Brownhills

Books (and other media) on Brownhills

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33 Baggott's Circle – 20 July 2020 by Lisa Ashby
Paperback: 121 pages
Publisher: Independently published (20 July 2020)
ISBN-13:979-8667938651

It's 1981 in the middle of England when Millie and Joseph Holden and their six year old daughter Leah move into a new house, but they are unaware that something else calls it ‘home’. However, it isn't long before they realise that all is not as it seems when the entity begins to make it's presence known. As if that wasn't enough, the reclusive old man who lives next door starts to cause trouble and life becomes increasingly difficult for the family. The dream home soon turns into a nightmare and the Holden's are forced to take action. This story is based on true events.

‘Very disturbing, the tension escalates and l enjoyed it. Well done!" — Stuart Cowley, author of Someone In Time (available on kindle)

Lisa Ashby has always had a passion for books, but has only recently decided to ‘put pen to paper‘, the result being this, her first published novel. Lisa was born and bred in Walsall in the West Midlands, the location for this book. She now lives in America with her husband Jason.

Poetry in Brownhills Paperback – 19 April 2020 by Jan Grinnell (Editor) - on behalf of Knaves Court Residents' Association

Paperback: 89 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8638630850

A collection of poems by various authors in the community of Brownhills.

‘The Friends of Knaves Court’ is a voluntary group consisting of residents, staff, families and friends connected with Knaves Court, Brownhills. They are proud of their involvement and interaction with individuals and groups of all ages across the whole of Brownhills, and raise Funds to promote clubs and activities at Knaves Court for residents and visiting senior citizen friends from the locality.

Rambling of a Local Historian by Clive L Roberts
Published December 2018 - Paperback - Price £8.00

"Rambling of a Local Historian: is a book on local history, mainly covering Brownhills,
there's also information on Clayhanger and a loco at Walsall Wood Colliery
and also Norton Pool (Chasewater) plus other subjects and lots of photos, 59 pages in all.
The books are brand new and hot of the press.
Author myself: Clive L Roberts."

On sale at Brownhills Library (while stocks last!)
You can also purchase it on eBay here

Chatting with Brownhills - Memories from our Community
edited by Jan Grinnell on behalf of Knaves Court Residents' Association
Published 2018 - ISBN 9781980781103 - 103 pages

"A book that recognises individual memories as a precious resource to be preserved and cherished.
This is not a history textbook. It's a collection of wonderful memories from the community that makes up Brownhills rather than a record of its changing bricks and mortar. Nevertheless, the snippets of local history that shine through in their stories of years gone by will always leave you wanting to find out more about the history of the West Midlands."
Includes ----
Childhood and Schooldays
Moving into Adulthood
Memories of the Local Area
Wartime
Brownhills Poets

(3/5/2018) The book is just £4.99 or on Kindle for £1.99 in electronic form - from
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chatting-Brownhills-Jan-Grinnell/dp/1980781109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525014691&sr=8-1&keywords=chatting+with+brownhills

Old Public Houses of Brownhills - Part Two by Clive L Roberts
Published December 2017 - Paperback - Price £8.00

----- Clive says via https://brownhillsbob.com/2017/12/15/new-local-history-book-old-public-houses-of-brownhills-part-two-now-available/
"My new book Old public houses of Brownhills (Part 2) has arrived from the printers and is now on sale at:
Brownhills Library
The corner shop in Friezland Lane Brownhills
You can also purchase it on eBay here

The book contain 160 pages of information on our old pubs. The pub’s covered are: Anchor Inn, Boat Inn,  Fortune of war/Pier Inn, George and Dragon (Clayhanger), Leopard Inn, Malt Shovel Inn, Red White and Blue, Royal George Inn, Royal (Middle) Oak, Shire Oak Inn, Shoulder of Mutton, Station Hotel, Warreners Arms, Wheat Sheaf and finally the Woodman.

The book costs just £8 each – and if there are any folk out there that would like Old public houses of Brownhills (Part 1) there are just a few left and are for sale at Brownhills Library and the Corner shop in Friezland Lane, also at £8 each.

Books should be available now, so get in quick!" (Details correct at 15 December 2017)

Old Public Houses of Brownhills - Part One by Clive L Roberts
Published November 2016 - Paperback - Price £8.00

----- Clive says via https://brownhillsbob.com/2016/11/24/time-gentlemen-please-for-a-great-new-book-about-brownhills-pubs/
"I have put together a book on Old Public Houses of Brownhills (part 1), the book has about 90 pages and covers the history and other details of pubs on the west side of Brownhills,

The pubs covered in part one are: Anglesey Arms, Chase Inn, Hussey Arms, Jolly Collier, Lamb Inn, Old Wilkin Inn, Pear Tree, Prince of Wales, Queens Head, Railway Tavern, Rising Sun, Swan Inn, Turk’s Head, White Horse and the Yew Tree Inn.

That’s 16 pubs in all… The book covers known landlords and some of the past history from newspaper reports and other sources, together with some interesting photographs.

Copies are available for just £8 each.

You can obtain yours from: Brownhills Library, Walsall Wood Library and also The DEI Convenience Store (Corner or Red shop) in Friezland Lane, and last but not least Walsall Local History Centre."
(Details correct at 25 November 2016)

Walsall Wood:A Local History - The John Sale Collection
Published December 2015 - DVD - Price £7.50

This 41 minute slideshow is produced by John Sale from his large photo collection.

(16/12/2015) The book can be purchased  "while stocks last" from:
Claridge Electricals Limited
43 High Street
Walsall Wood
WS9 9LR

SNIPPETS OF HISTORY - In and around Brownhills by Clive L Roberts
Published November 2015 - Paperback - Price £8.00

You can now visit the Clive Roberts web site via http://asyoudo.org/ and click on "Local History".

----- Clive says via http://brownhillsbob.com/2015/11/19/new-brownhills-history-book-hot-off-the-presses/
"My new book Snippets of History in and around Brownhills as some intresting topics, such as: The steam boat on Chasewaters was built by a engineering foundry in Ogley Hay, the book also covers the engineering firm which as been lost in time till now, also the bridge over the canal at the bottom of Pier street was orignaly owned by the landlord of the Fortune of War. There is lots more topics from the past, plus photos of Brownhills in the past."

(21/11/2015) The book can be purchased  "while stocks last" from:
Walsall Wood Library;
Brownhills Library;
Corner shop Friezland Lane:
Egan’s shop Brownhills High Street;
Walsall Local History Centre.

Who's Putting the Nets Up? by Brian Stringer Published Oct 2015 - Paperback 128 pages - Price £6.00 (as at 19/10/2015)....The book can be purchased from: Brownhills Library - "while stocks last"

"Like all footballers there comes a time when the legs and the pounding heart tell you, enough is enough, yet whatever level you have attained, it is often impossible to switch off completely and become merely a spectator. ln 1975, during such a time of frustrating inertia Brian s next door neighbour suggested forming a village soccer team. Visions of youngsters in a new pristine strip, playing free flowing football that destroyed all opposition, a skill he had taught them religiously, immediately sprang to mind. He dived in without any hesitation embarking on a journey that brought delight, fun, satisfaction, frustration, and turmoil, plus many more emotions over the next 20 years. Like most hobbies because that s what it is after all - it soon became all consuming and led to tasks that at the outset would never have been imagined. He was soon a taxi service, a fund raiser, a bricklayer, a welder, a sign writer, a carpenter, gardener and pyro technician. These were all manual tasks, but tact, diplomacy, and counselling can all be added to the mix, as kids grew into teenagers and then fully fledged adults, some with prima donna tendencies. A pastime that was to take up winter Sunday afternoons, gradually swallowed Saturdays, week days, and eventually summers as well. Families got involved or left behind as soccer was all, and nothing allowed to stand in the way. But then the bodily aging process that started all this, gradually affected the mind too, and in Brian s case he had to wind down or be destroyed by the pressure that was consuming the pleasure. This is his tale of amateur and junior football but l ll bet any club in the UK could conjure up a similar story. But he has, and dedicates it to all the people he s made friends with through soccer over the years, some who appear in these pages and others who may not, but will still be fondly remembered."

OLD BROWNHILLS - The Life And Times Of SID PRITCHARD compiled by Bill Mayo
Published April 2015 - A4 Paperback approx 60 pages - Price £8.00

(as at 14/4/2015)....The book can be purchased from:
Brownhills Library - "while stocks last"

Fellow compiler David Evans has reported via BrownhillsBob's Brownhills Blog ---- "Sid Pritchard, the original diarist had passed away in 1987. However, these notes had fortunately been rescued at the last minute, and Bill Mayo was invited to review them. A request was made that the notes be published in a book, dedicated to the memory of Sid Pritchard.

Transcribing the multitude of notes and deciphering some of the barely legible handwriting has been a challenging but immensely gratifying task.

There has been no transposition or correction made to the original notes in order to help preserve the original character of this perceptive and witty author in his colourful description of some of the people and places in Brownhills as he takes a ‘…walk from the Rising Sun to the Shire Oak Pub’. It is these notes that are now being published by Bill Mayo in his latest book."

SNIPPETS OF HISTORY - In and around Walsall Wood by Clive L Roberts
Published October 2014 - Paperback 82 pages - Price £8.00

You can now visit the Clive Roberts web site via http://asyoudo.org/ and click on "Local History".

----- Clive says via http://brownhillsbob.com/2014/10/19/wood-n-heart-a-new-book-out-now/
"Some of the subjects I have covered in the book include how Freizland Lane got its name, the lost Walsall Wood Institute, some local football teams, a few post cards of Walsall Wood, Walsall Wood folk up before the bench, the history of the Wheel Inn pub, plus lots more.

----- (26/07/2016) ---- Clive says "(Update) Walsall Wood Library and Egans Shop located on Brownhills High St, now have my first book and second book in PDF format on DVD at a cost of £4.00 each".

CLAYHANGER KID TWO - The Teenage Years by Brian Stringer Published April 2013 Price £6.00 Paperback 164 pages April 2013 - Limited stock available at :- Downes Newsagents, Brownhills Chasewater Railway Shop

SNIPPETS OF HISTORY - In and around Shire Oak by Clive L Roberts
Published April 2013

You can now visit the Clive Roberts web site via http://asyoudo.org/ and click on "Local History".

Walsall Local History Centre Facebook page (on 17 April 2013) stated ----
"Packed full of fascinating quotes and snippets of history transcribed from old newspapers and other sources this should really interest anyone from the Shire Oak or wider Brownhills area.
The book is 72pp paperback, ilustrated with photos and newscuttings."

----- (21/11/2015) ---- Clive says via http://brownhillsbob.com/2015/11/19/new-brownhills-history-book-hot-off-the-presses/
"My first book Snippets of History in and around Shire Oak as sold out, but you can get a copy in PDF format on DVD from Walsall Wood Library and Egan’s in the High Street, Brownhills."

THE CLAYHANGER KID by Brian Stringer
Published December 2010

'THE CLAYHANGER KID relives the life of a boy bought up in the small mining village of Clayhanger, situated a mile from the town of Brownhills, which was then in Staffordshire. Born before the outbreak of the Second World War, he grew up in a strict but happy household, surrounded by friends and family, and a host of odd characters.
It is a delightful look back at the 40s and early 50s and chances are if you lived in the area, went to school in Brownhills, or worked at Walsall Wood Colliery you will know someone in this book, and may even be in it yourself. Some of the tales are hilarious, and will make you laugh out loud, while others will make you wish for the return of those years, and others definitely not.
Black Country author Carol Hathorne who has published many books, says of the Clayhanger Kid - "I found the book immensely readable, the author has a real gift with words, a warm personality and great sense of humour that shines through."
While a former village lad, writes" From page one I was taken on a delightful journey back to my childhood, by the brilliant and authentic anecdotes of the "kid", his relations, friends, and village folk.'

Around Pelsall & Brownhills by David F. Vodden, (BRITAIN in Old Photographs series), Sutton Publishing, 1998 - ISBN 0-7509-1898-5

Memories of Watling Street School (125 Year Anniversary 1878-2003) compiled by Jan Farrow.

Photographs and stories of the Junior Mixed & Infants School.

Published in 2003

Memories of Brownhills Past by Clarice Mayo & Geoff Harrington.

More rare photographs of the Brownhills area with illuminating descriptions of the views shown.

Published in 2003

Memories of Old Brownhills by Clarice Mayo & Geoff Harrington.

Rare photographs of the Brownhills area with illuminating descriptions of the views shown.

Published in 2001

Street Names of Brownhills, Clayhanger, Shelfield & Walsall Wood by Betty Fox, Walsall Local History Centre, 1999 - ISBN 0 946652 51 1

Street names, how the names came about, their history and notable buildings. Maps and photographs old and new add to the usefulness of the book.

BROWNHILLS A Walk Into History With Gerald Reece by Gerald Reece, Walsall Local History Centre, 1996 - ISBN 0 946652 42 2

116 pages of solid information on Brownhills from the earliest times to the present day. Well supplied with maps, photos and drawings.

Brownhills and Walsall Wood - on old picture postcards by Jan Farrow, Reflections of a Bygone Age, Keyworth, Nottingham 1992 - ISBN - 0 946245 60 6

Brownhills Local History Trail by Joyce Hammond, Walsall Library & Museum Services - ISBN 0 946652 02 3

Describing a walk through Brownhills with a background of ancient and modern history.

V1.20 - 30 July 2020 ---- recommended resolution (1366 x 768)

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