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Sedgley

Sedgley photos

Displaying the first of 2 old photos of Sedgley.   View all Sedgley photos

2
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Sedgley maps

Historic maps of Sedgley and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Sedgley maps

Sedgley area books

Displaying 1 of 9 books about Sedgley and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Sedgley

Sedgley memories
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Displaying a selection of personal memories of Sedgley.
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New Boy

I came to Sedgley aged ten, having been born in the dock area of Dudley. At five we moved to Wolverhampton. Finally the family moved to the new houses down Cotwallend Road overlooking the Dingle. The 1962/63 winter was a real bad one and even the trolley buses had problems running. The bus stop was outside the Red Lion pub and some used to turn on the island. Secondary school, or big school, was Dormston that was and still is up a side road next to the Red Lion pub. Across the small road was Hartill's the buchers and, at the rear, Hartill's stables. I spent many happy hours working with the horses, learning how to ride, and drinking cups of tea in the tack room which stood at the top of steep stone steps, sometimes it was in school hours!
May's paper shop stood by the crossings where I would take papers with May. She drove her Morris Minor and we would run to and fro delivering the evening... Read more

Sedgmore's Grand Colliery Exhibition

The Bull Ring, Sedgley, that is the location where on a fateful night in April 1906, The Sedgmore’s Grand Colliery Exhibition Travelling Show, set up in Sedgley on its way to the Wolverhampton Annual Suntide Fair, burnt to the ground. The Show had been built up over many years by my Great Great Grandfather William James Sedgmore who, being born in 1841 in Cornwall, moved to South Wales and there married Thurza Venn in July 1867. I have been quietly researching over the years but as Sedgley was the final port of call for the Exhibition, I thought it fair to post this memory in the hope that someone may be aware of the Show and would like to pass on information to John Sedgmore Blundell john.blundell1@btinternet.com

West Midlands memories

Fatso & Friend

The Zoo, The Lions c1965
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It was 1970 before I found myself working in theis enclosure with 'Fatso' the male lion and his mate, whose name I, unfortunately cannot remember. I began working at Dudley zoo in 1970 as the Giraffe Keeper and was moved to the 'Cat Round' some three months later. I was responsible for the care of the lion and tiger enclosures, which were large pits as illustrated, a by-product of the open cast mining that had taken place there. The bears were housed in similar, if somewhat larger, ravines.

I left Dudley Zoo in 1971, but continued to work as a zoo keeper until my early retirement in 2003 in Australia.

But, Dudley was my first and I remember my first encounters with the big cats very clearly....

Midland Bank

The Market Place c1955
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I used to use this bank when I was a student at Dudley Colege from 1967-1970.

The Cinema

Castle Hill Road c1960
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We used to use both Dudley cinemas a lot when we were students from 1967-70. The trouble was that we had to be back at our hall of residence by 10 o'clock, and nearly always missed the ends of the films. I catch up with them on the TV now!

The Fox And Goose Public House

The Village 1968
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Hello from Australia. I was hoping that someone looking through these "memories" might remember The Fox and Goose Public House on Penn Road. I think that this is the picture of it. My mom was the cleaner there for a few years when my sisters and I were young and I can remember sitting on the steps outside the pub collecting car numbers in an old exercise book and drinking a bottle of Vimto and eating Smiths crisps while I waited for mom to finish cleaning, and then we'd walk all the way back home to Warstones estate where we lived, it was such a long way but we never minded then as we didn't have a car and money was very tight so we couldn't catch the bus. Sometimes mom would stop on the way and if it was near lunchtime she would buy sixpence-worth of batter bits from the fish and chip shop that we passed on the way home  and we'd think it was such a treat... Read more

Hopkins And Tipper

The Village 1968
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I would love to hear from anyone who may remember my great-great-grandfather whose name was Owen William Hopkins. He did live with a lady called Mrs Tipper and had two children, one of who was called Winnie. Owen died in 1937.

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