US Independence Day I ran into work from Soho/Benson Road tram stop with a lot of Cut Marks, pins, and bolts on my map. I didn’t find any of those but managed to spot some interesting items along the way (it has been 6 months since I was last down this way).
Finding the canal across the park adjacent to the Prison, I was confronted with the back side of Black British History IS British History.
And, some of the legacy of the 2022 Commonwealth Games — I call this one, “The Showoff.”
There were some decent trig points to hit up near the Station in Sutton Coldfield but with no food available (at least, no adult food) I found myself farther and farther afield. I only found one mark on a bridge on my way out to a chippy.
On the train ride home I spotted the Victor Tower (TP18400). Phat Chips is down on the street level of this flats tower, so I’m taking this one as a ‘win’.
I’d been working on the shed patio and the front garden paving all day Saturday and some of Sunday but, before showering the quarry tile dust and paving sand away, I had a 6 miler scheduled. I reckoned I still felt pretty good despite the chemo so I headed out toward Bunn’s Lane in Dudley to do some hill work and to map out some trigPoints, like the Cut Mark on the Ivy House pub which may still be open but never has been anytime I’ve been by the last 4 years.
Dead reckoning, I was trying to scout my path to the town centre when at the top of one hill I spied Dudley Castle on another, lined up with a side street.
After my wee adventure in the Shrewsbury Arms, I was just going to jog over to the bus station but noticed a Cut Mark notation on my online map. It is on the side of the fountain at the market which was largely unpopulated late Sunday.
I found the spot braced myself to squat by holding onto the rim of the dry fountain. I was setting up this photo when two scruffy ass youfs come up and asked, “Yow awwrite, bruv?” I looked at them with a slight frown.
“I’m squatting by a monument taking a photo of an Ordnance Survey bench mark. NOTHING about this is alright. Hobbies…am I right?” By this time I was slipping the back pack on and trotting toward the depot.
Travelling from the rail station to a pet supply store could be shit, but in Wolverhampton there are nice surprises everywhere you look.
As is becoming habit, I took the route I did because of TrigPointing. The spire of the Church of St John in the Square is an intersectional point (TP14193).
A local stensil artist’s work (SKORE?) kept appearing around town:
Over by the Desi Yew Tree, I searched in vain for a mark (probably fell to repointing or brick replacement). After the cat food and litter stop at the Sunbeam strip mall, I headed toward The Royal tram stop past some lovely old factories.
It had a very crisp Cut Bench Mark toward the back/junction with another warehouse:
Skore continued to way mark my path:
And, with such attention to detail! The boombox is painted behind the junction box.
The run had not gone well and I was struggling to keep going. I’d had several unsuccessful Cut Mark attempts and a quick lager at the Spinney before deciding to make my way to the house.
There at the highest point of the route was All Saints Church whose spire is TP18369. There was another CM just down at the south entrance to Heath Lane Cemetery (recently scourged by flytippers) but it is faint and may not survive another year of weathering:
With a low mileage run planned for the day, I got to work early and did a quick one down to Bournville Station then caught the train from there back into the labs. First stop: the site of the long forgotten Pavilion Cinema which contained a pin as a triangulation point.
The Stirchley Baths were not in my plans but I spotted the building and took a moment to look around.
There on the back corner was one of the cleanest Cut benchmarks I’ve seen so far.
Too small for a pool, I’m guessing it is no longer in use as a bath house.
The building you see on the walk to Wolverhampton St George’s tram stop looks like an old bus station but was, in fact, a Sainsbury’s supermarket.
From 1986 to 2015 it was built onto the church of St George (the intersectional trig point for this journey).
There was also supposed to be a bolt by the door on this side of the newer building, but alas….
Here it is, still in use in 2009:
I’ve read about the Weoley Cinema online in preparation of the TrigPointing run through California area of Weoley Castle, but I haven’t found any photos of it. It would have stood in the space occupied, today, by the petrol station and quick shop shown above.
The run from work passed our old house along the nature trail then emerged not far from the former site of the New Stonehouse pub. Now new build housing, Google Earth still had it on street view as late as 2012:
The loop went through Weoley Castle, proper, then back past the off license near our old house which had my first successful mark of the journey.
There is a bolt at the top of the Med School clock tower designated TP18328 and which is inaccessible. I’ve recorded it here since I pass this twice most days but I’ll remember to ask the professors I work with over there to help me weasel access to it sometime.
I usually exit Wylde Green station to the south on Station Road but on this TrigPointing trip I opted to head toward Highbridge Road and spotted the fox tucked away between the retaining wall and the stairs.
The bridge at that exit has a severely weather worn CM in the blue bricks. A little further along on this trot I found a much better maintained CM on the URC church.
I find this odd since the brick here looks like it would be more susceptible to wind, rain, and pollution damage…
Continuing on, my goal was lunch at the Sutton Park Hotel which also has a decrepit CM on it:
After I rejected the menu there and found no chippies opening in the next few hours, I swallowed my dignity and headed to the Harvester down the street with a stop across the way at #80 to find another old marker:
The one redeeming factor in this lunch stop was the Psychedelic Panda (called the Boldmere Bear on the plaques around it but you can’t mistake the “Drop” signage (as in drop acid).
Much slower after the “meal” I struggled along until I spotted TrigPoint #14746, the spire at St Mike’s:
I find the chimeric modern structure/ancient house chimera a little disturbing but the CM on the church was still on site.
As I completed the loop, I realised just what a spectacular day this was (back in June).
The railway bridge at the Station Road entrance has a mark on the Boldmere side:
It is in a low place in the road so there is a flood gauge mounted as well:
Before continuing, allow me to wish you a Happy International Cat Day. Jimi gets extra treats and cuddles today, as should your furry buddies. Anyways:
The run home from Galton Bridge was interrupted regularly in a fruitless search for Ordnance Survey pins and bolts listed on the canal. There’s simply too much vegetation growing and/or rotting along the edges — I need to bring a broom or rake when I try again.
In the meantime, I did spot a few good cut marks en route such as this one on an overflow on the canal between Tipton and the Wolverhampton-to-Birmingham canal.
I also picked up a massive goose feather for Jimi there. A bit later on I picked up a goose egg at the foundry entrance on West Brom Street. Since the list was published, the area of the factory including a vast asbestos hazardous waste site has been converted to new-build:
I also came up short at #101 West Bromwich Street: although I could clearly see the mark on the house, it is definitely a private residence and I generally respect that.
From #101 you can see the rail bridge ahead. It is supposed to have two CM’s but I only found one on the Oldbury side:
Finally, at the Vine close to home I found what I think is the benchtop but none of the legs of a Cut Mark. It is in the right place even if not conclusive:
So, no pins, one possible pin replacing a CM (???) and some modest CM successes over about 5 miles.
Endless British Pub Crawl (Part 3) 