from 2003 onwards. The churchyard looks very overgrown on this occasion though with the main path being diverted due to repairs on the church roof. The adjacent nursery school was once home to Collingwood Library which these days finds itself housed in the Broadway Gardens care home.

- Autumnal Aspects -

Rejoining Bushbury Lane, the autumn colours are spectacular as I approach the dairy farm, an understated yet constant presence that's just always been there. This little part of Bushbury still feels like the countryside with the sights (and scents) of fields and cows, not to mention the gentle chug of the tractor. Next comes Bushbury Crematorium with its East and West chapels plus a Woodland Garden memorial area that seems perfectly tranquil on a November morning.

Northycote Farm has quite a pictorial provenance to maintain having rightly garnered itself many a WME blog mention, usually referencing enchanting animals and the hidden surprise of the herb garden. This farewell account shall be no different with the star attraction being a huge brute of a pig with a brown-caked snout snuffling about in the mud. The sensory garden and the herb patch aren't at their best out of season although the red-veined sorrel still appears to be growing vigorously.

- A Piggy Picture -

From Northycote I nibble into Northwood Park, pausing briefly at Cavalier Circus but there is little remaining trace of the King Charles pub now the replacement houses have bedded in. Northwood Park's public park is more obliging with basketball hoops, scattered leaves and autumn berries to account for; as a lad I would enjoy playing on the swings with my sister. Broadway shopping parade still looks the same even if the names above some of the units have changed over time - Budget Box sticks in my memory as one of the former stores while Collingwood Library was located here for a few years too. I've recorded the passing of the Staffordshire Volunteer (a.k.a. the Vol) previously and don't feel tempted by any Flaming Chicken so I take Rushall Road down to Wood Lane to see if anything is happening at the Woodbine (answer = not much, I doubt it'll open as a pub again).

- Northwood Park -

Oxley is a place that has gone hand-in-hand with Bushbury as a doorstep district so I continue via Church Road to investigate the Church of the Epiphany, followed by a Stafford Road section covering Jackson Hateley Cycles and the ex-branch of Barclays Bank (potentially due to be converted into the Keg & Comfort micropub if all goes well). The Gatehouse and Island House then see me back to Bushbury Lane where I complete my walk by coming through past Goodyears, the former factory now silenced forever. Appropriately enough I’ve covered pretty much the whole length of Bushbury Lane by way of goodbye, and it still seems funny to think all these familiar features won't be part of my daily life anymore.

I may be moving but I very much doubt this will be the absolute end of my Bushbury exploration story. I still expect to be back from time to time, topping up the photo archive and indulging in bits and pieces of personal nostalgia. For now though, I look forward to different horizons from my new address on the other side of Wolverhampton...