Little Obsessions

I’ve always had a certain fascination when it comes to a sense of place, wanting to know where things are and how to get there. This in turn has manifested itself in my digital photo archive and this here blog, but it’s also an evolving interest whereby certain themes emerge over time. When I first started out with camera in hand, my focus was firmly on bus routes and railway stations but pubs and local features then became more prominent in my picture hauls. More recently still, documenting pubs has taken on more urgency and I’ve developed a liking for smaller street scene details – ghost signs and ceramic tiles – all in my quest for extra West Midlands knowledge. Friday 16th February therefore offered a chance to indulge in these 'little obsessions'…

- Coalway Road -

So what's all this fuss about ceramic street signs I hear you ask? Well for me they are little pieces of history, characteristic of the older inner-city areas of Wolverhampton where they can be found among terraces and corner shops, quietly marking their respective locations for many a year. Today's hunt takes me along Coalway Road where besides my tiled targets I can also look out for Penn Fields Bowling Club, Woodfield Junior and Infant Schools plus - via a slight Poplar Road detour - Wolverhampton's Carmelite Monastery. Founded in 1922, the monastery is home to a cloistered community of Roman Catholic Discalced Carmelite nuns.

- Moorfield Works -

The Blakenhall area is a rich picking ground for ghost signs and general vintage street scene discoveries - the Ale & Porter paintwork on Moor St South opposite St Luke's Church for example, or the Dudley Road reference to Baker's Removals (on the corner with Byrne Road). There is automotive and sporting heritage to investigate too - Wolverhampton Wanderers no less were founded in the vicinity back in 1877, and John Marston based the Sunbeam Motor Car Company at Moorfield Works off Upper Villiers Street. Elsewhere, a quick look along Raby Street confirms the completion of recent housing construction including the creation of Mike Swain Drive.

- Dark Ruby Mild -

With the Dudley Road dealt with, attention is turned to my other pet interest - pubs. Generally speaking, public houses appeal to me as local landmarks that often act as the heartbeat of their community, so as part of our Hub Marketing Board antics Mr D9 and I have effectively made it our open-ended mission to collect as many West Midlands watering holes as we can. I like the sheer variety from large Birmingham roadhouses to estate dives and backstreet industrial boozers, but my favourites tend to be pubs where time has stood still - not museum pieces by any means but places where you feel you're following in the footsteps of previous generations of drinkers. This particular afternoon sees me meeting up with Stephen to revisit two such examples, starting in Sedgley with the lure of Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild.

- Bathams' Britannia -

The Beacon Hotel is where the Ruby elixir can be found, a deep brooding perfect pint in a special setting - Surprise and Pale Amber are the other regular Sarah Hughes brews, and crouching down to order at the screened bar certainly adds to the fun. A short ride on the 1 then leads us to another entrant on CAMRA's inventory of nationally-important pub interiors - the Britannia at Upper Gornal. Sally's rear tap room is primarily responsible for that listing, a snug survivor with wall-mounted handpumps, although on this occasion Mr B and I prefer to plonk ourselves in the parlour. Here I can sample that beer of Black Country legend, Bathams Best Bitter, which stands the test of time for quality quaffing. Once again my little obsessions have resulted in a most enjoyable outing, and I wonder where next they might take me...