Penkridge
Penkridge maps (2 available)
Map of Staffordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Penkridge books (7 available)
Penkridge memories
Read and share memories of Penkridge and Staffordshire inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in Staffordshire below.
Staffordshire memories
Uncle Frank's Cinema - the Tivoli
I believe the Tivoli was owned by my Uncle Frank Williams, who lived in the 40s at Tree Tops, a modern (then) bungalow in the vicinity of Rugeley. He was my father's brother and I think he also owned the cinema at the other end of the main road (was it the Empire?) Previously he either owned or leased Cannock Picture House. He had a poster business (mainly cinema posters) where my father Erskine Williams latterly worked - first situated in Cannock and then around 1942 at the Red House (now replaced by a large industrial estate) on the East Cannock Rd, opposite the Globe Inn. I lived there in 1942 with my parents and younger brother.
I have only today ...read more here
A memory of Hednesford contributed by Daphne Jones
Ice cream shop
All I remember when I was a child was going for Saturday ice cream at Mr Spinelli's shop. Oooh those were the days!
A memory of Hednesford contributed by margaret helm
The Forge
I lived at the Forge, Long Street, Wheaton Aston, between 1955 to 1959 when I moved to Wolverhampton. I would be very interested if anybody has any pictures of the Forge. The house stood opposite Whiteways the butchers and next to the car park for the Coach and Horses pub. There was a slaughter house down Frog Lane then. The side of the house was right onto the road and the blacksmiths was attached to the house. All the tools and bellows were still there then. The forge was demolished and three detached bungalows are on the site now. There was a cobblers down Frog Lane by the church, sometimes the cobbler, an old gentleman, would open the bottom of the ...read more here
A memory of Wheaton Aston contributed by victor small
fishing
During the school holidays the canal and it's towpath became a playground for many of the village children. Several of us caught the fishing bug and used the canal many times throughout the holiday. We always looked out for a barge called the MENDIP. The bargee was a gentleman called Charlie Atkins. His route was from the CADBURY factory at Knighton to Bournville in Birmingham. This was the origin of his nickname (Chocolate Charlie). We always asked him for a bit of chocolate but it was the raw chocolate crumb before it had been milled and was all but uneatable. If he was in a good mood we were alowed a ride up the canal for about 2 bridges then ...read more here
A memory of Wheaton Aston contributed by ROY DOWNTON
Extracts From Penkridge & Staffordshire books
Penkridge was important in Saxon times, and in 958 Edgar of Mercia dated a charter from ‘the famous place, which is called Penric’. The parish church was one of the six collegiate churches of Staffordshire. Nearby is Pillaton Hall, the home of the Littleton family for three centuries.
An extract from from"Staffordshire Photographic Memories".
1873. They spent a fortune on the place, extending the size of the
operation and installing railway sidings throughout. The business
survived for nearly one hundred years; it was acquired by Grand
Metropolitan Hotels in August 1971, who then closed it down.
One last Staffordshire industry that hardly gets a mention is
railway locomotive manufacturing. The county had, at one time or
another, four firms building locomotives on a commercial basis, and
two main line locomotive workshops. In Burton were the Baguley
Cars and Thornewill & Wareham. Baguley started up in 1903 as the
Rykneld Engine Co, changing its name in 1911. They built a few
steam locomotives, but their main product range consisted of petrol
and diesel locomotives mainly for industrial use; they also turned out
units for the growing miniature railway and pleasure gardens market,
and they built locomotives for the Drewery Car Co.
An extract from from"Staffordshire Pocket Album".
The Shropshire Union Canal, engineered by Thomas Telford and con-
structed between 1827 and 1835, was the last of the major canals. It linked
Birmingham to the Mersey, and was built in a more direct line than previous
canals, sometimes through deep cuttings, to reduce distances in an attempt to
compete with railways. The Boat Inn stands beside the bridge.
An extract from from"Stafford Living Memories Pocket Album".
The Shropshire Union Canal, engineered by Thomas Telford and con-
structed between 1827 and 1835, was the last of the major canals. It linked
Birmingham to the Mersey, and was built in a more direct line than previous
canals, sometimes through deep cuttings, to reduce distances in an attempt to
compete with railways. The Boat Inn stands beside the bridge.
An extract from from"Stafford Living Memories Pocket Album".
One of the few thatched buildings in the area, the Duke’s Head is no longer
a public house. It has recently been renovated, and the timber-frame, probably
dating from the 16th century, is now exposed. For centuries Gnosall was a
small agricultural village, but in the 19th century many of the villagers also
made shoes for the Stafford shoe manufacturers.
An extract from from"Stafford Living Memories Pocket Album".