Over the last few years we have been photographing the places and buildings of interest that are, or will become part of our heritage. Our aim is to create a tardis of lasting memories before it is too late! So many of our wonderful buildings have already been lost in the 'name of progress', especially that of the 1960's which resulted in the destruction of so much of the wonderful architecture created by our forebears.
We have produced this gallery to compare some of the old with the new - more photos will be added regularly. We want to preserve what remains of the past, and the 'new' that will become the past in a photographic gallery so that people whose roots lie within the Black Country may reflect upon these images. We hope that for all who live in other parts of the country or indeed the world, that this will be a window through which to view our beloved Black Country and a time capsule for future generations to look back at our local heritage. Please see www.blackcountryimages.co.uk for over a thousand photos taken of the Black Country over the past 3 years.
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The original Corbett Hospital, formerly Hill House which was purchased by John Corbett in December 1891.The house was converted into a hospital and was donated by John Corbett to the local people. It was opened on 31st July 1893.
The newly built Corbett Hospital. The old hospital was demolished in 2007 and sadly this included the small part that remained of the eighteenth century mansion shown above and known as ‘The Hill’.
A rare photo of me! I'm on the far right and this was the back entry to the houses in Plant Street, Cradley Heath, which remain today. We used to have wonderful bonfires in this entry every year. Happy memories.
The same entry, now an area for the parking of cars. Still recognisable though.
The Free Library, Cradley Heath, Old Hill circa 1920. Three Carnegie libraries were donated by the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, of which this is the largest. It was built by the Rowley Regis Urban District Council in the early 1900’s. The other two were Tividale (replaced by Oakham Library in 1966) and Blackheath. This library at Cradley Heath is now Grade II listed.
The foundation stone was laid on 27 November 1908 by John Hilton, Chairman of the Urban District Council and all three libraries were opened officially on 15 November 1909.
The library as it is today. A wonderful building that has survived and will hopefully be preserved for future generations.
The Parish Church of St Luke, Cradley Heath. It is interesting because it shows the turrets on the church which were removed around 1912.
The Church as it is today. Sadly, it was in a very bad state of repair when this photo was taken in 2009.
This was originally the United Counties Bank of Cradley Heath, but was Barclays Bank prior to its conversion a few years ago.
Although no longer a bank, the restoration of this building has retained its character. I have many fond memories of going to the bank with mom and dad when I was a child and was always enthralled by its interior.
A photo of Cradey Heath High Street circa 1904, before the subsidence in 1914.
An almost identical view where the dip in the high street due to the subsidence is very prominent. What a shame most of the wonderful shops of yesteryear no longer remain.
This real photographic postcard was by E Beech of the Imperial Studio, Cradley Heath. It was taken in Cradley Heath High Street, looking towards Upper High Street. The Procession features, amongst others, the Boys Brigade, Boy Scouts and the gentlemen in the double-breasted jackets are firemen. The date is circa 1913 because the turrets were removed from St Luke's Church around 1912 and they do not appear in this photo.
With sincere thanks to Colin Brownhill for providing this photo, taken in Upper High Street, near to Four Ways, Cradley Heath, the same road that the Carnival Procession followed.
The Parish Church of St Augustine of Hippo, Holly Hall, Dudley.
An almost identical view today.
The Parish Church of St Mary, Kingswinford.
A recent photo of this beautiful church.
A photo taken in the 1960's. This part of Stourbridge has not changed considerably, although The Crown Centre has always seemed out of place in my opinion.
A photo of the old market building taken in 2009.
Another photo taken at the same time. The Mitre remains very much the same.
The New Town Hall in Walsall prior to its opening in 1905.
A recent photo showing that the building remains very much the same as it was over a century ago.
Please note that more past and present photos will be added as soon as possible.
We must pay tribute to all the late photographers, especially E Beech and E Beech Jnr of the Imperial Studio, Cradley Heath, J N Cockin, Reddal Hill and Horace Dudley, who had studios in Dudley and West Bromwich for providing the lasting memories from their photographs.
