Aldridge
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Map of West Midlands
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Aldridge photos (none available)
We have no photos of Aldridge,although these nearby locations do:Aldridge books (9 available)
Aldridge memories
Read and share memories of Aldridge 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
Village School
To the left of where the photographer was standing was the junior's playground of the old village school (St Mary and St Margaret's.) In 1963-4 we would have vacated the old buildings and moved into a new building in Southfield Avenue on the Hall Estate. The old school was basically a large room divided into classrooms by immense sliding concertina doors. The windows were very high and so were the ceilings. Because the old school was very cramped just prior to moving to the new one, our class with our teacher Mrs Huggins, had our lessons in two rooms of the old house. I remember immense coal fires in the winter while the rest of the school had hot pipes running ...read more here
A memory of Castle Bromwich contributed by helen kerr
Visits to cathedral
We used to stay one week each summer with my mother's aunt and we would be taken to see the sights of Coventry. I remember so well going into the ruined cathedral and feeling a sense of awe and that it was still a place of worship, albeit open-air. I think it was because the original aisles were still in place and where the pews would have been was grass.
Later on we came to live in Coventry and I have been a member of the Cathedral community. Memorable occasions in the 'old' cathedral have been Easter Sunday services at dawn after having stayed awake (and busy) since the first part of the service the evening before; sponsored sleep-outs overnight (usually ...read more here
A memory of Coventry contributed by josie skene
My parents wedding
Although I wasn't to be born for another 6 years, I remember my mother teling me about her wedding day here. My brother's name is Peter, I wonder if the connection is from this church?
A memory of Wolverhampton contributed by Sarah Hartley
Post Office
We moved to nearby Kingshurst and the Post Office on the corner of Hurst Lane was the nearest for collecting the much needed Family Allowance. It was a good walk as the buses were not very frequent. When I was newly married 13 years later, our first house was in Hawthorne Road so this was my local shopping area. We moved away 33 years ago but having friends who live in Hurst Lane North we do visit the area occasionally. I have experienced many changes to these shops and the now very busy road.
A memory of Castle Bromwich contributed by Lynda Ridgard
Extracts From Aldridge & West Midlands books
Most of the best shops in Walsall are
either in the town centre or situated on the
edge; between them they pull in thousands
of shoppers. The borough is next to the
M6, allegedly Europe’s busiest motorway,
and it has used its location to attract famous
store chains and commuting customers.
Amongst the greatest changes has been the
redevelopment of the top end of Park Street
and the Crown Wharf Retail Park. The park
has extended the shopping zone with a range
of high street stores that includes Next,
T K Maxx and J J B Sports. The park also has
the country’s first non-food Asda Living store,
which has been very successful on the site.
A great deal of money has been invested
in restoring features such as the cenotaph in
Bradford Place and making the town centre
a more attractive place. Perhaps the most
important development for Walsall’s future
is the £180-million regeneration scheme
planned for Town End Bank. For years
seventeen acres of canalside land has been left
vacant and derelict, a depressing backdrop to
the modern, eye-catching new art gallery. A
twelve-year programme of work has now been
decided between Walsall Council and private
partners to completely overhaul the site. It is
known as the Walsall Waterfront, and there
are plans for homes, bars, restaurants and a
cinema. Work started at the beginning of 2005
and the first phase will include remodelling
the old Wharfinger’s Cottage on the canal
basin into a canalside restaurant. There will
also be office space on the site and developers
are hoping to attract more businesses to the
town. Architects across the country have been
charged with generating an exciting design
for the development and up to 600 new jobs
are expected to be created.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".
WALKING AROUND Walsall town centre
today there is little to show visitors what
the town looked like in its early years. The
layout of the streets is still there but many
of the older buildings have been swept aside
by progress. The loss of a great number of
Walsall’s historic buildings has been a hot
topic among councillors over the last few
years, and people are trying to reverse the
trend by preserving what is left of the town’s
heritage. Arguably one of the most depressing
changes in the town happened in the 1960s
when buildings in Digbeth were demolished
to make way for a new shopping centre.
However, the medieval spire of St Matthew’s
has watched over Walsall’s many incarnations
over the centuries, and now the town
is taking on yet another guise.
Walsall has always adapted to
changing economic climates and
consumer demand, from its first
industries in limestone, coal mining
and metalwork through to the
leather trade and now retailing.
Leather working still goes on in the
town but on a much smaller scale.
Workshops are hidden behind the
main streets and often people don’t
even know they are there. Of course
retailing has always been a part of
Walsall’s history as a market town,
but now old factories and workshops
are making way for designer outlets
and pavement café culture. There is
a strong sense of pride in the town
and residents want to knit Walsall’s
past and future together.
The town enjoyed a period of redevelopment
to mark the millennium celebrations; the
showcase was the New Art Gallery Walsall.
The gallery contains the internationally
significant Garman Ryan collection and
regularly hosts exhibitions from around the
world. There was no venue like it in the
town before, and the canal basin outside
was also given a makeover. The pedestrian
area at The Bridge was revitalised, with a
modern art fountain with steps leading down
and ornamental trees. The six-foot bronze
cast of Walsall’s premier heroine Sister Dora
continues to dominate the scene as she has
done since 1886. The Tesco store now stands
where the elegant George Hotel once stood.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".
During the inter-war years the
council tried to alleviate the high rate
of unemployment and set up a number
of public works schemes. These included
improving the Arboretum and, in 1929,
building a new ring road from the top of
Foden Road to Bescot Road. The ring road
became known as Broadway in 1931. One
of the only positive things for the town’s
development at this time was housing. The
first council house in Walsall was completed
on 21 June 1920; it was in Blakenall Lane.
By 1927 1,270 houses had been built and
that number had risen to 5,000 by 1935.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".
During the 1980s Walsall was constantly
evolving and the town centre got its first
indoor retail complex, the Saddlers Shopping
Centre, and a new railway station. The loss
of heavy industry and the scores of factories
that once drove the local economy meant
that Walsall had to reinvent itself. Shopping
was to be the new dominant industry for
the town, and the centre underwent a huge
facelift. Until the mid 1990s the top of
Park Street was lined with ugly, aging shop
fronts and the old Cannon cinema. This was
replaced with new buildings for Woolworth
and BHS. Big name stores, such as River
Island, Boots, and high street stalwart Marks
& Spencer, also settled in Park Street.
Another important development towards
the end of the 20th century was the
establishment of the Leather Museum,
opened in 1998 by Princess Anne. The
museum commemorates the vital role the
leather industry has played in the town’s
development and helps to preserve skills still
being used today.
Before the Walsall Leather Museum was
built there was a collection of leather goods
in the town museum that was plundered by
thieves on 19 March 1975.
Walsall was to be graced by royalty again
when an art gallery was commissioned for
the millennium celebrations. The New Art
Gallery Walsall at the top of Park Street
was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000,
and houses the prestigious Garman Ryan
collection. So much has happened in the
town since its humble medieval beginnings,
and residents have much hope for what the
next millennium will bring.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".
During the inter-war years the
council tried to alleviate the high rate
of unemployment and set up a number
of public works schemes. These included
improving the Arboretum and, in 1929,
building a new ring road from the top of
Foden Road to Bescot Road. The ring road
became known as Broadway in 1931. One
of the only positive things for the town’s
development at this time was housing. The
first council house in Walsall was completed
on 21 June 1920; it was in Blakenall Lane.
By 1927 1,270 houses had been built and
that number had risen to 5,000 by 1935.
An extract from from"Walsall - A History & Celebration".