COMMUNITY MAGAZINES
Village Voice
PRESERVING THE COMMUNITY
SPIRIT IN THE WEST MIDLANDS
Although the railway line through Wombourne only survived as a passenger route for just seven years it continued to be used for a variety of other trains for a further 33 years.
By far the busiest year for the line was 1937 when the Royal Agricultural Society held its Annual Show at Wrottesley near Wolverhampton. The station and goods yard at Tettenhall was made into a giant farm where over 1000 cattle, 600 horses and equally large numbers of sheep, goats and pigs were delivered for onward travel by a fleet of lorries to the show ground. Although the show itself only lasted four days in July, the activity on the railway lasted well over a month.
The coming of the Second World War just two years later, however, halted any thought of similar events—although it did bring another type of traffic to the line. On 9th June 1944 an ambulance train from Oxford arrived at Tettenhall with almost a hundred casualties who had been involved in the D-Day invasion. The casualties were transferred to ambulances, buses and even private cars which took them to various local hospitals. Two further trains arrived at Tettenhall in the next month but then it was decided to make Wombourne the terminus for the trains as it was felt this was more central for distribution of the casualties to local hospitals. In total over 30 such trains were received at Wombourne station.
After the War the line returned to normal working with freight trains mainly using the line not only for local traffic but also increasingly for longer distance trains. Many of these passed through Wombourne at night as, when they reached the mainline, they had to give way to the scheduled passenger trains.
Carpets from Kidderminster to Manchester, Morris cars from Cowley to Liverpool, bananas from Southampton to Crewe and coal from Cannock to Stourport were all regular journeys—but all that changed with the Beeching Report.
By far the busiest year for the line was 1937 when the Royal Agricultural Society held its Annual Show at Wrottesley near Wolverhampton. The station and goods yard at Tettenhall was made into a giant farm where over 1000 cattle, 600 horses and equally large numbers of sheep, goats and pigs were delivered for onward travel by a fleet of lorries to the show ground. Although the show itself only lasted four days in July, the activity on the railway lasted well over a month.
The coming of the Second World War just two years later, however, halted any thought of similar events—although it did bring another type of traffic to the line. On 9th June 1944 an ambulance train from Oxford arrived at Tettenhall with almost a hundred casualties who had been involved in the D-
Carpets from Kidderminster to Manchester, Morris cars from Cowley to Liverpool, bananas from Southampton to Crewe and coal from Cannock to Stourport were all regular journeys—but all that changed with the Beeching Report.
ONE THE RIGHT TRACKS
Prior to the introduction of the Welfare State in 1948 many people belonged to Friendly Societies in order to save for an income in old age or as insurance against illness or inability to work. Locally one of the biggest and more successful was ‘The Yew Tree Fund’ which ran from the Royal Oak Inn at Halfpenny Green. In 1901 it had almost 400 members.
During the ICC Trophy in June 1986 both Swindon and Himley Cricket Clubs hosted international cricket matches. At Swindon, Canada thrashed Gibraltar by 10 wickets (Gibraltar could only muster 46 runs in their innings) whilst at Himley in a much more keenly contested match Kenya beat Malaysia by 5 wickets.
The Wombourne Institute and ‘Hand In Hand’ was originally built in 1833 as a school. The money for the school was donated by Sarah Dalton who lived at Lloyd House.
In 1913 a party of 42 Dutch scouts were invited to the area by scouts from Sedgley. The two groups camped together in the grounds of Himley Hall for two weeks in August and undertook various activities including canoeing in the lake and setting up an assault course in the woods. Unfortunately one of the Sedgley scouts got lost in the woods and half a day was taken up with all the other scouts looking for him. Eventually he was found at the bottom of a bank down which he had fallen. He had broken his ankle.
During the ICC Trophy in June 1986 both Swindon and Himley Cricket Clubs hosted international cricket matches. At Swindon, Canada thrashed Gibraltar by 10 wickets (Gibraltar could only muster 46 runs in their innings) whilst at Himley in a much more keenly contested match Kenya beat Malaysia by 5 wickets.
The Wombourne Institute and ‘Hand In Hand’ was originally built in 1833 as a school. The money for the school was donated by Sarah Dalton who lived at Lloyd House.
In 1913 a party of 42 Dutch scouts were invited to the area by scouts from Sedgley. The two groups camped together in the grounds of Himley Hall for two weeks in August and undertook various activities including canoeing in the lake and setting up an assault course in the woods. Unfortunately one of the Sedgley scouts got lost in the woods and half a day was taken up with all the other scouts looking for him. Eventually he was found at the bottom of a bank down which he had fallen. He had broken his ankle.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the 1820s one of the most popular local excursions was a Day At The Races at Penn racecourse. Situated on Penn Common, the racecourse attracted good crowds and many inhabitants of Wombourne would attend either as helpers or spectators.
The Wodehouse Mill dates back to at least 1570 when it was used as a corn mill. In the mid 17th century it was converted into a malting mill for about 20 years before it reverted to milling corn. In 1814 it suffered a serious fire and it was not until 1840 that it was rebuilt and restored to work, this time as a mill for cattle feed. It continued in this role until 1976 when it finally closed.
In 1648 the “Minister of God’s Word” in Wombourne—Ithiel Smart—was one of 38 local clergymen who signed a pamphlet entitled “Against the Errours, Heresies and Blasphemies of these times and the Toleration of them”. Amongst the heresies listed in it were Antiscripturism, Socinianism, Anabaptism, Arminianism, Antinominationism and Erastianism.
In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV granted to King Edward I for a period of three years a tenth of all ecclesiastical rates in order to pay for a Crusade to the Holy Land. Wombourne was rated at 16 marks (a mark was 13s/4d), of which £1/1s/4d went to the King. The value of Wombourne at that time was considered much greater than many other local areas including Sedgley, Wolverhampton and Stourbridge.
The Wodehouse Mill dates back to at least 1570 when it was used as a corn mill. In the mid 17th century it was converted into a malting mill for about 20 years before it reverted to milling corn. In 1814 it suffered a serious fire and it was not until 1840 that it was rebuilt and restored to work, this time as a mill for cattle feed. It continued in this role until 1976 when it finally closed.
In 1648 the “Minister of God’s Word” in Wombourne—Ithiel Smart—was one of 38 local clergymen who signed a pamphlet entitled “Against the Errours, Heresies and Blasphemies of these times and the Toleration of them”. Amongst the heresies listed in it were Antiscripturism, Socinianism, Anabaptism, Arminianism, Antinominationism and Erastianism.
In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV granted to King Edward I for a period of three years a tenth of all ecclesiastical rates in order to pay for a Crusade to the Holy Land. Wombourne was rated at 16 marks (a mark was 13s/4d), of which £1/1s/4d went to the King. The value of Wombourne at that time was considered much greater than many other local areas including Sedgley, Wolverhampton and Stourbridge.
DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU
KNOW?
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