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Dist:0.1km<br/>When I attended school this whole stretch of Crocketts Lane was a series of schools. From right to left they were Chances Tech', the junior school (8 to 11 year olds)& James Watt Tech (12 to 16 year olds). The building with the 'spire' was the junior school until approx' 1957 but later became James Watt Annexe. James Watt proper has since been demolished as too has St Michael's Church which stood alongside. Behind the 'Annexe' was (& still is as far as I know) the Infant School. I now believe that most of the buildings are part of the local Technical College.
©Row17
Dist:0.1km<br/>
©Row17
Dist:0.3km<br/>Although it says Baptist Chapel over the main entrance door, today it is known as Smethwick Baptist Church. [[2161472]].
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.3km<br/>This imposing building was built in 1877-79, because of an increasing congregation. Previously a chapel in Cross Street had been used. [[2161480]].
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.3km<br/>Taken from a train window, this platform is for local trains into New Street. I seem to remember also that there was a small number of inter-city trains that were scheduled to stop here, enabling commuters to connect to/from Stourbridge / Birmingham route, rather than commuting all the way into New Street - this might have been a sweetner, prior to the Stourbridge service being rerouted later into Snow Hill.
©Michael Westley
Dist:0.3km<br/>Next to Bell-a-Pizza, is BMP Stores, a general store and newsagent, at 195-197 High Street.
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.4km<br/>The line from Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton.
©Steve Fareham
Dist:0.4km<br/>This is a view of the open air excavation of the foundations of a 1779 Boulton & Watt canal pumping engine. The engine is now in Thinktank in Birmingham and a building has been put over the foundations but they are rarely on public show. We were one of very few groups of people to be invited onto the site one Saturday afternoon and were honoured and delighted to be given this opportunity. We - the Stationary Engine Research Group, later to become the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES).
©Chris Allen
Dist:0.4km<br/>A typical large pub of the inter-war years, this one was built around 1930. There used to be a red metal cow on a plinth outside the pub. It toppled and shattered during a storm in 2008. The pub is under new ownership, and there are plans to replace the cow, but when this photograph was taken in August 2010, it hadn't yet appeared.
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.4km<br/>The parliamentary seat of Smethwick disappeared in the changes of 1974. During its existence it was held by the Conservatives in the 1930's, until the General Election of 1945, when Labour regained it. The seat went back to the Conservatives briefly in 1964-1966, when it was won by Peter Griffiths, who was a very controversial figure at that time because of his campaign's policies on immigration. Today Conservative support in this area is not high, and this is reflected in the club's membership. The club is next door to the Red Cow pub. [[2164322]].
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.4km<br/>The club has been in this building for over a hundred years. It is affiliated to the Association of Conservative Clubs. [[2164339]].
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.4km<br/>Beautiful cast iron aqueduct crossing Telford's BCN "New Main Line". The aqueduct carries a navigable feeder alongside which were two beam engines, including Boulton & Watt's 1779 "Smethwick engine". This is now preserved at Thinktank in Birmingham. This engine is on its fourth site and is in its fourth century (18th, 19th, 20th and now 21st).
©Chris Allen
Dist:0.4km<br/>The original foundations for the 1779 Boulton & Watt engine at Smethwick. The engine is at Thinktank and is the world's oldest workable steam engine. These foundations are very well preserved and well illustrate the infrastructure of a big beam engine. Sadly, they are rarely opened to the public.
©Chris Allen
Dist:0.4km<br/>This part of the High Street still has buildings on both sides. However, along much of the street the buildings on one side have all been demolished, presumably to allow construction of the dual-carriageway A457. One wonders what has been lost with such extensive demolition. It gives a distinct feeling of something missing, to what remains of the High Street.
©P L Chadwick
Dist:0.4km<br/>Entrance to local services at Smethwick. At this time, services from the station were reasonably good, serving at the time 2 local services - the Birmingham to Wolverhampton, and Birmingham to Stourbridge lines - Smethwick Galton Bridge and the additional route through to Snow Hill were only a figment of someone's dreams or imagination at Centro.
©Michael Westley

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