A fine view of
the
deserted Market Place, possibly taken on a Sunday
morning. |
A postcard produced by Ryder &
Son showing a fine view of the Conservative Club in
Walsall Street. The club was founded in 1886, and the
above premises built in 1904. |
A view of the
Conservative Club from around 1920. |
A fine wartime view of
Wednesbury Public Library in Walsall Street taken in
1940. The library was built in 1907-8 at a cost of
£7,000, the majority of which (£5,636) was donated by
the Andrew Carnegie Trust. The building is now Grade II
Listed. |
Next to the Public Library,
which is on the left, is Hollies Drive, which led to a
large house called The Hollies. The well-known actor
Richard Wattis, remembered for his part as Mr. Brown in
the television series Sykes, and for his many film roles,
was born at number 11 Hollies Drive on 25th February,
1912. |
A tram stands at the terminus
on Holyhead Road, next to The White Horse pub, about to
set-off for West Bromwich and Birmingham. The terminus was known
locally as The White Horse. On the left at the bottom of
Lower High Street is Lloyds Bank. |
The Great Western Hotel on the
corner of Potters Lane and Great Western Street is named
after the nearby Great Western Railway and railway
station. |
The Richards Room in the Art Gallery houses some of
the paintings from Edwin Richards' vast collection. He
was an industrialist who ran Edwin Richards & Sons, one
of Wednesbury’s longest surviving manufacturers. The
firm produced forgings for over 150 years at Portway
Works in New Street, at the junction with Potter’s Lane,
and specialised in patent axles and coach springs.
The
Art Gallery was built as a result of the bequest left by Mary
Richards, Edwin's widow who died in 1885. She left the
collection of paintings to the town, most of which were by contemporary English artists.
There were also several landscapes by Dutch
and Flemish masters. |
The Park Lodge and entrance to Brunswick Park which
opened on 21st June, 1887 to commemorate Queen
Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The park, designed by Barron
& Son of Derby was built on land purchased from the
Patent Shaft and Axletree Company for £3,000. |
Brunswick Park Lake, known as Barron's Pool after
the park's designers, was a popular attraction. The
park, which covers 28 acres cost £6,000, including the
purchase of the land. |
An early 20th century view of
King's Hill looking northwards towards Darlaston. On the
right is St. Andrew's Church, designed by the Joynson
brothers, and consecrated on 28th April, 1894. It was
built as a replacement for the old mission schoolroom.
On the far right is the entrance to King's Hill Park
which opened in 1900, and is built on the site of old
coal mine workings and spoil heaps. |
Another, and
later view of King's Hill, from around 1950. |
A postcard produced locally by
Ryder & Son showing a view of Wood Green looking towards
Bescot with St. Paul's Church on the right. A tram can
be seen making its way from Walsall to Wednesbury. |
A view of the BCN's Monway
Branch and the extensive works of the Patent Shaft and
Axletree Company, from around 1900. |
Looking westwards along the
Tame Valley Canal from Crankhall Bridge in the early
years of the 20th century. A view which is greatly
changed today. |
This view from 1913
shows wives and children of strikers, queuing for bread
during the tube-maker's strike. The strike began in May 1913
at the Old Tube Works of John Russell & Company and spread
throughout the Black Country to all the iron trades. The
strikers demanded a minimum weekly wage of 23 shillings to
bring them in line with Birmingham worker's pay. The strike
continued until July and caused great hardship. The strikers
lost £250,000 in wages before the employers conceded to
their demand. |
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