Tag: waterloggedblog

Walsall – Friday 28th June 2019

We stopped in Walsall overnight on our way on our holiday to the north of England and Scotland and popped into the town for breakfast before heading on our way.  Although probably best known for the leather trade, Walsall was known locally as ‘The town of 100 trades’ and saw large growth in the 1800s.   We hadn’t visited before and thought it seemed a nice town, although we didn’t have long to explore.  The Waterstones is located in a modern building in the town centre.

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Walsall map

The statue below commemorates Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison, known as Sister Dora, who was born in Yorkshire but moved to Walsall in 1865 and nursed there for many years. This is thought to be the first ever statue of a woman who was not of royal descent.

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The Source of Ingenuity fountain by artist Tom Lomax which represents the Roman god of time, Janus sits in the centre of the Walsall market area.  It’s a little bit creepy, I think!

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The Victorian Arcade building   

The Lloyds Bank building (the beehive was the bank’s symbol at one stage) and  Walsall’s canal area, which has undergone extensive renovation.

Currently reading: Cogheart by Peter Bunzl and  listening to The Way of All Flesh by Parry Ambrose

Redditch – Sunday 23rd June 2019

We spent the weekend near Birmingham with friends, and on the way home we stopped at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, Britain’s first open-air museum.  It comprises around 30 buildings that have been brought from their original sites and rebuilt.  It is definitely worth a visit! After leaving there we popped to Redditch to visit the Waterstones.  It’s located in a modern shopping centre in the town.

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Redditch map

We didn’t have much time in the town, but we spotted a couple of statues in the centre.  The first is to John Bonham who was the drummer for rock band Led Zeppelin and was born in the Redditch in 1984, and the second, which is called ‘Springs Eternal’, which was unveiled in 2017 to commemorate the spring industry in the town.

Avoncroft Museum

I particularly loved this prefab!  These buildings were erected during World War 2 following a shortage of properties, and were only ever intended to be temporary.  I didn’t realise how many different types of prefab there are until I looked on Wikipedia!  This particular design is an Arcon Mk V – it was dressed for the period and one of the volunteers was dressed up too!

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One final mention (and a few pictures!) must go to the National Telephone Kiosk Collection & Telephone Museum which is located at Avoncroft.  We wandered to the area expecting to stay a few minutes (after all, how interesting can a telephone box be…?) but discovered that it was possible to make a telephone call from many of them from one box to another – and that the museum had provided old British coins, so we spent quite a time playing with them!  According to their website they have examples of every public kiosk issued by the General Post Office and British Telecom from the 1920s to the present day.  I even rang the Tardis Police Box from one of them!

Currently reading: Mack the Life by Lee Mack

Leamington Spa – Tuesday 28th May 2019

Royal Leamington Spa is a Regency town in Warwickshire, which was given its royal title by Queen Victoria in 1838.  We only had time for a quick look round (and lunch in Las Iguanas!) before heading home after our long weekend away so we would like to go back.  From what we saw it looked nice, and reminded us a little of Bath, another Spa town and our nearest large city.  The Waterstones here is on the outside edge of a modern shopping centre.  Upstairs there are large windows giving it a bright, airy feel.

Leamington Spa map

The following beautiful building is the Town Hall.  I have had a look online but I cannot find any information about whether it is open to the public to look round.  I’d love to know what it looks like inside!

How cute is this art installation by Philippa Downes?!  It was commissioned to honour local elephant trainer Sam Lockhart.  He lived in Leamington Spa with his troupe of elephants – these three known as The Three Graces show his most famous ones – Wilhelmina, Trilby and Haddie.

Burton upon Trent – Monday 27th May 2019

We had been to visit Sudbury Hall and the Museum of Childhood in Derbyshire in the morning today.  It was the start of half-term and a bank holiday, so the actual museum part was packed with families, which was lovely to see, but meant we didn’t look round properly. The actual Hall was very interesting though so will have to go back!  We were only about ten miles from Burton upon Trent so we headed there afterwards to visit the Waterstones, which is located in the Cooper’s Square Shopping Centre.   Burton is probably best known for being associated with the brewing industry and the shopping centre’s name is an homage to that industry – a Cooper being a person who makes, amongst other things, casks and barrels.

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Burton map

Burton upon Trent

Andresey Bridge
Andresey Bridge
Saint Modwen’s Church

Sudbury Hall and the National Trust Museum of Childhood

Sutton Coldfield – Sunday 26th May 2019

Having spent the day visiting the National Trust property of Shugborough Hall, the Ancestral home of royal photographer Lord Patrick Litchfield, we stopped in Sutton Coldfield on our way back to our hotel.  The Waterstones here is in a modern building set over two floors. 

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Sutton Coldfield map

We arrived late so we didn’t have time to explore the town, but we did photograph an owl sculpture, which we later discovered had been part of an owl trail in the summer of 2015, after which the owls were auctioned off to raise money for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s Star Appeal.  The auction raised £508,035.

The Sutton Coldfield Owl by Scarlett Byfield

Shugborough Hall

Shugborough Hall is definitely worth a visit.  When Patrick Litchfield’s Grandfather died, the house was given lieu in death duties and then Patrick, who succeeded the title at this point as his father had already passed away, rented back an apartment of rooms – this apartment is also open the public and contains many of his photographs, although photography in this part of the Hall is not permitted.

Solihull – Saturday 25th May 2019

Our last stop for today was Solihull but we didn’t have very long here so weren’t able to explore the town properly.  It is the most affluent town in the West Midlands and is a mix of old buildings near a modern shopping centre that opened in 2001 and from what we saw of it, it looked very nice. The Waterstones is located in the High Street.

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Solihull map

Old vs New

Stratford-upon-Avon – Saturday 25th May 2019

Stratford-upon-Avon must surely be best known as the birthplace of William Shakespeare, who is buried in the town and is alleged to have been born and died on the same date – 23rd April.  We have been to Stratford before and it’s a lovely town with more than just Shakespeare to recommend it, although as someone who enjoys his work it is one of the reasons I like to go!  The Waterstones is on the High Street and is set over two floors.

Stratford map

Shakespeare’s grave is situated in Holy Trinity Church at Stratford-upon-Avon and there is a well visited memorial with an amusing rhyme warning anyone against digging up his remains!

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The Swan Theatre and “The Fiddler, the Mandolin Donkey and the Owl” Lamppost

Near The Swan theatre are lots of lampposts which have been donated by different countries.  The image on the right depicts ‘Bottom’ from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Topol as Tevye from The Fiddler on the Roof.  A plaque shows that this one was “A gift from the State of Israel.  

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Photos 1 and 2 – Stratford-upon-Avon Library, Shakespeare’s Birthplace Museum, gardens attached to the museum

From top left:

The Town Hall, The Jester Statue (artist James Butler), ‘The Old Bank’ (a branch of the HSBC Bank)

Currently reading:  After the Party by Cressida Connolly

Wokingham – Monday 6th May 2019

Our final Waterstones on this trip was in Wokingham, another market town.  We were there on the spring bank holiday and there was a May Fayre taking place with a variety of stalls and an open-air music venue where we watched a really good Steel-drummer!  The town is pretty and it was nice to see it so busy, but due to the number of people there we weren’t really able to explore it fully.  The Waterstones is in a modern, airy building and only opened in December 2018

Wokingham map

The present town was built to replace the old Guildhall which had fallen into a state of disrepair.  It opened in 1860 and is a popular wedding venue.

Bracknell – Monday 6th May 2019

Bracknell in Berkshire was declared a new town in 1949 – as part of this it absorbed lots of small villages.  A funny feature of the outskirts is that streets were given names in alphabetical order (and just as a single name – no Road, Street or Close), so in one area off the central road of ‘Ringmead’ you’ll find streets called Pembroke, Prescott, Pendlebury, Ollerton, Octavia, Orion, Oakengates, and nearby are Northcott and Naseby, Nutley…! 

The Waterstones is located in a modern open-air shopping centre which opened in 2017.  The store is on two levels – the upstairs of the store was very empty, as though they didn’t have enough stock to fill it!  I think there must be older parts of Bracknell but we didn’t have time to explore further afield.

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Bracknell map

The Lexicon Shopping Centre

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Horsham – Sunday 5th May 2019

We stopped at Horsham for coffee on our way to our next destination – it’s a market pretty town in West Sussex.  The town grew up around the square called Carfax, which is the location of the Waterstones.  The striking building has had an interesting history.  A medieval building known as the Red Lion which later became George Duke’s Emporium – I’m not sure when this opened, but in 1898 it was taken over by corn and coal dealers Chart and Lawrence who were there for just over 100 years!  The building then became a bookshop – Hammicks.  Ottakar’s acquired that chain in 2003 before being taken over by Waterstones!

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Horsham map

There are plenty of beautiful buildings in Horsham.  One of the prettiest streets is called Causeway and leads from the town to the church and then onto a small park area.

Let sleeping cats lie…!

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