I heard on the Brierley Hill grapevine yesterday that Greggs is to pull out of the Moor Centre, and that Superdrug are considering a move too. Coming after the Post Office withdrew and Boots announced its intention to relocate, the future of the Moor Centre appears uncertain.
The owners of the locally listed Plough, Church Street, Brierley Hill have submitted a planning application to convert the nearly derelict building into four flats.
The building’s owners, Danbury Associates Ltd, Co Fermanagh, Ireland, submitted the application on 23rd May and it was registered on 13th June.
It was good to bump into Mike Crannage at last night’s Dudley Voice for Choices launch. Mike is the mayor’s attendant and so I know him from my Dudley Council days. You may have read about Mike before for such activities as shrugging off venomous snake bites and scaling volcanos whilst crossing the Costa Rican jungle or racing 155 miles through the Sahara desert or braving “driving winds and temperatures of minus 30 degrees celsius hiking across the frozen wastelands of the Arctic.” Our conversation though got me thinking about the Chapel Street flats.
Pushing open the unsecured door of The Plough in Church Street highlighted the sad state of this locally listed building. Despite its dereliction the rooms were still atmospheric as if haunted by the ghosts of past drinkers who still haunt their favourite venue. I remember it as a popular Simpkiss pub with a roaring fire. The local authority are pursuing the owners who are located in Ireland to persuade them to repair this historic building.
There’s been some fantastic help from traders and members of the Community with Brierley Hill in Bloom – keeping an eye on the plants and helping to water them. This week there was more good news from Dudley Council.
I’ve been to Symphony Hall, the NEC, The Albert Hall, West End theatres…all at great cost. Yet a £5 Black Country Folk, Food and Fun evening at St John’s Church Brockmoor gave me as much pleasure and enjoyment. I do hope these evening become a regular event.
Another inspirational story. Tonight I went to a Celebrating 100 years of Brierley Hill event at Insight House in Pearson Street. Performing there were The Black Country Rebels – a young persons dance group based in Delph Road.
A real pleasure to come across the website Hitchmough’s Black Country Pubs – a fantastic resource for Brierley Hill historians. What’s more it is offering free downloads of all the information he has gathered over the years.
Good news received this morning. The historic painting by WW1 soldier Edward Warren in being retreived from Brierley Hill library and taken for safe keeping to Dudley Archives. It will then be assessed by the keeper of fine arts whilst its future is decided. The painting is one of two presented to the town during • Read More »
The glorious 12th…12th of June that is. The day that the Brierley Hill in Bloom flowers were planted in their containers on the High Street. The sun shone, people smiled, traders took photos, students prided in their work- quite right too. One admirer said: “…it looks like someone cares…”. Other comments made me think: we are also a town which needs to believe in itself, both as individuals and as a community.