Chasewater
Chasewater maps (2 available)
Map of West Midlands
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Chasewater books (13 available)
- 2 photos on Chasewater appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Chasewater
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Chasewater and West Midlands
Chasewater memories
Read and share memories of Chasewater and West Midlands inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in West Midlands below.
West Midlands memories
Growing up in the Avenues
I left school in 1965, Ogley Hay Girls' School, my maiden name was Kathleen Cooper. My birth father was George Kelly although I was brought up by my grandparents, Nell and Gerald Cooper. I loved the avenues, everyone knew everyone, you could leave the doors open when you went to the club, nobody ever stole from their neighbours, helped more like. I would go down to the canal down Chemmy Hill where the factories were. I had some great friends, we made so much fun and it didn't cost money. Before I left school everyone looked forward to the trips from the local working mens clubs. Then Brownhills began to change, the old picture house went, we went there on a ...read more here
A memory of Brownhills contributed by First name Last name
I Lived There ....
My parents were landlords of the Littleton Arms in the early 1960s era. I was around three years old or so then. Can remember the Saturday nights when bands played down in the bar, wooden beer barrels large and small being delivered into the cellar and Dad hooking them up. Bottles of "BabyCham" on shelves, the odd bag of crisps or pork scratchings for a treat and a Vimto! ... Go figure what lingers in the memory. I understand the pub was demolished recently to make way for a road expansion .. such a shame. It would have been a blast to visit the place after all this time since I have now lived in Canada these past 34 years and ...read more here
A memory of Walsall contributed by David Perry
Aboretum
I was born just around the corner from this photo, in Ward Stree, it's now a car park. This junction is going through yet another re vamp.
As a teenager I would visit the Aboretum with friends and race the boats across the pond and get told off by the staff. We would visit every year for the lights, many now are from Blackpool.
A memory of Walsall contributed by roger murphy
christmas time
This photo always reminds me of christmas as a child, there used to be a policeman sitting in the upstairs window of the bank, watching you cross the the road,he used a loud speaker to tell you when to cross and when not to the road, he used to tell you off if you crossed the road when it was not safe, me and my mates used to run across the road, so the policeman would tell us off, the area is now pedestrians only
A memory of Walsall contributed by kevin stockall
Extracts From Chasewater & West Midlands books
Chasewater is a large reservoir with
an amusement park at its southern
end, where people enjoy water sports
such as sailing and water-skiing, or just
paddling. The northern (Staffordshire)
shore is quieter, and attracts wintering
waterfowl and gulls. On a winter
evening, as thousands of birds wheel
across the setting sun, the Black
Country can seem a long way off.
An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".
Chasewater was built as a canal feeder
in 1800; it was so efficient that its
owners, Wyrley and Essington Canal
Company, sold surplus water to other
companies. Just after it was built, the
dam gave way, pouring torrents of
water across the countryside nearly
as far as Tamworth. It was rebuilt
and faced with stone, and remains
watertight to this day.
An extract from from"West Midlands Living Memories".
Invented by Christopher Cockerell, the
Hovercraft is propelled on a cushion of air
and can travel with ease over land,
swamp, marshy ground or water. When
this picture was taken there were very few
privately-built Hovercraft around, so this
one was bound to draw attention to itself.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
Once a canal feeder, Chasewater was developed for recreational purposes
in the late 1950s offering sailing and boating. In 1967 it was the venue
for the world’s first 24-hour international powerboat race. Since 1966
Chasewater has been the home of the Chasewater Light Railway Co,
whose line runs alongside the reservoir.
An extract from from"West Midlands Pocket Album".
THE DAWNING of the Victorian age marked
the beginning of a period of dramatic change
for Walsall. The next 100 years would see the
arrival of the railways, the development
of the canals and a much improved road
system. Better transport was a boon for
industry and it was a major factor in the
development of the leather industry that
would leave its mark on the town forever.
The 19th century brought rapid population
growth and prosperity, but it also brought
slum living and poverty.
In 1801 there were 10,399 inhabitants
in the borough and the foreign of Walsall;
this had increased to 26,816 by 1851. Rapid
population growth led to 19th-century
problems with sanitation and increasing slum
accommodation. In older parts of the town
the streets were narrow with courts and alleys
and many homes were also without running
tap water.
In many ways Walsall became somewhat a
victim of its own success, surrounded by rich
sources of minerals and limestone. Housing
was cramped but people flocked to the town.
The introduction of turnpike roads in the
late 18th century had opened Walsall up to
travelling tradesmen and more and more
people became aware of this much-maligned
little industrial town.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".