Favourite House was once the headquarters of a well-known local entrepreneur, the late Bob Smith. His Church Street shop was used by most of the local population. When he retired in 1955, it was taken over by Page's Electric Limited. The business was there for many years and like its predecessor, became well known throughout the town.

The building was then converted into flats, which were occupied until a few years ago.

Next door was the old electricity sub-station, built in 1906 for the Midland Electric Corporation, which was founded in 1897 to distribute electricity over much of the Black Country. Sub-stations were built at Bilston, Brierley Hill, Darlaston, Old Hill, Tipton and Wednesbury.

In November and December 2016, Favourite House, and the sub-station were demolished to make way for a block of apartments.

Favourite House in 2009.

Another view of Favourite House.

The electricity sub-station in 1973.

The sad state of the sub-station in August 2016.

Demolition gets underway in November, 2016.

By early December, demolition was well underway.

Another view of the site.

The site on 10th December, 2016, as Favourite House disappears forever.

Another once-familiar building was Anvil House, in Mill Street. It was last occupied by Decor Iron Limited, which moved into the building from Pinfold Street. The business went into liquidation on 14th July, 2011, after which the building was empty for several years. The derelict building soon deteriorated and was demolished in April and May 2016.

The sign that was on the gable end of the building.

Anvil House dominated this part of Mill Street.

The partly demolished building, seen in April 2016.

Another view from April 2016.

The Leys Hall was built by Darlaston Council in 1957, for recreational use by the local population. It was a great asset for the local community. All kinds of events, family functions, classes, dances and meetings have been held there. In the late 1950s and 1960s, on Thursday afternoons, it was a venue for the old age pensioners. There was entertainment, day trips, bingo, sing songs, refreshments, and old friends to meet. It was very popular.

The Leys Hall in 2002.

In recent years there were fewer events. In 2011 and 2012 there were weekly keep fit classes and the 'Church on the Corner' held a weekly service on Sunday afternoons. This slowly came to an end and for some time the hall was empty. In 2014 it was purchased by the Pass it on Furniture Project, a non-profit organisation, which used the building as a furniture recycling centre for needy families.

The Leys Hall in 2014.

The Reflexions Charity Shop in 2014.

The Leys Hall was damaged even more after a series of arson attacks. The charity fenced-off the site and put £16,000 aside to pay for the demolition. The charity made an application to Walsall Council for planning permission to demolish the building, but the process took a long time to complete. They had to wait a while for the gas supply and the electricity supply to be removed. Demolition finally took place at the beginning of May, 2022. It was a sad end to a building that had served the local community for over 60 years.