WME Flickr Focus - July 2026

Heatwave temperatures, World Cup heartbreak, another change in Prime Minister - all par for the course where July 2026 is concerned. Amidst all the sweat, blood, goals and political turmoil, the WME photostream has quietly stayed out of the limelight, happy enough to do its usual update thing. Here's what the last month has brought our way...

It doesn't require a presidential trophy lift or a speech from behind a Downing Street lectern when declaring WME Wolverhampton to be July's chief contributor. We've hit a rich seam of Wulfrunian material lately with West Park and Wolverhampton Art Gallery both attracting more than their fair share of arrivals. Funfair posters, magnolia blooms, park pathways and classical Chemistry figures have all earned selection alongside less thrilling items (a West End Club parking notice) although there is a Whitmore Reans Santa Claus to see if you're so inclined. Sprinkle in a triceratops alongside some gingerbread people and you've got quite a lineup!

WME Dudley has shown itself to be partial to a medal presentation (or the occasional lap of honour) and continues its strong performance across the whole of 2026 with a fresh batch of additions. Wollaston makes solid strides here, boosted by several street signs - Gerald Road, Eggington Road, Lawn Avenue etc - plus a peek at Swan Pool Playing Fields, although we mustn't overlook the efforts of Withymoor Village to donate its doctors surgery and Turners Lane to our noble cause.

Another 2026 big-hitter maintaining consistent levels of output would be WME Birmingham, waiding - sorry, raiding - its box marked 'W' for titbits from Weoley Castle (a pub dartboard), Walmley (ditto) and Winson Green (Midland Metro tram stop railings designed to represent James Watt's engineering ingenuity). WME Telford took its time to get going by comparison but has hit a purple patch from springtime onwards - Wellington ensures this momentum is undimmed and yes, there is even more boot bunting to report! The Oddfellows, Cock Hotel and Dun Cow pile up the pub quota too.

After a productive time of it in June, WME Walsall takes things slightly easier this time around but nevertheless has enough energy to pick out a Holtshill Lane pumpkin and revisit Walsall Wood's Boatmans Rest; WME Staffordshire tickles Tutbury a little more, obtaining the Cross Keys and a war memorial poppy wreath; WME Worcestershire extracts two more lock items from the Tardebigge flight, leaving WME Warwickshire holding up the rear courtesy of The Butts in Warwick itself. All eyes will now be on August to see what else might appear...

WME Flickr Focus - June 2026

We've seen with some of the FIFA World Cup results that June has proven the month of the underdog, what with Curacao and Cape Verde picking up historic draws while other teams such as Canada, Egypt and even Scotland have registered notable victories. The WME photostream is obviously not in the same league as such a prestigious global tournament but the minnows have been holding their own here too...

June has seen plenty of activity from galleries that are usually quiet and I begin this round-up with news that WME Coventry and WME Solihull have both located a new arrival down the back of the sofa. Coventry's addition is an archive glimpse of Sutton Stop on the Oxford Canal back in 2011, and from the same year comes Solihull's successful recruitment of the Toby Jug pub at Kingshurst. Hardly earth-shattering stuff I grant you but every little helps!

Okay, fine. One measly added item each isn't enough to cut the mustard with some sticklers among my readership so WME Walsall can genuinely boast good progress. There have been several nice nuggets gleaned from Walsall town centre, including a 1970's Day promotional piece at The Crossing, an Old Square shopping centre logo and a tempting cask pint at the Black Country Arms. Taxi companies battle Guildhall shiny lettering for attention, then there's an intriguing sighting of a Walsall Wood angler sculpture, but perhaps the weirdest find of all goes to the papier mache tiger model at the Fountain pub. Grrrowwlll!

As well as Walsall has done, the race for the Golden Boot has been led by the unlikeliest of challengers. Kane, Mbappe, Haaland and Messi are all sticking the goals away for fun in North America, seemingly inspiring WME Telford and WME Warwickshire to follow suit. I have Wellington to thank for Telford's excellent form - the Cock Hotel, boot bunting and chip shop signage have all contributed - whereas Warwickshire has leaned heavily on principal creators Stratford (Sheep Street) and Warwick (the Black Pug, Greville Road and a motley assemblage of famous Ronnies).

WME Staffordshire can't quite match those heavy-hitters for pace but nevertheless weighs in care of Tamworth and Tutbury; if you like reclaimed millstones or war memorial inscriptions that's where you need to be looking, although you may prefer the artistic horse illustration I spotted at Uttoxeter railway station. WME Birmingham takes on a playmaker role, conjuring nuggets from Walmley - "Unbelievable Jeff", I kid you not - then WME Sandwell tackles hard in Tividale for Danks Street interest and two admiring pictures of the Wonder's pub frontage.

Staring at the prospect of early elimination are WME Worcestershire (this despite the start of a prospective surge involving Tardebigge Locks) and WME Shropshire, the former police station at Much Wenlock not being enough to guarantee a slot in the next round. Surprisingly struggling most of all is one of our pre-tournament favourites. Yes, WME Wolverhampton is having a shocker with only Tettenhall's St Michael & All Angels to its name. How the mighty have fallen! Eyes peeled in July to see which gallery goes on the lift the trophy...

WME Flickr Focus - May 2026

Like one of those all-you-can-eat oriental buffets, or maybe a box of liquorice allsorts, May has been a month of tasting a little bit of everything. My pick and mix approach has yielded 66 new photostream arrivals so let's assess where that leaves me (apart from craving sweets and curries that is)...

The first thing to note is that - unusually - there was a tense fourway battle for photostream supremacy with Wolverhampton, Dudley, Staffordshire and Birmingham all slugging it out to supply the most material. In the end there wasn't an outright victor as Wolverhampton and Dudley both tied on 12 photos each with Brum slightly behind on 11 and Staffs performing honourably with 10. Reaching double figures for updates in a given month is my measure of meaningful progress so all four can consider themselves recipients of a Paul gold star.

But what of the pictures that brought this about? WME Wolverhampton mostly meddles with Spring Vale (an unexpected fixation on football pitch markings at the local park) whilst also picking up parking personalities outside St Jude's School; WME Dudley deals with Quarry Bank mince pies and Sedgley Thai doll figurines, not to mention Shell Corner Lest We Forget wreaths; WME Birmingham plucks a series of Perry the Bull mascot statues from the 2022 Commonwealth Games; and WME Staffordshire summons Shropshire Union Canal bridges, Stafford platform numerals plus a Spode China Halls lettering extract from the Potteries. 

Falling just short of making it a fiveway tussle, WME Shropshire can nevertheless reflect on some steady accumulation of its own. Shrewsbury leads the way here, supplying Belle Vue pub signage and British Transport Police parking bays, although Shifnal's assistance care of the Odfellows Wine Bar should not be overlooked. WME Telford & Wrekin was considerably quieter by comparison but can claim two extra Quackers ducks in the Ironbridge vicinity.

Handing out the dolly mixtures is the twin-pronged 'W' combination of WME Warwickshire and WME Worcestershire. Warks stocks up its Stratford-upon-Avon goody bag thanks to assistance from the Stratford Alehouse - a very fine micropub - and some station walkway mosaic action whereas Worcs stops by at Stoke Cross, a small settlement on a crossroads below Finstall. Shenstone near Kidderminster isn't that much bigger but can contribute the Granary hotel-restaurant plus a sighting of Back Lane.

Arguing over the remaining scraps, WME Sandwell snaffles a Queens Head pub sign from West Bromwich as accompanied by an overall pub picture of the New Inn at Rowley Regis. WME Coventry and WME Solihull hardly ever trouble the scorers but even they have shown some intent this month. Coventry collects an excerpt from Pool Meadow Bus Station's City of Culture mural, then Solihull scoops up a Purity Longhorn pint at the Tap & Tandoor. I wonder what kind of assorted treats will be on the menu in June?

WME Flickr Focus - April 2026

What do Stanley Matthews, Funnybones, Ma Pardoe's and ominous man trap warnings have in common? Answer: they've all provided the inspiration behind new additions to the West Midlands Exploration photostream in April. It's been a fruitful month, not quite prolific but with enough updates for me to get my teeth into - here's the latest...

For the first time in 2026, my summary spoutings start with WME Wolverhampton which has surged back to prominence. Underpinning this startling return to form have been pictures of Mander Centre murals, Oxley sidestreets (good old Atlas Croft), Penn Fields pints (high quality porter at the Starting Gate micropub) and hints of Hanbury Tennis Club. Peel Street's car park recesses have become a reliable source of street art interest including everyone's favourite cartoon skeleton, and there's even a Park Dale bollard if that floats your boat!

WME Dudley has been irrepressible this year and Wolverhampton's busy period can't totally put it in the shade. I love the Old Swan - Ma Pardoe's to its mates - in Netherton so I'm very pleased to record more of its iconic lettering for photostream posterity. Less exciting are some street signs from Oldswinford and Oldnall (Seymour Road, Racecourse Lane) but two balance beam bits from Park Head Locks redress the balance just a little. My mind however keeps on drifting back to thoughts of Bumblehole Bitter at a certain legendary watering hole...

Next up I should make a point of celebrating WME Walsall which has finally broken its duck for the year. I won't go crazily overboard about photos of Paddock Lane (The Chuckery) or a New Invention Brewery banner but slow progress is better than none at all. Also inching forth in a very gentle fashion is WME Coventry, nabbing the Nugget at Coundon Green for a slice of corporate Sizzling pub branding. Memories of Mr D9 attempting Bobby Crush impressions resonate from that particular boozer, I think my brain must be scarred for life after that!

Having mentioned Coventry I might as well hop across the county boundary and check up on WME Warwickshire. Ah, this is where those man traps threaten to grab us thanks to rustic notices on a barn in Old Milverton; I seemed to have a random thing for walls that day if my two other contributions from that small settlement are anything to go by. Sticking to a shires remit momentarily, WME Staffordshire presents Penkhull caricatures of The Potteries' most famous footballer (Sir Stanley, that's you) aided by a Norton Canes memorial tablet before WME Worcestershire mucks in with more of Malvern including a Whatley Recordon clock.

Our stragglers among the April showers are the unlikely combination of WME Birmingham plus WME Telford & Wrekin. Brum nabs two ladder-related street art segments at Newtown Swimming Baths, not forgetting a traditional Moor Pool street sign, whereas Telford positively plunders Newport for glimpses of Silverdale Close and Greenfields Drive. A vintage-styled Joules beermat at the New Inn seals the deal so - until next time - enjoy the pictures!

WME Flickr Focus - March 2026

Sprouting daffodils, bounding lambs, increased birdsong, butterflies on the breeze - spring is truly upon us and so are your March additions to the WME Flickr photostream. We have street signs (quelle surprise), comic book brains, tinsel-clad mannequins and much more besides - here's what has been occurring...

Refusing to break the habit of a 2026 lifetime, WME Dudley retains its top billing for the third month in a row. This time around its lofty status has been forged on pictures from lovely Lye (Polypipe advertising, the Lye Cross Clock, railway station signage) and Lapal (where I must declare a fondness for the old Co-op frontage on Manor Lane). Kingswinford hasn't been slacking either, bringing forth Beefeater branding and Swan pub pluckings, then Stourbridge has the curious sight of a stretching decorator in street art form adorning the brickwork at Katie Fitzgeralds.

Although not able to match Dudley for a near-deluge of arrivals, WME Staffordshire has been steadily accumulating a healthy batch of its own. Leek has announced itself with a promising selection of Moorlands morsels, the first time that this corner of the county has gained itself a photostream foothold. Fish and Chips, Mandy's Greengrocers, the Cattle Market boozer and the predictable assortment of street names give me something to build on. Other than that, Lower Penn provides Peaky Blinder portraits, Kidsgrove Station a helping of handprints. 

What about WME Birmingham you may well ask? Jewellery Quarter correspondence brings news of Bernard Lowe typefaces and Hockley Street homages, not to mention a remnant of the Swatkins Group's collection and delivery service for their prized trophies. William West & Sons join Shipton & Co Ltd in representing the district's jewel-making roots, then elsewhere in the Second City we find a smiling sun mosaic brightening up Lea Hall's railway environs.

It's not very often that WME Wolverhampton gets overshadowed with repeated regularity but it has taken this demotion from chief contributor with considerable grace (all while probably plotting a return to the top spot). It rumbles along regardless courtesy of Horseley Fields engineering enterprises, Heath Town Working Men's Club and Loxdale's Lester Street. WME Telford meanwhile is of an Ironbridge persuasion for riverside views and a glimpse of the Chez Maw restaurant whereas neighbouring WME Shropshire homes in on Heathgates lettering out among the Shrewsbury suburbs.

The Malvern area can be delightful at this time of year although whether glances at Graham Road quite deliver natural glory is up for discussion; WME Worcestershire weaves in Malvern Link murals and the Retired Soldier pub by way of added persuasion. All of which leaves us with WME Warwickshire for an eclectic mixture containing the previously mentioned brain character (a table reservation card at Leamington's Drawing Board) alongside the Apehangers mannequin in Santa hat and green frock. Until April, enjoy the pictures!

WME Flickr Focus - February 2026

Valentine's cards may have been sent and plenty of pancakes flipped over the last few weeks but for the West Midlands Exploration photostream February has been a month of steady simple progress. No pink hearts or sprinklings of lemon and sugar here, just a routine supply of new camera-created content...

If we were to declare a romantic interest, WME Dudley probably retains its leading role from January but you'll have to make your own minds up whether you adore my pictures of Gornal pub signs or the Halesowen Bus Station clock. Over in Stourbridge the Green Duck Brewery tap promises "really nice cobs", and if that isn't enough to turn your head we have a wavy-roofed Tecton turnstile at Dudley Zoo, one for any admirers of Modernist municipal architecture.

If Dudley doesn't dazzle you, maybe WME Staffordshire can tug at your heartstrings instead. I'm certainly a fan of Hanley's Golden Cup pub, and even if its Bass lantern isn't sufficient on its own to make me totally weak at the knees, once you sneak in some street signage (Pall Mall) and a couple of Potteries Museum exhibits I could be yours for an oatcake! A Furnace Grange flurry from Trescott is admittedly more mundane material unless you happen to appreciate farm driveways and temporary road surfaces.

To WME Wolverhampton which has been busily lusting after a Dunstall double act - I give you a Trading Estate unit and the Tabernacle Baptist Church - whilst also flirting with Finchfield (where the Chestnut Tree tries to lure us with its breakfast promotions). Fox's Lane Bridge and Fowlers Park trade teasing insults whereas Graiseley gobbles up the likes of Clayton Close, Ablow Street and the Broyce Control works. 

Usually avoiding the dating scene due to long-term shyness, WME Worcestershire pokes its head above the parapet with a helping of Hagley. The King Arthur is bostin' Bathams at their best, and while Park Road isn't especially exciting, there are two Worcester Stands Tall giraffes to take your fancy. The question here is do you wish to meet 'Deco' at the Royal Worcester porcelain museum or 'Arthur the Giraffa in Banana Pyjamas' at the Cornmarket?

Getting swiped left rather too much for their liking this month are WME Birmingham (despite a burst of Erdington energy courtesy of Summer Road, Silver Birch Road and some Go Go Go hoardings) and that erstwhile singleton WME Sandwell with its only offering of Old Factory Bridge in Tipton. WME Shropshire smooches through a couple of Shrewsbury - or rather Harlescott - street sign kisses, and with that the shortest month is done. With love, enjoy the pictures and see you in March for an early spring selection...

WME Flickr Focus - January 2026

Photostream felicitations to you as 2026 is already a whole month old. Hopefully any January blues are starting to dissipate and we can all look forward to shorter nights plus warmer temperatures on the horizon. Encouragingly, the last few weeks have been ones of positive pictorial progress - here's the latest...

Stealing the New Year limelight is WME Dudley which ushers forth a deluge of Delph dealings from the environs of Brierley Hill. The Bull & Bladder pub is a muse I'm always happy to gaze upon again so forgive me for an obsession with beer-related Bathams Brewery lettering, whether this be for Mild, Bitter or the on-site Hop Room. Street signs increasingly come as standard where my archive is concerned so Thorns Avenue and The Goss make their combined presences felt, and I can't publish items from The Delph without drawing upon the famous canal flight and its associated boozer (The Tenth Lock). A sprinkle of Dudley town centre offerings add more bulk, with an emphasis on Duncan Edwards's statue.

Secondly, let's swiftly consider WME Shropshire where I've been decisive in Ditherington thanks to sacks of dominoes and a Long Row street sign. They feed into my general Shrewsbury album alongside four Coleham contenders, the lanes Salters and Egland being joined by the glorious Bass lamps of the Cross Foxes. Craven Arms meanwhile furnishes us with farming possibilities in the form of Morris Corfield's tractor dealership, almost agricultural!

WME Wolverhampton is usually pretty active and January was especially productive for the insertion of tweaked pictures i.e. ones that didn't initially meet my extensive quality control expectations and required remedial surgery. George Street tiles, Pool Hall golden leaves and Springfield Campus construction banners all benefit from such extra editing, whereas Dixon Street mosaic basketballers and Connaught House flat namings made the cut at the first time of asking. The legendary tree growing in the gents of the Combermere Arms also makes an appearance, joining Compton's Oddfellows in my Wulfrunian assemblings.

Elsewhere, there have been stirrings from WME Sandwell - most notably involving the Midland Electric Power Company frontage on Reddal Hill Road in Cradley Heath - and from good old WME Birmingham which bashfully recruits the Deritend Fish & Chips shop on account of its vintage Pepsi branding. Brum also bagged itself an Allison Street snippet down in Digbeth and an encounter with Lock Six on the Ashted Flight (near Curzon Street) for a canal candidate whereas Sandwell summoned a Galton Valley metallic portrait.

To the surrounding shires now, with WME Staffordshire apparently active in Lower Penn and Trescott (cue Dene Road, Shop Lane and yet another canine artwork). WME Worcestershire wiggles through a River Severn scene at Bewdley before allowing WME Warwickshire to claim the stage via a couple of Curdworth Locks. All that remains is a brief mention for WME Coventry and its acquired piece of James Starley street art and you can consider yourselves fully in the know. Until February, enjoy the pictures!

WME Flickr Focus - December 2025

Merry Christmas one and all, let's hope the season of peace and goodwill brings all that you desire - and if what you desire are pictures of the West Midlands and surrounding areas you've come to the right place. The plates have been heated, the oven gloves are on standby, the carving knife has been sharpened so let's tuck into the pictorial feast that was December's photostream updates...

For those who enjoy piling the food high, WME Staffordshire has been our lead gallery these last few weeks (this after having a relatively quiet year up until this point). Sure it isn't quite turkey with all the trimmings but I can report tasty additions from Cheslyn Hay where the New Inns has been accompanied by the White Horse's dartboard. Burton bursts through laden with Coopers Arms treats - assuming you're not averse to Joules Brewery promotional woodwork - whereas Cannock snoozes contentedly having digested a NatWest bank branch along with the town's soldier and sailor war memorial. 

Maybe you're more of a roast beef persuasion (give or take a Yorkshire pudding, something I'm always in favour of), in which case WME Birmingham could be for you. Brum has been pleasingly active recently, amassing content including Charlotte Street, Ethel Street and the poignant remains of St Thomas's Church (where the main tower survived Blitz devastation). The Fox & Grapes pub formerly of Freeman Street is remembered, likewise the short-lived Sommar Bar in the City Centre, and there are reminders of Christmas past thanks to a woolly-wearing polar bear and a pet-themed penguin.

It isn't all about the meat of course. Many people love their vegetables, hence the selection supplied by WME Wolverhampton should be ample. Perhaps you'd care to crunch on Chapel Ash via the Attwood Building or a blue blob street art character? I wouldn't class Castlecroft's weak bridge as boiled cabbage but several of you might be partial to it, similarly some towpath tough love down at Cable Street. The much-anticipated roast potatoes meanwhile are being separately served by WME Telford which has concentrated on Coalport for sale item saggars and a China Museum workshop although you do get a dripping of Bucks Head turnstiles too.

For the vegan and vegetarian contingent, a most moreish nut roast is wafting past in the form of WME Walsall; the Chuckery takes centre stage here, flecked with Tantarra Street and the Spring Cottage pub. Those with a sweet tooth have been waiting all along for WME Dudley to drizzle Coalbourn Lane and the Buckpool Nature Reserve with brandy sauce, and if you're not totally full up by now, WME Coventry comes carrying mince pies or rather a Byatt's Brewery tea cosy challenge. Whatever you're up to this festive season, I genuinely hope you have a wonderful time. See you in 2026 with more photographic presents...

WME Flickr Focus - November 2025

Over in Australia, the grunt and thrust of The Ashes cricket is underway as old rivals slug it out over a small but symbolic urn. Nothing quite so dramatic can be detected on the West Midlands Exploration photostream however, even though various galleries have been peacably updated...

Howzat!! First out to bat for this monthly update is - somewhat unusually - WME Shropshire, which more often than not counts itself right among the tail-enders but has been inexplicably promoted to open the innings. Why should this be the case I hear you speculate? Bridgnorth is almost entirely responsible for this turn of events, supplying a dozen new arrivals including the Northgate Museum, the New Inn and the instantly recognisable Ridleys Seeds lettering. The town's Severn Valley Railway Station ambles up to the crease too, yielding footbridge safety directives and a vintage advertisement for Morris Lubricants.

Also willing to weigh in with some serious strokeplay is WME Dudley, boosted by bits and pieces from Brierley Hill and Blowers Green. The Jones Brothers clock has been a favoured timepiece on Brierley Hill High Street for many a year so it's nice to give that the recognition it deserves, albeit you'll have to decide whether Adelaide Street and Link 51 are as worthy of attention. Black Delph Bridge and the Moor Centre swell the run-rate a little, then you get the customary dash of street signage thanks to Fox Foot Drive or Blowers Green Road.

The middle order engine room is populated by the redoutable pair of WME Birmingham and WME Wolverhampton. Brum takes on some Commonwealth Games deliveries courtesy of Perry the bull mascot, aided by Brasshouse pub lettering and the gilded bronze of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch's statue. Oakham Brewery beermats in Boldmere plus the sad Hodge Hill remnants of the demolished Comet pub also punctuate the scorecard, whereas the power hitting from Wolverhampton is mostly reserved for Bradmore's selection of street signs.

Fancying a role as a demon spinner, WME Worcestershire tantalisingly twirls its way to a trio of Bromsgrove additions (namely St Godwalds Road and some railway station orientation materials). It is joined in the slow bowling stakes by the irrepressible WME Walsall with Bloxwich offbreaks related to the Old Hall Trading Estate and a High Street cafe. The pace unit meanwhile numbers WME Telford (with Blists Hill coal lumps), WME Sandwell (Cyder and Cobb making a second Blackheath appearance) and WME Coventry (the lowest-scoring player of the lot, earning just its third picture of the year in the form of empty beer casks at the Broomfield Tavern). That completes our batting card - until next month, enjoy the pictures!

WME Flickr Focus - October 2025

Something had to give eventually. After four long months of total Exploration Extra domination, the WME Flickr photostream has finally returned to a normality of sorts by welcoming additions from the West Midlands region again. This means my pictorial exploits can live up to my blog title after all - here's what has arrived during October...

My first port of call involves the safe hands of WME Dudley where the Black Country Living Museum takes centre stage. The regional attraction's 'Forging Ahead' project has involved the creation of a several new exhibits showcasing local life from the 1940s to the 1960s, hence my photos take inspiration from comic annuals, soap sud packages and domestic breakfast tables alongside the more usual fare of bus blinds and boat numbers. In Sedgley, the Beacon Hotel has empty beer glasses drained of Dark Ruby Mild while Belle Vale over in Halesowen ensures I meet my street sign obligations without too much bother.

WME Walsall is next up, breezing around Brownhills for glimpses of Becks Bridge (on the Wyrley & Essington Canal), the Anchor Garage on Lindon Road and even a piece of Eeyore street art. A succession of mostly brown street signs also muscle in, comprising the likes of Pauls Coppice and Pier Street. This is backed by WME Birmingham which manages to avail itself of respective pub letterings from both the Aston Hotel and the Bartons Arms, the latter gem having worryingly closed again recently despite being a spectacular setting for a pint. 

When I'm not obsessed with Exploration Extra matters, you can almost guarantee that WME Wolverhampton is never far from an update (or several). A diet of Bantock Park leaves and blooms might be good for photostream health, whereas the Banks's 'Tells It Like It Is' artworks feel somewhat forlorn after retrospective news that the brewery is closing. Bilston shoehorns in its Lidl supermarket and an evening extract for the Gate Inn near Priestfield.

Beyond those four main contributors, things get much more piecemeal. WME Solihull pays a shapely visit to Birmingham International railway station, whereas WME Staffordshire revisits Awbridge Lock near Trysull for its solitary newbie. The All Nations in Madeley will be similarly familiar to watchers of WME Telford, and Bedworth Market is known on WME Warwickshire too, leaving WME Worcestershire to bring up the rear thanks to the absurdly-named hamlet of Bentley Pauncefoot (which sounds like it ought to be one of Nick's posh chums). Cheers!

WME Flickr Focus - September 2025

So it's September, the month when the summer starts to fade and autumn's golden hues take hold, kids go back to school and the evenings gradually get darker earlier. The West Midlands Exploration photostream has dealt with anything but the West Midlands in recent times, and I have to say there's been no change to that pattern despite the shift in the seasons...

Nope folks, Exploration Extra is showing no intention of relinquishing the vicelike hold it has maintained on my updates these past four months but the end of its domination is coming into sight I believe. My latest batch of arrivals can be loosely summarised as hailing from Scotland, Wales, the West Country and the East Midlands, so let's catch up on pictorial progress.

The Scottish contingent can solely thank Southerness for its headline-grabbing antics this month, with the rugged village on the Solway Firth giving us plentiful glimpses of Galloway. I'm on record as being a big fan of the local lighthouse - so much so I took several pictures of it over the course of my 2022 holiday - hence it naturally leads the way, supplemented by rocky foreshore scenery and painted pebbles, some of which have a distinct pet-related inspiration. Wales meanwhile settles for Rhos-on-Sea seafront snippets plus an Everard Road street sign, augmented by a peek at Wrexham's Rock Suite Cafe.

Two different trips have woven in some West Country content, with Minehead's endearing metalhead sculptures proving impossible to ignore during my Brean break (especially when they're recreating the dance moves to 'YMCA'); a sprinkling of Weston-super-Mare gives you Badgerline bus branding and the somewhat stark frontage of Smiths Hotel. Bristol is the other chief contributor here, adding in a Redland Fish Supply ghost sign from Clifton and a pair of Private Gromit fun sculptures from one of those public art trails I love so much.

This leaves us with an East Midlands ensemble comprising Nottingham three-eyed fishes (courtesy of the Angel pub near the Lace Market), a Northampton train treat - if you get excited about Class 350 units between workings - and another of Sneinton Market's alphabetical avenues. Not to be outdone, Narborough nudges us with platform pieces, Catholic contemplations and a foxy flourish by the railway station. There's just enough wriggling room for a South Coast swansong from Swanage (the heritage railway station complemented by the White Swan pub) and that's your lot. Enjoy the photos!

WME Flickr Focus - August 2025

Followers of the West Midlands Exploration photostream on Flickr could be forgiven for thinking I've taken a sabbatical in terms of my usual local remit. Although I have been steadily churning out new additions with commendable regularity, the 'West Midlands' aspect of my output has definitely drifted of late, hence Exploration Extra continues to hold sway over all incoming updates...

That's just the nature of the beast with how my archival arrivals get organised, so for the third month in a row I am not reporting one single arrival from Birmingham, the Black Country or surrounding shires. I'm sure you'll agree that the situation is forgivable when you get the likes of Loughborough, Leominster or Llandudno instead though - let's review which prized pictures made it through my tough selection process in August.

For starters, it's a big hello from Headingley where I raided my May 2022 back catalogue for all manner of local street signs; Ash Road, Bainbrigge Road, Langdale Gardens, they're all there. Street art is also very apparent (with an appropriate nod to the Burley Banksy) so you can ponder alien beings alongside Leeds Rhinos references, plus if you're a fan of stadium lighting the White Rose-themed example from Headingley cricket ground itself might just float your boat. Nearby Kirkstall also made the cut thanks to the (Drink and) Be Grateful mural down by the Abbey Road water fountain.

I've wangled a fair few photos out of Wales over the last few weeks and that trend happily holds true courtesy of Haverfordwest (a railway platform running-in board with company from a war memorial dragon), Llandudno Junction (a Black Cat bus stop plus a very early morning welcome sign offering) and Llandudno the town (an 1898 date on the Imperial Buildings). I'm arguably most pleased about two Llanrwst remnants though, namely the Seion Chapel and the wonderfully nostalgic frontage of the town's former Milk Bar.

Not to be outdone by its Celtic cousin, Scotland gets in on the act thanks to content from Kirkcudbright. Rusty quayside chains are no stranger to my stream it's true, but a brooding war memorial warrior and the signage for the Steam Packet Inn are worthy of inclusion. If you factor in Kirkcudbright Parish Church and a duo of A-road pointers then it makes for a handy little bunch of Scottish stuff to supplement my Southerness album.

Closer to home but nevertheless beyond the boundaries of my typical West Midlands focus come highlights from Herefordshire and lumps of Leicestershire. The cider-making county contributes lovely Ledbury with its stilted Market House, not forgetting lashings of Leominster as represented by Priory embroideries, railway station murals and Pinsley Road markers. As for Leicestershire, I give you Littlethorpe's Old Inn and a Hinckley quartet comprising the Prince's Feathers pub, St Mary's Church, The Crescent shopping development and more art. The cone bats of Thorpe Acre and Brush factory logos ensure a little dose of Loughborough lingering, and I somehow suspect Exploration Extra will dominate for a month or two yet...

WME Flickr Focus - July 2025

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! So goes the plaintive wail of the newspaper seller - do you even see those anymore? - but the phrase applies equally well to my latest precis of photostream progress. As in June, it's Exploration Extra which has been ploughing the loneliest of furrows to keep the content coming...

Last month I brought you batches from Castle Douglas, Burnham-on-Sea, the Bristol district of Clifton and lovely Chester, so what has July been busying itself with? Our answer starts in the Cheshire town of Congleton where I have developed a mild obsession over Warrington Anglers Association day ticket warnings on canal bridges. The Prince of Wales pub on Lawton Street lends its Joule's Brewery lettering while there's limited headroom on a listed aqueduct.

I've recently reported on visits to Aberystwyth and Rhyl so the Welsh thread holds on Flickr too with a Fishguard flourish from my 2018 archives. Harbourside glimpses of stacked boats and fishing creels mix with unspoiled pub memories of the Fishguard Arms and the Globe, then we have religious ruminations courtesy of St Mary's Church Institute. Nearby Goodwick gets in on the act courtesy of the Methodistiaid Adeiladwyd detailing on the Berachah Calvinist Chapel.

Next up I give you Gloucester through a combination of dock warehouses (Llanthony, Albert and Alexandra), cathedral carvings - or cloisters, should that be of more interest - and pubs. The Imperial Inn's Bass allegiance was always likely to catch my eye but Robert Raikes's House is a Samuel Smiths affair in a handsome timbered property, and the Gloucester Brewery has its beer garden right on the quay. 

That's almost everything I need to tell you about, apart from another cheeky Clifton candidate (Cotham Hill's fruit and veg shop), followed by a dash of Dumfries in the form of the romantic Robert Burns mural 'A Merry Squeeze'. There's just time to call in a couple of components from the Crewe Rail Ale beer festival, namely a bus registration plate plus a set of signalling levers (with not a pint in sight I might add), and it's over to August to continue the saga...

WME Flickr Focus - June 2025

Everything has been about Exploration Extra over the last few weeks, my gallery covering the rest of the country having maintained the sudden surge of activity that had surfaced during the back end of May. The West Midlands hasn't remotely had a look in as the pictures have come from Cheshire, Bristol and Scotland instead...

Indeed, there have been distinct batches into which the new arrivals have grouped themselves. The Scottish contingent hinges upon Castle Douglas as part of my Southerness 2022 holiday album; the Imperial Bar and Crown Hotel slot in with pub potential whilst adjoining the second of those is the Crown Garage, a base for MOTs and vehicle repairs. Sprinkle in a Queen Street cottage with a bright green door or a Barry Smart newsagents shopfront straight out of the 1970s and you have a recipe for a rare rummage north of the border.

Back in England, let's sashay on down to Somerset and the holiday resort of Burham-on-Sea. The Reeds Arms Wetherspoons and a giftshop gable are made very welcome but my main focus here is on railway heritage, with signalling stanchions and a stationmaster artwork recalling when the town had its own seaside terminus. The passenger service was mostly withdrawn in the 1950s but is still fondly remembered by older Burnham residents.

Inching our way up the west coast brings us to the maritime city of Bristol, although it's the suburb of Clifton that claims my concentration this time around. You're never stuck for pubs in that neck of the woods so the Lansdown, Steam Beer Hall and Victoria are a mere drop in the ocean among the selection available, plus there's a hint or two of Clifton Down railway station as served by suburban trains on the Severn Beach Line. Perhaps my favourite Clifton landmark is the White Ladies Picture House, showing films to Bristol residents since the early 1920s.

I'll conclude if I may with a Chester compendium drawn mostly from my Rail Rover explorations of 2022. Grey Friars, White Friars and Steele Street ensure street sign representation, then we have the Albion pub for vintage Shellmex petroleum branding. The Cross Keys supplies lanterns and lettering whereas St John's Church has ruined walls enclosing a current place of worship. The city also supplements my Colwyn Bay collection from 2018 by gathering Gowy narrowboat namebadges and a Northgate Bakery nugget. Until next time, enjoy the photos!

WME Flickr Focus - May 2025

Seven thousand, six hundred and ninety four - that my friends is the current total of published pictures on the West Midlands Exploration Flickr photostream. Those images have been posted over the course of fourteen years, and plucked from an archive that stretches back to September 2002 when I first dabbled with digital photography. I've thoroughly enjoyed my hobby over all that time and definitely intend on adding even more content well into the future...

But what has been pitching into photostream contention most recently I hear you ask? WME Wolverhampton's April stranglehold has been well and truly broken, with most of the newer arrivals come from two sources - WME Worcestershire and Exploration Extra. I'll therefore break with tradition and get the stragglers out of the way first, in which case WME Telford landed itself a Woodside Costcutter shop whereas WME Dudley deposited some vintage adverts from the Wordsley Dock General Stores - think enamels for Oxo, Colman's Mustard and Lyons' Tea. WME Staffordshire grappled with Great Wyrley in garnering blossom bits and Bentons Lane, leaving WME Birmingham to say hello to Vera Road over in Yardley.

Those are mere aperitifs however compared to the veritable bonanza served up by WME Worcestershire lately. I don't think this gallery has ever received quite so many additions in one month (except maybe for when it was first created), and much of this is down to items from the Worcester's Big Parade art trail. Several elephant sculptures have made the cut, including Ash, Azalea, Jackson and The Pears, and they've been joined by assorted medley of wider Worcester bits and pieces. You know by now there are going to be street signs involved - Bull Entry, Fish Street and South Quay among them - but you're likewise getting pub-related picks from the Plough, the Bull Baiters and the Pheasant. Enjoy!

May's other serial contributor has been Exploration Extra, which sequentially tends to take a boom or bust approach. EE's next boom period has therefore been launched upon a swathe of Bristol and Brean content, so whether you like Christmas Steps or seafront shacks there might be something to interest you. Aberystwyth assigns us with an Angel pub sign and the Bethel Baptist Chapel then the Burley district of Leeds busily combines the Cardigan Arms with Patel's newsagents store. I expect Exploration Extra to lead the way over the next few months, purely because that's the way the photos look like falling, so eyes peeled for further flung fragments!

WME Flickr Focus - April 2025

This may come as a relief to some of you who put up with my photostream prattlings on a regular basis, but April 2025 need only report on one of my constituent galleries. Yes this month it really is all about WME Wolverhampton...

Wolverhampton is nearly always front and centre on these summaries anyway but this time around it totally dominates to the tune of 44 new additions whereas everywhere else scored a big fat zero. The question therefore becomes about which aspects of the city have brought about this position of supremacy - the answer being the city centre, canals, and wild animals (mainly).

Barclays, Beatties and Bohemian ensure that the City Centre spreads its photographic wings, supported by Catellani's (a former Italian restaurant on School Street) and Charlie's (a Lichfield Street chip shop) for food-related content. The Wolves Ay We mural on Worcester Street makes a somewhat sad reappearance - the magic of promotion having long faded by that stage - while the Epic Cafe represents a youthful curiosity that never quite took off.

As for canal content, full concentration is given to the Wolverhampton 21 Locks with the predictable balance beam focus you've no doubt come to expect. Numbers three, five, nine and fourteen enter the fray but special attention is seemingly reserved for Lock No. 11 which attracts four separate pictures, a repetitive circumstance but that's just the way my archives panned out. In a similar vein, the Platforms 5 and 1a signage at Wolverhampton Station get repeat custom too so I must be a creature of habit.

Talking of creatures, the Wild in Wolves initiative was the summer art trail back in 2022 so some of their contingent have seen the light of day. A bear bench in the Wulfrun Centre sets the ball rolling but my main muse was Zak Zebra at St Peter's Gardens who basically stole all the limelight for himself. I am expecting a wider distribution of new arrivals in May, but for now please enjoy the photos. Cheers!

WME Flickr Focus - March 2025

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that I tend to publish my pictures in alphabetical batches, in which case I've recently become heavily embroiled with the letter W. Being a proud Wulfrunian, there's no escaping the fact that I take far more photographs around Wolverhampton than anywhere else on the planet, so my monthly photostream summary is going to be even more predictable than usual...

Yes I'm leading with WME Wolverhampton again which has easily been the biggest recipient of W-related material. The city's Art Gallery alone has supplied several items from decorative frieze figures to paintings of highly-inquisitive chickens, while West Park tantalises us with flowerbeds, foliage and a neat line in purple petals. Wednesfield and Whitmore Reans are definitely part of the W contingent, weaving in Sainsbury's artworks or ceramic signs for our contemplation, not forgetting appearances for the West End Club in the backstreets of Merridale and a couple more 'Wolves in Wolves' archive sculptural additions.

The W prefix isn't reserved merely for Wolverhampton items, no sir. It just as rightly applies to the likes of West Bromwich and Wednesbury which nimbly brings WME Sandwell into play, aided by references to George Galloway's General Election campaigning or Wednesbury Parkway car park markings. Wednesbury town centre proved active in compiling snapshots of Churchill's restaurant, Park Inn wallpaper and the William Archer pub, plus there's arguably a rogue 'O' in the form of a Wheelie Thirsty cob lunch from Old Hill.

Beyond Wolverhampton and Sandwell, pickings admittedly get a whole lot slimmer. WME Telford held its own, largely on account of four Wellington street signs (Orleton Lane and Hollies Road among them), then its neighbour WME Shropshire can lay claim to Whitchurch progress courtesy of a Walker's Bakery shopfront and the White Bear pub. I ought to mention WME Warwickshire at this point too, landing Warwick hostelry happenings via the Tilted Wig and the Lord Nelson - they all count you know!

Back in the West Midlands county, I can report a brace apiece for WME Walsall (a cenotaph wreath and a vinyl fair advert) and WME Dudley (Wollescote Road with hints of Stevens Park trees). This just leaves me with WME Birmingham and its solitary contribution of a Wensley Road street sign from those residential roads between Yardley and Sheldon. Looking ahead, I expect the Wolverhampton domination to continue but that's a tale to bring you in April...

WME Flickr Focus - February 2025

A few weeks ago I went on record as saying January had been the month with a little bit of everything, and it seems that February has taken that observation to heart by also endeavouring to spread its update wings across as many of my galleries as possible. There's quite a lot to get through...

... starting with the steadfast consistency of WME Staffordshire. Never one to shirk away from gaining new additions, Staffs is now the proud recipient of several Stafford snippets (Hop Pole pub signage, a Pat Collins funfair inflatable and some gleaming Railway Inn lettering), not to mention Stoke offerings in the form of Floyd Street with a railway station stop valve. Anyone yearning for the early days of spring might appreciate Victoria Park's colourful flowerbeds in shades of deep blue and primrose yellow.

Our other majestic mainstay is of course WME Wolverhampton which admirably keeps its own standards resolutely high. This time around it has focused upon Springfield and Tettenhall so if you are fans of St Michael & All Angels Church or Facebook-thumbed Banks's branding you are in for a treat! Time Trial markers at West Park hark back to the 2022 Commonwealth Games while a Bilston cheese platter recalls happy memories of jazz nights at the Trumpet.

Neck and neck for third place in the rankings are WME Birmingham and WME Dudley, locked together after nine neat arrivals each. Brum mostly swooped upon Stirchley, hence Plymouth Road and Wildcat beer arrows, although there was room for St Paul's Square and two Sommar Brewing references; Dudley meanwhile danced its way along the Stourbridge Sixteen lock flight with recourse to pause at the Bonded Warehouse for good measure. 

In other months, gaining seven new pictures would be enough to earn top billing and yet both WME Sandwell and WME Shropshire find themselves consigned to mid-table in February's bumper bounty. Sandwell consoles itself with Spon Lane Locks and a Haden Hill House Big Sleuth bear sculpture (remember those?) whereas Shropshire snuck along the Shrewsbury Canal for gunged-up reeds and an initial understanding as regards Uffington - cue Mill Lane and a vintage traffic sign indicating the way to Ellesmere and Whitchurch.

Trailing even further behind but with cause to be proud of their efforts come WME Solihull and WME Walsall. Solihull had been January's only missing link so it makes up for that irritating omission by selecting Shirley snapshots (think Longmore Road and the Shaking Hand micropub) and an Usk Way street sign from Smiths Wood. Walsall mostly concerned itself with town centre titbits, should you be interested in Tower Street or the Town Hall. 

Definitely among the stragglers we belatedly give a shout out to WME Telford and its quartet of Sutton Hill contributions, including the flat roofed church and the Hub on the Hill artwork. WME Worcestershire wangled a couple of Stourport pub pickings (hello to the Wheatsheaf and the Angel), leaving a slightly sheepish WME Coventry bringing up the rear with a single Stivichall Croft donation - every little helps! Until March, enjoy the photos.

WME Flickr Focus - January 2025

January 2025 has been the month with a little bit of everything, unless you happen to be of a WME Solihull persuasion in which case your time will come. All of my other constituent galleries have received at least one new arrival so it's time to catch up on the latest photostream progress...

No sooner had the strains of Auld Lang Syne died down than WME Wolverhampton was first footing its way to our front door. Our erstwhile most productive gallery has been up to its usual tricks, flinging in pictures of Peel Street car park art (Disco Stu and a Tasmanian Devil) plus scattered pieces of Penn (the Roebuck pub) and Penn Fields (Manlove Street). Phoenix Park in Blakenhall accumulated a couple of archive play area snapshots for good measure.

Also eager to live up to any 2025 resolutions was WME Dudley which formally accepted the Priory Estate as a new album. Hawthorne Road and Paganel Drive are the founding members here alongside a segment of stonework; elsewhere from this Black Country borough comes Pym's Garage near Netherton, Beacon Lane in Sedgley and Quinton's Reel Cinema...

Talking of Quinton, it's one of those areas that bridges the divide between two neighbouring council areas and therefore also qualifies for WME Birmingham. Christ Church just about falls on the Brummie side of the boundary hence its stained glass windows are a Second City snippet. Selly Park and Selly Oak have likewise registered with Smallbone's Garage a noted arrival, accompanying a selection of Second Avenue street signs.

Staying with the recognised West Midlands county remit a while longer, WME Walsall rustled up some Rushall pubs in the form of the Boathouse and the lovely Manor Arms whereas WME Sandwell extracted evening examples of platform signage at Sandwell & Dudley station. Even WME Coventry wasn't forgotten, winkling out a Willenhall estate item featuring the Flying Scotsman mural on the side of the Hagard Community Space. 

Casting a glance slightly further afield, WME Staffordshire is always very good value for solid contributions and maintains this reputation courtesy of Queensville Stores in Stafford, Shelton New Road in Hartshill and more from Wombourne's 2019 Christmas nativity display. WME Warwickshire raids Rugby for Merchants Inn breweriana and a Stagecoach ticket office sighting, then WME Shropshire saunters around Shifnal snaffling up Patons Garage and Park Lane streetscapes. Near neighbour WME Telford & Wrekin notes the Severn Valley Way over in Ironbridge, leaving Exploration Extra to claim the last word care of the Chequers Inn in Oxford. Until February, enjoy the pictures!

WME Flickr Focus - December 2024

Drum roll please! The overall photostream results for 2024 are in, and I can exclusively reveal that the not insignificant total of 682 photographs have been added to the West Midlands Exploration Flickr site over the course of the calendar year. December's contribution swelled the account to the tune of 44 images so let's see what landed as the year drew to a close...

Like two prized fighters slugging it out in the boxing ring, December was dominated by the heavyweight clash between WME Wolverhampton and WME Staffordshire. Staffordshire took this particular round by a score of 23-17 but across the whole of 2024, Wolverhampton was to emerge victorious by 149 pictures to 145. An honourable mention goes to Exploration Extra which comfortably grabbed third place on the annual podium with 131 despite not being updated since April. Birmingham and Dudley scored well lower down the card but it was a quieter year for the likes of Walsall and Sandwell - they need to up their game come 2025.

WME Staffordshire's December successes were forged from the South Staffordshire settlements of Oaken and Pattingham which between them hoovered up literally every new addition going. Oaken's speciality was green council street signs and country lane scenery, mixed with the occasional sprinkling of flowers, whereas Pattingham concentrated on St Chad's Parish Church, the Pigot Arms and verdant views along Westbeech Road.

As for WME Wolverhampton, it took a slightly more scattergun approach in amassing content from Whitmore Reans (the Newhampton Arts Centre's terracotta school lettering), Northycote Farm (a repeat tractor airing) and Bradmore (Oxbarn Avenue's springtime pink petals). Added in for extra festive flavour are three nutcracker soldiers - Spencer, George and Simon - while the very final arrivals of 2024 were a couple of beermat specimens from my own collection.

Very little happened on any of my other galleries. WME Sandwell stopped off at Old Hill for a glimpse of Court Street; WME Birmingham picked up some Paradise Circus construction art; and last but probably least, WME Coventry championed the New Craven Street Club over in Chapelfields. All of this jostling and brawling brings us to a sum total of 7,360 published pictures with hopefully many more to be added next year. Until then, enjoy the photos!