Old Theme

"The Woolworths store in Dudley High Street in 2004."

Photo Commerce Consumption Memory Old Past

Limestone walling

Drawing Text Cloudy Architecture Familiar Identity Material Old Past

Subway.docx

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Subway Here, it’s all about the brand. Green and yellow Flashes of black As staff move quickly to Make subs 6 inch Foot long In the lunchtime rush It’s all go, go, go. Here, it’s all about the image. New York subways Map the walls Alongside Legends Heroes Iconics Classics Not names I would associate With sandwiches But to be fair I am not the target here Too old by a country mile. Here, it’s all about immediacy Driven by technology Attractive to young minds Thumbs scroll over phones To place orders To make payments To text their mate, who’s Sat right next to them Phones, phones, phones As the Deliveroo driver Double parks across the street To pick up a meal deal As ovens ping and Cookies slide off trays and A student picks and goes No desire to sit in or Wait a while. Here, it’s all about speed and It is busy. A boy in a boiler suit Made for a man Jokes with his mate He can’t decide what to order There’s too much choice He doesn’t know what he wants He needs inspiration and The counter guy offers him help Bread style Filling Extra cheese Drink and a cookie. His mate ribs him For getting double Jalapenos But he doesn’t care. Here, it’s all about the future Contactless A space in which a new generation move Transactional The model of a brave new world Phone app ordering Because this is what some people want Safe Easy Quick Convenient Just because it’s not for me Doesn’t make it wrong and Judging by the queue at the door They’re obviously doing something right. I leave as another delivery Heads out the door. Boilersuit boy is making his way down the High Street Back to college. I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow Grateful for the help with his order.

Poem Colour Connection Consumption Conversation Food Future Gift Interacting Lingering Moving New Old Speeds Technology Vehicle

"Winter sale in Dudley High street during a cold January in 1958."

Photo Commerce Consumption Memory Old Past

The top edge on the Duncan Edwards Memorial statue in the market square. What you're looking at is fossilised sea life of a good million + years ago.

Photo Aesthetic Archaeology Beauty Change Craft Creatures Exposed Hiding Layer Life Material Nature Old Past Pattern Surprise Texture Tiny Things

"A tram travels along Wolverhampton Street in Dudley.."

Photo Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Difference Familiar Identity Life Memory Missing Old Past People Shelter Speeds Survival Transport Unfamiliar Vehicle Words

Surprising survival Little Barrel Pub

Drawing Text Cloudy Care Identity Old Past Surprise Survival

Cast iron railings lost on south side

Drawing Text Cloudy Architecture Boundaries Care Identity Material Old

Old cinema - lack of culture - pigeon's world

Text Creatures Culture Decay Old

Graveyard - decaying bodies, amongst ivy, holly, ragwort. Faded flowers, pile of broken stones

Text Cool Overcast Care Decay Growing Material Memory Nature Old Past Plantlife

The Spiers home furnishing store in Dudley High Street in April 1970 - "Plans to demolish the Spiers home furnishing store in Dudley High Street were met with opposition in April 1970, with campaigners voicing fears the town would become subject to rectangular uniformity and called for the building to be preserved."

Photo Architecture Care Memory Old Past Voice

Old

Text Cloudy Rainy Architecture Old

Some good 18 + 19C facades but in poor condition

Drawing Text Cloudy Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Broken Care Control Decay Identity Old Past Tiredness

"Dudley High Street, pictured in the mid 1980s when Cooks department store was a major focus of the town."

Photo Architecture Commerce Consumption Memory Old Past People Vehicle

Nationwide.docx

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Nationwide Millions of members strong Building society Nationwide Staffordshire Portman Nationwide Since ’67 in Dudley town Nearly sixty years serving a community People love a building society don’t they Not quite a bank More like a club They come clutching blue passports A steady trickle Popping in to do their financials There’s bunting over the office door Radio through the speakers Comfy chairs to rest awhile Friendly Homely Familiar Certificates recognise commitment From one to thirty years Ashleigh, Sarah, Isla Lisa, Samantha Displayed on shelves alongside photographs Pride of place The buzzer brings a rush for the door Scurrying footsteps on laminate floor Jangle of keys on a lanyard Always a thank you and a kind welcome As chat starts up About Covid Hearing aids Lost keys Shopping up the town Holidays Pulled back muscles Schools going back Family The drive to Cornwall The cash machine whirs in the background Dispensing spendies for the Full Moon next door As an old couple In matching purple fleeces Shuffle up to the counter together I look at the Community Board Wonder if my wife is up for knitting Bonnets and booties For Russells Hall Or if I know a charity that Might benefit from the community fund Or if I have some spare tins For the food bank There’s a lot going on A lot to support I see stability Even though the future of the High Street Is hard to call Not sure where it’s going Without investment in the shops Which they watch come and go Having looked out the window for six decades Seen it all In all its glory This place is about people Conversation Continuity Permanence In a world that’s shifting fast Leaving some behind Who come here To remember what helpful feels like Connection Belonging Inclusion The couple are at the door now Saying their goodbyes See you next week Take care of yourselves Tarabit As they link arms and Waltz out into the sunshine

Poem Big Things Change Colour Community Connection Consumption Conversation Familiar Friendliness Gift Health Invitations Kindness Missing Moving Old People Sounds

Bake 'n' Butty.docx

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Bake ‘n’ Butty Fairy lights all year round Three clocks working triple time More seating at the rear and Above the sound of something frying in a pan Laughter The scrape of cutlery on finished plates Stacked and cleared Two cappuccinos Two toasted teacakes Footsteps on the lino floor The hum of radio from somewhere The clash of a saucepan lid Tea, milk, two sugars The tapping of a spoon on a plastic bowl Fishfinger sandwich to take away Do you need a receipt? It won’t be long, alright? Chips sizzling in the deep fat Steam escaping the coffee machine There’s your knife and fork Musical buttons singing from the till No sugar, I’m sweet enough A message left on the answering machine Phone rings How can I help you? Mobile notification Chatter Printing There’s your change I’ll bring your coffee over Sausage, egg and chips Large breakfast, no beans Two lattes Milk delivery Grated cheese in a bag Butter balanced in the crock of an arm Is there enough money in the till? Bacon and egg sandwich to go Cappuccino Cheers love It was lovely, thank you All this is seen and heard as I am joined at my table To talk through Covid Cars Past lives Old homes Acceptance Cooking Gender Pubs Health and Putting the world back together My tea is done I pop my mug back on the counter All this for the prices of a cuppa I think Stepping out past the flashing fairy lights

Poem Connection Consumption Conversation Food Funny Gift Happiness Health Homes Interacting Light Old Past Sounds Stillness Vehicle

Old and abandoned

Text Cloudy Rainy Old Unused

"The interior of William Granage cake shop and cafe in Dudley High Street, taken in 1912."

Photo Commerce Consumption Food Memory Old Past

"The new market in Dudley market place in 1983 had a little more aisle space between the stalls, making shopping easier for customers. The market had just reopened after three months spent in Stone Street while it was refurbished. Traditionalists had bitterly attacked the replacing of wooden stalls with metal and the removal of the old-fashioned cobbles. This was taken on May 15, 1983."

Photo Commerce Consumption Memory Old Past People

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In this picture from 1914 in Dudley, you can just make out my grandfather. He's the small boy with the cap running across Wolverhampton Street in the days when the trams were still running. Years later we worked out that this day was probably a defining moment in his life, the day he chose never to have a second thought or to be bullied by others. You can see him running. This is because he had stolen the ham you can see him carrying under his arm. This one action started a chain of events for my grandfather that would go on to dominate his formative years. Petty larceny, theft, criminal activity that would shape him, turn him into one of the most notorious villains in the Black Country. When he died in 1972, this photograph turned up amongst his possessions, in a locked drawer of his bureau. We agreed amongst us that no one in the family had ever seen this photo before, curious as to its importance to him. On the back of the photo he had written the date and time, together with a brief note - "Me stealing ham from W.Smiths, butcher". He would have been 10 years old and this was perhaps his first, or at least one of his first criminal acts. We have no idea who took the photograph or how he had come to have the original print in his possession, but it appears that it held some significance for him as he kept it all of his life locked away in his bureau drawer.

Creative writing Imagining Story Text Actions Chance Connection Creativity Familiar Food Identity Imagination Interacting Justice Life Memory Moving Old Past People Speeds Stories Surprise Unfamiliar Words

"Dudley High Street, viewed from the recently-pedestrianised market place, as it looked in May 1985."

Photo Memory Old Past People

Old shop sign

Text Pouring Rainy Decay High Old Words

"Dudley Market Place looking west in 1955."

Photo Architecture Memory Old Past People Vehicle

Cast iron railings good survival

Drawing Text Cloudy Architecture Boundaries Care Identity Material Old Survival

Here's some stuff in a locked yard (that just happened to be open) down Wolverhampton Street. There are what look like two chapels in there.

Photo Access Architecture Boundaries Broken Care Chance Craft Curiosity Decay Exposed Hiding Material Old Opportunity Overlooked Ownership Past Shelter Unfamiliar Weathered

"Dudley Market Place, pictured here in the early 1980s, with the Trueform shoe shop being rebuilt."

Photo Memory Old Past People

Rubble + stone

Drawing Text Overcast Broken Decay Material Old Waste Weathered

"Dudley Market Place where archaeologists found the foundations of old market buildings while preparing for the redevelopment of the area in April 2014."

Photo Archaeology Memory Old Past

Roller shutters

Text Cloudy Boundaries Identity Invitations Old

100 kg very old romae has romd nom rals

Text Cloudy Rainy Old

"Dudley's Edwardian Market Place pictured around 1905."

Photo Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Consumption Difference Familiar Identity Life Lingering Memory Missing Old Past People Shelter Stillness Survival Transport Unfamiliar Words

"Four Debenhams staff with 100-years service between them were bidding a fond farewell as the store in Dudley High Street closed for the last time in January 1981. Manager Douglas Spalding, who was with the company for 26 years, was photographed with Nancy Robinson, Kathleen Jackson and Marion Sutton."

Photo Memory Old Past People

Geological story of the Black Country Video by Ellie Ramsey Narrated by Graham Worton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxRX8-c2fU

Video Big Things Change Connection Contrast Creatures Difference Growing Industry Life Memory Moving Nature Old Past Plantlife Sounds Stories Survival Tiny Things Unfamiliar Views Water

"The days were numbered for these historic buildings when this picture of Dudley High Street was taken in November 1970. A public inquiry was being held to decide whether five listed buildings in the street could be demolished to make way for the new Trident Centre shopping complex. Permission was granted, and it was discovered during demolition that parts of these buildings dated back to the Middle Ages."

Photo Archaeology Architecture Memory Old Past

"Dudley High Street in the early 1900s."

Photo Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Consumption Difference Familiar Identity Life Lingering Memory Missing Old Past People Shelter Stillness Survival Transport Unfamiliar Words

"Dudley High Street looking towards Lower High Street and Bottom Church in September 1983."

Photo Commerce Consumption Memory Old Past People Vehicle

Secondary focus old cinema

Drawing Text Cloudy Architecture High Identity Old Views

"Owner Alan Caswell outside the Arcade Toy Shop in the Fountain Arcade in July 2011."

Photo Memory Old Past People

"The Co-operative store at the top of Dudley High Street in 1969"

Photo Care Commerce Consumption Decay Memory Old Past

Peeling paint on beautiful old windows

Text Cool Overcast Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Care Control Decay Material Old Past

Provision.docx

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Provision I invite you to stand in my shoes In the space between dark and light To imagine a room laid bare Where you sleep in the bath In the clothes you wear every day Because you don’t have a bed or Even a mattress on the floor To rest your tired frame. You are in crisis Slipped through the cracks It doesn’t matter how or why Just that you are here Needing help Needing compassion Practical support To get back on your feet To feel cared for Provided for Prayers answered. I sit here listening to Blur On the CD player I have just bought from Provision House A beacon-topped Aladdin’s cave of treasures That occupies a space right opposite It’s higher calling Old Co-op Old shoe shop New lease of life For this art-deco giant Three floors of stepping back in time Down history rich stairs Through formica inlaid doors Its belly stuffed with Furniture and bedding Tables and lamps Wardrobes and kitchenware The things that we take for granted Destined for those that have nothing Absolutely nothing A lifeline. In the shop I can still buy a pair of shoes Anything an old department store may well have stocked Ironic I feel. They save the sleeping bags To hand to homeless folk Health-packs and new socks Whatever helps. The Food Club caters for those That need to feed themselves Their families On budgets stretched to breaking They mind the gap that governments should fill By remembering that everybody counts Black Country rules. Kim chats to a woman Buying sticker-books for her granddaughter Laughter slips through this conversation Two books for a pound and you know The girl will have a fun filled afternoon. I ask about the future Plans for expansion Rooms to hire Office space Training programmes on their way Perhaps a life for the room upstairs and I see progress New from old Right from wrong. So, step through this door and lend a hand To those that need it more than You and I will ever understand.

Poem Architecture Big Things Care Change Connection Consumption Conversation Food Funny Future Gift Imagination Invitations Kindness Light Memory New Old Past Shelter Sounds

"Ted North ran his Black Country Bakes traditional baked potato business in Dudley High Street for decades.This is his potato baker stall in 1982."

Photo Food Memory Old Past People

Slooow peeling of cladding on 1st + 2nd storeys of bldg

Text Slight breeze Sunny Architecture Broken High Material Old Speeds

I was asked about what I was doing [asked them what they think is beautiful] Old lamp posts giving the town some character

Text Rainy Aesthetic Beauty Care Community Connection Conversation Curiosity Favourite Things Friendliness Identity Interacting Old Past People

"Locals would pop into The Hen and Chickens Hotel for a quick pint and a chat in December 1982. The popular watering hole dominated the corner of New Street and Castle Street in Dudley Market Place."

Photo Architecture Memory Old Past

"Hanson's Brewery at the top of Dudley High Street, pictured here in November 1991, shortly before it closed. An Asda supermarket now stands on the site."

Photo Architecture Memory Old Past