THE GHOST OF SAINT MARY'S LINGERS ON

A fresco; which now has unfortunately been lost to the public eye. Was once on the south side of the Chancel of St Peter's Collegiate Church, representing 'The Lost Piece of Money' and it commemorated the building and the endowment of St Mary's Church thus - "Give God the glory for the will and the means granted to Theodosia Hinkes to found St Mary's Church, Wolverhampton, with Vicarage and Schools - A.D. 1842."

(STAFFORD STREET 9TH DEC 2009)

THE GHOSTS OF ST MARY'S LINGER ON AS YOU ENTER THE FAST LANE TODAY

For those intrepid car traveler's of today who use the Wolverhampton Ring Road, if on occasion you approach its busy junction with Stafford Street, and the lights are against you, as you sit and fidget, eyes on the lights, engine revving; well after today, relax, sit back and think on this.

Whether you know it or not you are about to cross this mediaeval area once known as the 'Four Ashes' and the Ghosts of St Mary's guard this entrance to the fast lane.

(MAP OF STAFFORD ST CIRCA 1950)

ALAS POOR STAFFORD STREET, I KNEW IT WELL

The 'Four Ashes' was a small quiet area of Stafford Street, and is to be seen on Isaac Taylors map of 1750. (It is noted on my later 1950's drawing as the area around the top of Charles Street).

Now as we enter the nineteenth century with the arrival of the Canals and Railways, coupled with the influx of immigrants from Ireland, the environment in this area of town changed for the worst.

We find St Mary's Church (consecrated October 15th 1842), has been built to provide a little haven of peace amidst the turmoil around Stafford Street, which by now, fronted the mainly Irish quarter of town with its maze of courts and alleys around 'Littles Lane' and the canal, known as the 'Notorious Carribee Islands'.

( THE FOUR ASHES PUB CIRCA 1950)

Now if we fast forward now to the 1950's we see a memorial to this historic spot in the form of a licensed house with the same title. The 'Four Ashes' was a William Butlers House, then in the capable hands of a widow; Francis Pearce. Here the pub is pictured at the top of Charles Street.

Across Stafford Street, directly opposite on the corner of Faulkland Crescent, was 'Attwoods Garage' (where Kwickfit is today). On the opposite corner of Charles Street to the pub stood 'Brodies' chemists, and Corkindales; a mens tailors.

(STAFFORD ST / CHARLES ST JUNCTION CIRCA EARLY 1950'S )

When this picture was taken, the Church of St Mary's (on the left) was already redundant.

The remodeling of this area between Faulkand Street and Littles Lane began in the latter part of the 1940's, with the closing of the Vicarage and Schools, and with the deconsecrating of the Church. The buildings themselves had a further 10 years of life, used as facilities for the Young Mens Christian Association.

Littles Lane (on the far left) was not a quiet backwater, as it's name suggests, it was a very busy carriageway which lead down to the Great Western Railway goods yard and Broad street canal basin, with many houses, pubs and works in the intersecting streets.

(A QUEUE FOR THE DANCE, OUTSIDE OF THE Y.M.C.A CIRCA 1956)

THIS IS 1956, THE Y.M.C.A. ON STAFFORD STREET 'MECCA' FOR THE NEW 'ROCK AND ROLL' TEENAGERS OF THE DAY

On the left, the towering block containing 'Copes Motorcycle Dealers', on the right across the road was 'E.L Bouts Garage', which would soon re-move to Merridale Lane. On the corner opposite 'Copes', was the former 'St Mary's School', now being used as the Y.M.C.A. canteen, which was very busy with local trade and staff from the buses terminating at the top of 'Stafford Street'.

The Church building itself was partially demolished around 1950, a portion of the fabric was kept and adopted to form the new headquarters for Wolverhampton Y.M.C.A.

Now re-structured it has taken on a new mantle, and re-named 'The Percy Thomas Hall' by its benefactor. For a few short years it would be a local dance hall, with its resident bandleader, Jack Andrews.

It wasn't always strictly ballroom at the Y.M., Jack wasn't adverse to a bit of the new craze of Rock and Roll.

(ST MARY'S VICARAGE CIRCA CIRCA 1950)

Next door, the vicarage was for awhile, a popular boys club, formerly the home of the 'Toc H'. All types of youthful activities were enjoyed there.

Apart from the film shows, there was snooker and table tennis facilities, on hand, and many crack players of both sports represented the Y.M. in the local leagues during the fifteen years following, before the buildings demise.

(THE VIEW INSIDE ST MARY'S 1950)

A pile of rubble is all that remains today on tuesday 17th October 1950, of this once famous Stafford Street landmark consecrated in 1842 made redundant in 1949.

What was it like in all its glory?

According to 'Hindes Red Book' of 1894 - 5, "the style of architecture was intended to be a revival of that prevailing during the 13th and 14th centuries. The church is cruciform, surmounted at the intersection by a tower and spire, the latter, which is of a shape common in Normandy and other parts of the continent, terminating with an encircled cross."

(STAFFORD ST JUNCTION JAN 1982)

This Christmas scene was taken, from the top floor of Wolverhampton's Faculty of Art Building, at the Stafford Street junction of the ring road in January 1982.

The bells of St Mary's had not been heard for over thirty years, and the drink had long run dry at the pub opposite when this treacherous carpet of snow brought to an end my minds journey of life around St Marys, but still the ghostly memories of the 'Four Ashes' linger on!

THE ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS

'Hello Billy, I found your e.mail address on your blog - which I stumbled across by accident. I moved from Wolverhampton more than thirty years ago but often look at the City websites to keep up-to-date.

For many years, I have been trying to find someone with knowledge of the Stafford Street area of Wolverhampton.

For some years I have been trying to find the history of a piece of ground in (Lower ?) Stafford Street, which was used as a football pitch/recreation ground.

It lay between Stafford Street and North Street and in the 1940s, I'm sure I can remember seeing air-raid shelters on it.

I should be so grateful if you can tell me anything about it. My father was born in that area in 1905 and when his father died in 1918 they were living I believe at N0.4 Boscobel Place.

Regards,

Eileen.'


Now there's a name to conjure up a little bit of Wolverhampton History. Many an old Wuffler with an historic appetite will gather this once small ancient court off Lower Stafford Street inherited its name from that famous house just 3 miles distant from Codsall.

The house built on the domain land of Whiteladies during the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, by John Giffard of Chillington. Its named derived from Italian, 'Bosco Bello' - Fair Wood. Now as you can see this picture its descriptive name would still have been appropriate when this map of 1875 was drawn up as most of this area still mainly consisted of gardens.

Regarding the "Rec". The ground in Question.

Yes Eileen I remember the piece of waste ground you mention quite well, it was situated between North Street and Stafford Street, bordered by Red Hill Street and Boscobel Place.

It did indeed have air-raid shelters built at the top at one time, and I remember Red Cross Street School close by also used it for sporting activities, eventually they built a clinic on the site it in the 1950's.

1932-33 Hindes Red Book describes it as such:

Known as Red Hill Street open space. This space is now open to children after school hours from 5.00pm till dusk each day except Sunday. Two sets of See-saws and Swings were erected during 1931.


For all the 'Old Wufflers' who have memories to share of this bustling triangle from the Gladstone North Street and the Elephant and Castle Stafford Street, down to the 'Five Ways', above is a map I have drawn-up to stimulate those dormant minds.


Summerhill Lane / Windmill Bank, now Lower Stafford Street, a further little stimulation.

Early maps show Wolverhampton had two windmills quite near to the town centre, this was the site of one of them on the east side of Lower Stafford Street, and right up to the mid 20th century the name Windmill was frequently used for parts of this area.

This is a pre-war photo of Lower Stafford Street, between Beaumont Street on the right and Bonemill Lane, on the left.

It shows the entrance to Stafford Street Congregational Church, with the Clinic and Assembly rooms next door partly concealed by the rundown properties that adjoined it .

One of my earliest memories is of a visit here aged three during the war with my mother to be immunised. It must have worked because almost seven decades later I am still here. Thank God!.

OUR TREE STILL GROWS IN NORTH STREET

(Plan of the “Londes” circa 1870)

Although housing was well established on the east side, it was mostly nurseries and gardens at the lower half of North Street.Now notice the line of the wall marked as "Jack’s spot" on this map, which was seen in 1870 as a ten foot wall that backed the lower yard of the terraced house in North Street.

(Jacks Spot Up Against the Remains of the Original Wall in 2009)

This is my youngest grandson Jack Howe standing in front of the wall. It still stands at around 5ft high today in 2009 the foreground now filled with a grassy slope down to street level. In the background, situated behind the Feathers pub today stands the College of Art, built in the late 1960’s on this ancient area which once backed on to the Deanery hence the name Deanery Row.

(Rear of Houses in Deanery Row Circa 1952)

During the 1840’s and 50’s when England offered a lifeline to those facing starvation at home as the result of the terrible Irish Potato famine; Wolverhampton saw a great influx of Irish Families. Many ended up in this area bounded by Stafford Street and North Street. One such Irishman was Patrick Egan, my Grandmothers Grandfather. He never spoke a word of English and died a short while after arriving in Wolverhampton. His son Michael Egan, raised a large family in Lawyers Field which adjoined Deanery Row. My grandmother Catherine (Kate Egan) was their eighth child, she was born there in 1884.

(My Grandparents house,on the left above the steps Circa 1960)

My grandfather John Howe’s family originated from the Walsall Street area. He met Kate Egan through her brother, whom he had served with in South Africa during the Boar War. Although Catherine was Catholic, they married at St Georges Church which was Anglican. They decided to live close to her mother in Lawyers field, and later as their family increased in size decided to move to a larger house close by, again just off the Londes at No 26 Nursery Street. No. 26 was the end house in the street and it overlooked four smaller one bedroom houses in the Londes, and the rear of the Colonel Vernon public house.

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO NORTH STREET?

(Map of North Street)

As its name suggests this street was the principal route to the North from Wolverhampton. It ran from Queen Square for roughly three quarters of a mile, and at a time between the wars, it would contain every type of trade and business you could mention, plus two Churches two Schools, nine Pubs, until it reached number ten the ‘Gladstone’ on the Corner of Red Cross Street.

It was then renamed North Road and carried on roughly half the distance again passing many other shops, fine Victorian Terraced housing, including a home for unmarried mothers, a Working Mans Club two more pubs until it reached the five ways. Joining Waterloo Road and Stafford Street to become Stafford Road.

It’s surprising how soon we forget the details regarding these once familiar buildings and this locality but I hope, you find something enjoyable in trying to conjure up visions of the the North Street I once knew.