A Month In Pictures

December will be magic again.  I'm only just starting to believe Kate's festive lyrics after a couple of weeks of neck/shoulder pain (finally resolved by a pummelling from the chiropractor), swiftly followed by one of the worst colds I've had.  Here in the UK, we're dropping like flies with a perfect storm of Covid, flu and various other seasonal viruses circulating and spreading their own individual Christmas messages.

Should anyone fall foul of one of these viruses, I've done thorough market research on the over the counter remedies available.  The upshot is, most of them do absolutely nothing, so keep your hard earned cash in your pockets.  However, for persistent coughs, the only throat sweets I have found to be remotely effective are Lockets.  The only cough medicine that packs a punch is the Lemsip one.  But for evenings in, I recommend ye olde hot toddy, comprising the juice of half a lemon, a good teaspoon of honey, hot water and don't spare the brandy.

Anyway,let's move on.  The only good thing I can say about the last week is that I've stayed close to home, not wanting to spread my germs with the rest of the family by driving anywhere and consequently, I've managed to get some moody shots of the Black Country, by venturing out on foot.  The seasons definitely dictate how I see the world and I'm currently finding it impossible to extricate myself from my love affair with black and white.  This one was taken a couple of streets away.  I love this tree lined street and the way the sun bounces off its rain slicked surface.

Here's a suburban snapshot in a puddle...I was drawn to the lines.

Here's a typical Black Country boozer.

Venturing on to the neighbouring village, Wordsley, here we glimpse the old house at the entrance to King George V Park, flanked by some impressive monkey puzzle trees.

Another day, another detour through the side streets of Wordsley.  Can you spot the famous Red House Glass Cone?

Some old factory units, still in use and housing a small car repair service.  I wonder how many more years these buildings will exist?

Onto the canal...a sure sign you're in the Black Country.  The network was used to move coal, limestone and iron around the country and whole communities sprung up around them.  Life on the canal is much more sedate these days.

Onwards we go, past my first primary school, The Brook, first established in 1872 and attended by my Mom when it was a secondary school.  Some time in the 70s, the secondary school relocated and this building reverted to being a primary school.

The only pupils in attendance on the day of my visit were of the feathered variety and had flown in from Canada.  

This was my regular route to school as a small child.  For the longest time, there was some graffiti dedicated to the Irish band Thin Lizzy on the white expanse of wall.  I felt a little sad when suddenly one day, it had vanished.

Another glimpse of that cone.

Nature overspill.

Back on the towpath and the Red House Cone in all her glory, newly restored and imposing.

Rewinding a little, we went to see some more live music, courtesy of Black Country band Headshrinkers.  Securing my position at the front because I was relying on my mobile camera (and because I just love feeling the music and leaving with my ears ringing), I took a few shots, composing, framing and checking focus single handedly, as my other hand was rarely without a beer.  We had a blast and were blown away (almost literally) by the band's raucous noisy energy, lyricism and sheer talent, plus a welcome horn section.

They were ably supported by a female fronted band, Bld Sugr! (Blood Sugar).  The vocalist loved her theatrics and had a good set of pipes as our friend Ade pointed out.

After the show, Gareth snaffled a couple of vinyl editions of Headshrinkers' new album Judgment Day.  I had a brief chat with the lead singer, Garran, during which we discovered that we'd been following each other on Instagram for the last two years.  I hadn't made the connection prior to that evening, probably because it's a personal account and he posts less frequently than I do.  I really need to address my spiralling screen time!

I loved that the band are proud of their Black Country roots, Garran's lyrics are poetry and their videos are shot at various locations close to home.  I hope they make it!  Here's a link to Threadbare, which has proved to be an earworm and also features Dudley Priory ruins, which you may recall I also used as a location for my Halloween Steampunk shoot last year.

Headshrinkers - Threadbare (Official Video)

Staying with the black and white imagery, I made a final visit to Archie's Attic in Enville.  That's the beauty of our region, urban sprawl with a gritty industrial heritage, punctuated by pockets of picturesque countryside.  

Archie's is in a hamlet called Enville, seemingly in the middle of nowhere (but a short drive from the town of Stourbridge) with views to die for, an intriguing history and at least two Knights Templar graves.  The owner and great supporter of local crafters and creatives, Clare is moving on to pastures new.  The cafe will continue though, under different management and will be reopening in mid January.

I never tire of this magical place built around the historic Enville Hall.

I want this sign!

Mistletoe.

My one regret - unavoidable as it was - was that I was too unwell to go to see Sharon Shannon's Big Band Tribute to Shane MacGowan in Birmingham's Irish heart, Digbeth, on Friday.  Unsurprisingly, it was by all accounts an incredible evening, featuring the likes of Imelda May and former Pogue Kate O'Riordan.

So, I'll just have to make do with my vinyl copy of my favourite Christmas song, Fairytale of New York.

Oh, and because they look festive, I'm sharing the spools from one of this month's rare charity shop visits, where I managed to bag all the reds; a pair of leather gloves and a cashmere asymmetrical poncho.

Whatever you're doing, have a good one!  

Pet Cemetery and the Great Glass Mood Elevator

Bear with me on the title of this post....all will become clear.  Crystal clear.

Last weekend, after a tip off from Simon, a photographer acquaintance and explorer extraordinaire (check out his incredible recent drone photography on Instagram @sabphotos69), we headed a mile or so from our back door, to a little known Nature Reserve.  I say "little known" as unbelievably, we had never heard of it, despite skirting around, up and over it, throughout the years.  However, on this occasion, our mission was to find evidence of what lies beneath.

Overlooking the Smestow brook in neighbouring Staffordshire (here in Kingswinford, we straddle the border between Staffordshire and the West Midlands conurbation), the nature reserve started life as a 19th century ornamental wood, planted on a hillside close to the Chance residence.  

The Chance family were a West Midlands industrial dynasty. Originating from Worcestershire, they carved out a reputation for pioneering technology in glassmaking (and as hard nosed businessmen) after taking over a factory in Spon Lane, Smethwick in 1822.  Going from strength to strength, Lucas and William's business produced sheet glass for London's Crystal Palace and the Houses of Parliament and the white opal glass on Big Ben's clock face.  The brothers also mastered the sophisticated lews technology which revolutionised lighthouses along the sea routes of the world. In addition, they were known for popularising the vibrantly coloured slumped (kiln made) glass tableware, Fiestaware.

Chance Wood contains an interesting collection of trees from mature beech and oaks to hornbeam horse, sweet chestnut, silver birch and rowans.  The ground cover comes in the form of wood sage, foxgloves, rhododendrons and snowberry.  Ordinarily, this would be enough to keep me occupied with my camera, but having a dark heart, the star of the show for me was the Victorian pet cemetery.  

The graves of long dead, once beloved family pets were scattered amongst the undergrowth and stacked against the silver birches - perfect ghostly companions for all eternity.  

Even more curious were the inscriptions on some of the head stones.  Whisper: a lovely name, but a terrible end. 

Should it need pointing out, I felt that photographs of a Victorian pet cemetery were deserving of appropriate edits and so I created a texture and experimented with tones and contrast, to create a wet plate photography aesthetic (something I am currently a little obsessed with).

I will haunt you!

Venturing down onto more familiar turf, we followed the Smestow Brook a short way...

...and stared in awe at the spectral oak trees,

...before picking up a footpath crossing farmland and back towards Stourton Castle, a medieval hunting lodge dating from the reign of William II.  

During the reign of Henry II it became known as "the King's Houses".  By 1122 it was known as a castle.  

The castle has a long and chequered history, but here are a few highlights.  Skipping a few centuries, by 1475, the castle was in the ownership of the Duke of Clarence who, in that year gave it to Tewkesbury Abbey.  The castle was returned to the crown in 1495. 

Notably, the Castle was the birthplace of Cardinal Pole, whose maternal grandfather Clarence, was the brother of both King Edward IV, and King Richard III.  Pole was the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury and his mother Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury was beatified in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII.

There are also links to Henry VIII and a forcible change of hands during the Civil War.

The house was remodelled and partially rebuilt in 1832-3.  It was bought by glassmaker, Francis Grazebrook, a relative of the earlier tenant, and remained in the family until the death of his son O. F. Grazebrooke in 1974. The 19th century main front incorporates a late medieval gate tower.

Of course, it's no surprise that links to the glassmaking industry are everywhere in this part of the world.  Wordsley, my birthplace, was once a key player in the glassmaking industry.  Therefore, it only seemed right to finish the week with a visit to another local landmark, the Red House Glass Cone Museum.

There were numerous glassworks in Wordsley from 1776 until 1930, making artisan created cut glass items such as vases, glasses and objets-d'art. The famous replica of the Roman cameo glass Portland Vase was cut in Wordsley.   Read about it and see it here.  Collection Search | Corning Museum of Glass

One of the most famous glass designers was a Wordsley man, William Jabez Muckley. Another was John Northwood, and his son Harry, who helped establish glassware in the USA. Yet another who established glassware in the USA was John Northwood's friend, Frederick Carder. One of the most accomplished glasscutters was George Woodall, whose campaign led to the building of the Wordsley School of Art (sadly demolished in 2001 - much to the outrage of many local residents. 

Only a few foundation stones were saved....by another local Glass Museum.

From our illustrious past, the Red House Glassworks, a 100-foot high glassmaking cone, survives.  Here are some glimpses of the cone on our approach along the High Street and then via a Wordsley back street.

View of the sixteen locks stretch of the Stourbridge canal towpath and the iconic Glass Cone 

Lead-crystal cut glass from Wordsley's heyday is now rare and collectable. Glassworking continued in the area, albeit at a reduced scale, until the 1990s.

Like most towns in the Black Country, regeneration is needed, but the cone is a huge source of local pride and its newly erected neighbour, the Stourbridge Glass Museum, is scheduled to open in April this year.  Hopefully this will further raise the Glass Quarter's profile.

Perched on a hill next to the Wordsley canal, my visit to the Red Cone was a great mood elevator.  It's so easy to take for granted these relics from the past - literally on our doorstep - and our historical significance worldwide.  With my mother in tow, our visit was impromptu and all too brief, but no matter, we can pop back at any time as the admission's free and it's within a 10 minute walk of my Mom's house.  

I loved the Art Nouveau glass safely hidden behind glass cabinets.

Inside, there are numerous exhibits and information boards, including this one, which featured a woman my Mom immediately recognised as a neighbour from her childhood.

We visited the "Shrower" a room which would have been kept under lock and key so that no goods could be removed.  My grandmother would have once worked inside such a room, checking the glass and inspecting it for faults before sending it to other areas of the factory for decoration and packaging.

Below is the annealing oven or "Lehr".  Incredibly, it is now the only remaining example in the world.

There are aspirations for the Black Country to become a Global Geopark due to the wealth of materials just below its surface and the labours of the people who used them.

Clearly the canal network greatly assisted in the transportation of goods and raw materials.

Outside, there are a number of local artisans operating inside these units, 

like this fine artist, specialising in charcoal portraiture,

and a lovely cafe with canalside seating.  

Don't be fooled by the blue skies.  There was an icy wind that could cut glass all by itself, so we shall make a more leisurely return visit soon.

Here's a view of the majestic Grade II listed Cone.  Unfortunately, high winds and heavy rain have damaged the bricks and mortar, so the cone is currently closed to the public whilst Dudley Council continue to raise funds for reparatory work...

...but it's still perfectly safe to take a peek inside from the safety of the doorway...and what a view!  

The glass furnace at the centre of the cone has a 7m diameter and is 3m high.  It would be brought up to temperature (a mere 1250 degrees centigrade) and held at this temperature for around 30 hours, in order to turn the glass to a honey-like consistency.  It could then be gathered up on the end of a blowing iron.

An unofficial rule of photography - don't forget to look up!

On the walk home, we cut away from the "cut" (canal), 

passing through an estate of 1930s houses.  Through a gap between these houses, we glimpsed another local landmark - Wordsley Manor.  

Readers of my blog might recall my recently produced postcard sets Shop | My Site 15371 (winterpeach.co.uk),  which featured this photograph of a jaw dropping Art Deco cinema, hidden deep within the walls of, you guessed it, Wordsley Manor.  I captured it in all its faded grandeur a few years ago when the Manor came up for auction.  

So there you have it.  A little local exploration, urban and natural and all within 15 minutes of my humble abode.  

I'm off to see Kenneth Branagh's Golden Globe Award and BAFTA nominated film Belfast later.  Have a good weekend all!  Until next time!