Open Day at the Galton Valley Pumping Station in Smethwick

I went along to the first open day of the year at the Galton Valley Pumping Station in Smethwick, on the second Saturday of each month between April and October, each year. Run by Sandwell Museums & The Friends of Galton Valley Pumping Station. Very friendly volunteers, as I had a look around getting photos. Well worth a visit when it's open. Train down to Smethwick Galton Bridge.

I scanned in this leaflet I was handed with the 2024 open day dates at the Galton Valley Pumping Station in Smethwick. Held on the second Saturday of each month from April to October, 11am to 3pm (last admission at 2:30pm). Free entry.

I went on Saturday 13th April 2024. The next dates are as follows: 11th May, 8th June, 13th July, 10th August, 14th September and 12th October 2024. Thank you to The Friends of Galton Valley Pumping Station and Sandwell Museums.

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Here's some of the usual outdoor views of the Galton Valley Pumping Station, that I retook, while I was in Smethwick again on Saturday 13th April 2024, similar to views I've taken before in the past. I approached from Smethwick Galton Bridge Station via the Birmingham Canal Navigations New Mainline, you have to go up the steps to the BCN Old Mainline to go in the entrance, and see the volunteers.

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The views on leaving the pumping station, from Brasshouse Lane over the old and new BCN canals, then over the footbridge that crosses Tollhouse Way.

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A look around the inside of the Galton Valley Pumping Station in Smethwick. There was a Tangyes Birmingham engine on the upper floor.

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Arthur Ross and several old signs on the floor here.

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Into the next room then would be going downstairs.

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A Fellows, Morton & Clayton narrowboat, registers at Birmingham, you could have a look inside, but not sure if there was room to climb on board.

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Working life on the canals.

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Down the bottom with large boiler engines.

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On this wall A C Munford Engineer Colchester.

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The back up more steps, one last look at the Tangyes Birmingham engine, before heading out.

dndimg alt="Galton Valley Pumping Station" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Galton%20Valley%20PS%20OD%2013042024%20(14).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photography by Elliott Brown 

Replacing the Great Charles Street Queensway footbridge: improving the link from the Colmore to JQ BID's

There is plans from Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands (who hopes to be re-elected for a 3rd term in May 2024) to replace the footbridge over Great Charles Street Queensway. It starts near Church Street, Colmore BID, to Ludgate Hill, Jewellery Quarter BID, then the walk up to St Paul's Square. Has ramped steps on both sides. And the glass building one side full of graffiti.

This walk from Church Street to Ludgate Hill was on Easter Sunday, 31st March 2024 (starting from Coffee #1 Newhall Street and ending at St Paul's Square).

We start at the Colmore BID, from Church Street Square, the view to the rickety footbridge over Great Charles Street Queensway, the view up to Ludgate Hill, St Paul's Square and St Paul's in the Jewellery Quarter.

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Prunus Cistena Purple leaf cherry blossom seen in Church Street Square. Next walk down Church Street, and enter the footbridge at Great Charles Street Queensway, via Britannia House.

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Heading down Church Street, the Great Charles Street Footbridge is on the left. Up Ludgate Hill you can see the spire of St Paul's Church in St Paul's Square.

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After crossing the footbridge, and walking past the construction sites on Ludgate Hill, you get to this classic view from St Paul's Square.

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See Phyllis Nicklin's 1960s photo for a comparison of Ludgate Hill.

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We have put together this 1960 and 2024 comparison of Ludgate Hill from St Paul's Square. Now seven bollards and a heritage lamppost instead of six bollards and a heritage lamppost. Plus two bins. And the pavement has been widened in the last 64 years.

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The zoom in from St Paul's Square down Ludgate Hill shows you that Great Charles Street Queensway has split the city in half since it opened in the early 1970s. You can see Church Street Square on the other side in the Colmore BID, as well as the Hotel du Vin further up Church Street (the former Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital of 1883).

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Head out to have a look at St Paul's Church with daffodils, then leave the Jewellery Quarter via Livery Street, walk down Constitution Hill and Old Snow Hill. No trams at St Paul's Tram Stop, but walk up the steps to St Chads Tram Stop, then walk past the Snowhill estate offices, and back to Snow Hill Station Square and Colmore Row.

dndimg alt="St Paul's Square" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/St%20Pauls%20JQ%20daffodils%2031032024.JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photography by Elliott Brown

The first St Patrick's Day Parade in 5 years but on Bradford Street in Digbeth!

I previously got the St Patrick's Day Parade's in Digbeth in March 2015 and March 2018. Usually from a view outside Selfridges at the Bullring. But the 2024 St Patrick's Day Parade was on Bradford Street, due to the Eastside Metro extension works on the Digbeth High Street. It started at Camp Hill and went as far as Rea Street. I walked up Cheapside for extra views.

A few days before the St Patrick's Day Parade, I went to the Custard Factory to get the painted billboard wall on Gibb Street. It was advertising Shanky's Whip for St Patrick's Day.

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Before noon on Sunday 17th March 2024, St Patrick's Day. The parade was waiting at the top of Camp Hill. Bus routes including the 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5, 6 and 50 were diverted from Camp Hill Circus, Bordesley Middleway, Coventry Road and onto the Digbeth High Street. Until 2019, the previous parades always used to use the Digbeth High Street (consisting of High Street Bordesley and High Street Dertiend). The 2020 and 2021 parades were cancelled due to the pandemic, then 2022 and 2023 due to the Eastside Metro extension works and other factors. But was decided for 2024 to use Bradford Street instead.

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I was thinking of going up to level 4 of Edgbaston Street Car Park for a view of the parade, but an alarm at the Bull Ring Indoor Market stopped that idea. So headed back to the Bullring then into Selfridges, and over the Parametric Bridge for a view from level 8 of Moor Street Car Park (which I was going to do anyway). But in the end, felt better just to leave the car park on Park Street and walk to Bradford Street in Digbeth for some views of the parade close up. There was no view from the balcony at the Bullring near Selfridges.

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The view from Bradford Street, beyond Rea Street, looking up to Camp Hill. Very crowded. But at least the parade was back.

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I left Bradford Street, and walked onto Barford Street then started going up Cheapside. A look up Rea Street towards The Anchor, Birmingham Coach Station and The Digbeth Institute.

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Continuing up Cheapside, the next road I popped up was Birchall Street, where you have a view of the Custard Factory (Devonshire House / Zellig Building). Modern flats on the right at Fabrick Square.

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St Anne's Catholic Church could be seen from Alcester Street with an Irish flag. They held a service here that morning before the festivities began.

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Also on Alcester Street near St Anne's Catholic Church was this stall selling Irish flags, hats and scarves.

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Further up Cheapside is Rea Place, between new apartment buildings, Rea House and Kinvara Heights, towards Abacus on Bradford Street. Bit hard to see anything from here, so continued walking up the hill.

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Now onto Moseley Road. The parade floats near A1 Clutches and Adam & Eve Evolve.

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After Moseley Road, I then walked up Ravenhurst Street to Camp Hill, I did briefly look at one side from Lowe Street. The last parade floats on Camp Hill, as they were about to go onto Bradford Street. After this I walked around Bordesley Middleway, Coventry Street, Upper Trinity Street and Adderley Street, before getting a bus from the Digbeth High Street.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

Welcome to Ladywood around Ladywood Middleway

While Ladywood includes much of the City Centre, in this post we will take a look at Ladywood around Ladywood Middleway. This is the suburban part not far from Edgbaston and Five Ways. Spring Hill Library is near the end of Ladywood Middleway, while Broadway Plaza is close to Five Ways (the former site of the Children's Hospital). 

 

The first recorded evidence about Lady Wood was back in 1565. It was named after the Lady Wood which was located between Monument Road and the Ladywood Brook. It stretched from Portland Road to Spring Hill. The wood may have been the property of a church. The wood was long gone by the mid 16th century.

The Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line

The Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line was built through Ladywood between 1769 and 1772 by the canal engineer James Brindley.

The canal was straightened by Thomas Telford in the 19th century and this led to Brindley's sections being cut off as loops. Today we have the Icknield Port Loop and the Soho Loop within Ladywood (and the Oozells Loop in the City Centre).

dndimg alt="Birmingham Canal" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Birmingham Canal Ladywood Middleway (May 2011).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The Birmingham to Wolverhampton Railway

The Birmingham to Wolverhampton Railway opened in 1852 and it passes through Ladywood. It is known as the Stour Valley Line. There used to be a station in Ladywood called Monument Lane. It opened in 1854, was renamed to Edgbaston shortly afterwards. Renamed back to Monument Lane in 1874. It was relocated in 1886 and it was closed down in 1958.

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St John's Church Ladywood

The Church of St John is located on Monument Road near Ladywood Middleway. It is a Grade II listed building. Originally built in 1854 in the Gothic style (or Decorated style) by S. S. Teulon, the Church of St John the Evangelist was built on the site of Ladywood House, on land that was leased from King Edward VI School.  The famous Birmingham architect J. A. Chatwin built additions to the church in 1881. It was also called the Anglican Church of St John and St Peter.  The building material used was coursed red sandstone with ashlar dressings. The Church of St John the Evangelist became the Church of St John and St Peter in 2000.

dndimg alt="St Johns Church Ladywood" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood (May 2011) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Lench's Trust Almshouses

These Almshouses are on Ladywood Middleway near Five Ways. They were built in 1858 by J H Hornblower and Haylock in the Tudor style or Jacobean style. It is a Grade II listed building. It was built of red brick with stone dressings and tiled roofs. No 1 Hagley Road (Metropolitan House by John Madin) is seen behind to the left.  Broadway Plaza is to the right of this.  It was the site of the Children's Hospital until 1998).

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Below is the view from the Hagley Road of the Lansdowne House during April 2016 with developer Seven Capital. No. 1 Hagley Road was also getting refurbished at the time. You could see Lench's Trust Almshouses from Hagley Road before The Lansdowne got built.

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Ladywood Middleway view of Lench's Trust Almshouses, with The Lansdowne well under way behind. Seen during March 2018. A mixture of old and new architecture.

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Here is another view of Lench's Trust Almshouses during November 2019. 

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Spring Hill Library

Spring Hill Library is next to a large Tesco supermarket at Spring Hill on Summer Hill Road. Spring Hill Library is a Grade II* listed building built in 1893 by Martin and Chamberlain. It was built in the Gothic style with bright red bricks and terracotta dressings. 

dndimg alt="St Johns Church Ladywood" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood (May 2011) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Welcome to Ladywood

Prominently located on Ladywood Middleway is this sculpture of Charles Blondin, a French tightrope walker.

In September 1873 he came to Birmingham, and crossed Edgbaston Reservoir on a tightrope! The statue was made in 1992 and placed on Ladywood Middleway. It was sculpted by the artist Paul Richardson in 1993.

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Broadway Plaza

The Birmingham Children's Hospital was on the Ladywood Middleway site from when it was built from 1910 to 1919, until they moved to Steelhouse Lane (the former Birmingham General Hospital) in 1998. Most of the hospital was demolished apart from the facade, and Broadway Plaza opened in 2003. It originally had a 12 screen cinema run by AMC, but Odeon took it over in 2012. It was transformed into the Odeon Luxe Cinema in 2018. There is also a bowling alley here. Originally BowlPlex, it is now the Hollywood Bowl. There is also a Travelodge hotel.

The architect of the Children's Hospital was F W Martin. At one point it was called the King Edward VII Memorial Children's Hospital. Only the facade was retained, the rest of the hospital was demolished. The facade became the entrance to the Broadway Casino, with Virgin Active to the left.

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dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (June 2009) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

This memorial stone was laid in April 1913 by H.R.H. The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (June 2009) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

View below during December 2009 with Christmas stars up as Christmas decorations at Broadway Plaza.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (Dec 2009).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

An early evening shot below from December 2013 with Christmas lights on the facade of the former Children's Hospital at Broadway Plaza.

dndimg alt="Birmingham Children's Hospital" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Childrens Hosp Ladywood Mway (Dec 2013).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

 

Kareo 6 Medical & Health Centre

Not much is known about this building. In the middle of the building is a Birmingham Forward coat of arms dated to 1934. Inscribed on it was Maternity & Child Welfare Centre. So that must of what it was originally built as back in the day.

dndimg alt="Kareo 6 Medical Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Middleway (March 2017) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

dndimg alt="Kareo 6 Medical Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Middleway (March 2017) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Ladywood Community Fire Station

Ladywood Fire Station is located on Icknield Port Road in Ladywood. It is not far from Monument Road. West Midlands Fire Service serves all of Ladywood plus the City Centre West from this fire station. 

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Ladywood Leisure Centre

The Ladywood Leisure Centre was opened in August 2019 on a site on Ladywood Middleway at the end of Monument Road. It replaced the old Ladywood Arts & Leisure Centre. The site was cleared by 2015 and it was built in 2019. It is similar in design to new leisure centres built in Northfield (2018) and in Stechford (2018).

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dndimg alt="Ladywood Leisure Centre" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Ladywood Leisure Centre (Feb 2020) (7).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

Preserved Midland Metro tram 16 at Very Light Rail, Dudley and West Midlands Metro tram 52 in service

On a walk around Dudley, I did not expect to find the preserved Midland Metro tram 16, one of the T-69 trams, to be at Very Light Rail in Dudley. Out of the 16 trams in service from 1999 to 2015, 13 have been scrapped, while three preserved including this one. The other two 07 and 10 are at Long Marston. The last West Midlands Metro tram 52, and was the last of the new Urbos 100 order.

I was in Dudley, during January 2024, for an update of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension, and was walking out of Dudley Town Centre, when I spotted this old tram at Very Light Rail.

The former Midland Metro tram 16, a T-69 which was in service from Wolverhampton St George's to Birmingham Snow Hill from 1999 to 2015, was moved from Long Marston to Dudley, for testing on the Very Light Rail tracks.

It still has The Metro, and original red, blue and yellow livery on it, as well as a Wolverhampton College advert dating to 2014. It arrived in Dudley in November 2023.

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The most recent tram to come into service was West Midlands Metro tram 52 in January 2024. The last of the Urbos 100 order. Currently there is multiple bus routes from Birmingham to Dudley including the 74, 87, 126 and X8. But by the end of 2024, the tram extension from Wednesbury to Dudley Town Centre might open.

Seen here leaving Edgbaston Village Tram Stop on Hagley Road, via the Five Ways underpass towards Broad Street and Five Ways Tram Stop.

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Photography by Elliott Brown