News
Lightwoods Park
Our MP, John Spellar, has written to us as follows:
"We have previously corresponded about the state of Lightwoods Park. As you know, the whole situation has been complicated by the fact that while the Park is in Sandwell, it is owned by Birmingham. Recently the Councils have been trying to resolve the situation and I am pleased we may be close to reaching a conclusion. I have checked up with Councillor Eling and I understand that Birmingham have now provided the legal documents regarding Lightwoods Park. It appears that the transfer won't happen on the 1st April, but it should happen in May/June. The Council have allocated monies towards maintenance and I also understand that there is a capital allocation as well. I hope we are now starting to see the end of this long saga."
Smethwick Local History Society appreciates the interest and support of our MP in securing the future of the house and park. We understand that Sandwell MBC has set aside £1.25M for the restoration project with a further £80k p.a. being allocated for annual maintenance.
Sandwell MBC is also planning to take over the Manor House at West Bromwich with a view to bringing this remarkable building up to a standard whereby it can once again be opened to the public.
Chances
Plans to convert this Grade 2 Listed Building into offices and a 200-bed hotel are moving forward. The developer is planning to re-build the 19th century turret and hopes that progress on cleaning and re-pointing the 7-storey factory building should become apparent towards the end of this year. David Bryant of Smethwick Heritage Centre reported that the Lighthouse Keepers Association were intending to offer the developer a large lighthouse lantern to display in their new offices but David Bryant had suggested it might be better to place it in the care of the Borough Archivist who might then loan it to the developer.
Local Flag Design Project
Local graphic design enthusiast Philip Tibbetts has been on a mission to design a flag for every Black Country town. His designs are based on a considerable amount of research and those for Smethwick and Warley are shown here. He already has support from Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho and from Carl Chinn who points out that "Flags have always been powerful symbols of loyalty, allegiance and belonging". Philip is open to suggestions about his flags and any comments should be emailed to him at: tibbetts.ps@gmail.com.
Redevelopment of Suffrage Street/Ballot Street area of Smethwick
Mary Bodfish was pleased to report that the new housing development is to be named "Charter Square". Mary had suggested that street names in the area should continue the Ballot Street/Suffrage Street theme, reflecting the movement in the mid 19th century to extend the franchise to include the working man.
