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 LOST CHURCHES OF WOLVERHAMPTON

A learned man once said "It is all too easy in the name of progress to destroy the best along with the worst, and lament afterwards."

(Did you play underneath the arches?)

This Church arch featured recently as a "Picture from the Past" in our local newspaper, the Express & Star. Apparently this Gothic arch and the remains of a church wall were; when pictured in 1963, lying derelict on a site designated for a new building project in Finchfield Road known as 'The Orchard'.

According to Canon John Brierley rector of Wolverhampton at that time arches such as these have been sold throughout the years as St Peter's Church has been renovated.

So this article got me thinking; I just wonder what small fragments of these historic treasures lie tucked away as garden walls and ornaments around our City today, brought about by those with a lack of foresight who decided to improve the old town in the last quarter of the 20th century.

(Saint Peter's Church Circa 1950's)

Thank God we still have our oldest church and in my opinion; the nicest in the county. St Peter's Collegiate Church which has been part of of Wolverhampton since 1425 and lies in the heart of our city. Built on the site of the original minster church and was later rebuilt by Lady Wulfruna.

Today this picturesque church, its gardens and fountain are a much loved part of our city and create a calming contrast to the hustle and bustle of the shops and businesses which surround it.


THE LOST CHURCHES OF WOLVERHAMPTON

Over the course of the next few weeks, I would like to give you a study of local Church buildings, and their environment that once brought character and life to our city centre.

Perhaps knowing the fate of these many Victorian Churches made redundant and lost in the 1950's and 60's, may serve to stimulate a more enlightened interest in the preservation of those that survive.

(The remains of Christ Church, Dunstall 1975)

Lights from around the Five Ways and Waterloo Road in particular, coupled with an October mist lend an air of mystery to this late-night picture taken from inside Christ Church, which was being demolished in 1975.

(Christ Church Circa 1950)

Christ Church, at the bottom of Waterloo Road was erected mainly through the exertions of the then rector of St Peter's, the Venerable Archdeacon Iles, and was formed in 1887 into a vicarage.

The extensive building of the Great Western Locomotive works had caused the necessity of a church to be needed here, at the five ways.

(Map showing the Five Ways & surrounding area Circa 1902)

Five ways at lower Stafford Road showing the site of 'Christ Church' made redundant in the 1960's. This road junction was the hub of the local community living close to their places of employment in this once heavy industrial zone.

The principle employer being the Great Western locomotive works that straddled the road at Dunstall Hill, others of course adjoining the Birmingham Canal were Wolverhampton Gas Company, and The Electic Construction Company built on a triangular site nestling beneath Oxley Bank, Stafford Road and Bushbury Lane.

The EEC produced heavy electrical machinery electric motors and generating equipment it closed in 1985. The Wolverhampton Science Park covers this site and and an area once used by the gasworks.

(The Five Ways, Circa 1919)

The view just after the first World War from five ways looking towards Dunstall. Dominating the skyline are the chimneys of the Great Western railway works on Dunstall Hill.

Brunel's old bridge is seen in the centre, this will be demolished in the 30's; as were many others in town to allow for the double decked trolleybus operation. This being a railway-workers enclave it's not surprising that the public house names in the area reflected this.

There was a 'Great Western Inn' on the corner of Moseley Street, a cul-de-sac, on the right in the picture. Then next door to the Pawnbrokers shop on the extreme left, was the 'Locomotive Inn'.

The 'Gold Flake' cigarette advert was on Gough's tobacconists on the corner of Dunstall Street, and even well established then and right up into the 1960's, just a couple of doors away from the Great Western, was 'Albino's', a local cycle dealer (Remember his quaint footpath petrol pumps?).

(Wolverhampton Mosque 2009)

The five ways today is practically unrecogniseable, the culture has changed the shops have gone, now there is only small industrial units. There are now just four ways; the North Road, one of the principal routes into the town centre is now a cul-de-sac, and tower blocks now supply accommodation for the occupants of the former lost victorian terraces that once dominated this area.

Today a Mosque stands on the site of the former Christ Church. Regarding this new house of worship; I believe all has not been lost, we still have a fine building, albeit with a different form of enlightenment.

The East came along in time to save all going West, so to speak.