I think you’ll find Nicklebys ran adjacent to Kings Cinema and not instead of. We frequented Nicklebys every week in the early 90s. Good club with great memories!! The school uniform shop you captured briefly at the end of King Square used to be Siviters sports shop as I recall.

The Old Talbot is still open, and the nurses' home was derelict for ages and only recently it has been bought, and guess what? It's being converted into flats. 🙄

Anyone remember Goulds Records on the Corner past Hughs and Holmes. I knew Phil Gould vaguely.

I remember a old girlfriend who worked at fine fare in West Brom 💭

I enjoy your walks Phil . Disappointed we didnt get a look at the tribute to the Indian Soldier of the Great War in this one tho .

KARACHI HIGH STREET NOW.😮

Jesus its like Pakistan

If the asian business leave .. Why haven't other people created business ! ? Rather then taken money . ! we have created business ! If haven't other created business ?

My Nan was born and bread in smethwich, it used to be ok for shopping in the 80s/90s and the some of the pubs was ok, but like a lot of places in the Black Country all gone down hill and they don’t always make the best decisions when I comes to renovating a area

The chippy was in the "Y" in the road, i dont remember the name of the pub in the middle

My nan lived in the bombed out house on Oak road during the war, it had a tarp on the roof. She had a young baby too.

I used to work in Smethwick at Dartmouth Auto Castings which was part of the Birmid Group. Dad was at A.E. Griffiths who were based in Booth St but had a second premises in Rolf St where he was assistant manager, they made all sorts of industrial plant equipment.

The 1960s council took the decision that there was more "civic pride" in building a bypass than in preserving the High Street. I suppose it was their "last hurrah" before the council was dissolved and the town became part of Sandwell, but the town centre was never the same. I never think of shopping there, I go to Bearwood or Cape Hill or Oldbury.

Smethwick always had bad press! In the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s it was a relatively safe place to live and wander around.. Everyone knew and looked out for each other. Neighbours knew each other and would know the kids in the area so if you misbehaved your parents were always told. NOW, all that has gone, it doesn’t feel safe anymore. That can be said of a lot of places now.

Hi Phil enjoyed the walk around Smethwick in the seventys I thought I would have a look around Smethwick and went for a drink near the Railway station as I entered the pub I fell over the stools and landed on the floor near the bar the gaffa said i was pissed and threw me out I've never been back and that's the first time I've looked around Smethwick thanks Phil all the best Paul

I can’t write what I want too about that area , but nice vlog of a once beautiful place

Express of India

Sorry that should say santa but it changes when you post

West Bromwich Staffordshire then!

Sorry but a lot of us don't go there, even as kids with parents on the 74 bus, hated going through to get to b'ham for a trip to see saints at Lewis '😢

Hope you enjoyed this short look around The High Street in Smethwick. Consider subscribing to this channel by hitting the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON in order for me to continue making films in and around West Bromwich and it will also ensure you are alerted to new video content. As always, all comments, questions, and feedback are welcome. Thanks for watching!!

A walk round the new estate , that was chirchfields school might be a good call . Never knew some of clockwise was filmed there phil.

I’m not very familiar with crematoriums so not heard of a pet area before but good on the council but doing it 🐾

Parking wardens are welcome to those who do park irresponsibly. When they get a fine , they will learn their lesson. A lot of assumptions being made , but know the new mosque will improve the surroundings and the wider community.

Teddy Grays is still open in Wednesbury, I go in for the Cola Cubes and Pineapple Rock

Went to Hill top school. Left in the seventies.

My treat on Saturday dinner time was to go with my Dad into stone cross pub and be treated to a cheese and onion cob, whole my Dad a few pints with his mates.

I remember clockwise great film shame about the old school

I go there fairly often nice pubs and shops 👍

I lived 18 peel street

Prize bingo at bottom of Whitehall road in the 70s. Teddy Grays shop in the middle of the town

Worked in Watton st off Spon Lane in early 70s at 'Midland Machine Tools ' as a Turner... Had an Aunt and Uncle who owned a scrapyard with their sons (Welborns) down by the Flowerpot.. Also there was a dairy nearby think it was Handsworth Dairies in late 50s 60s. Not sure when it closed.

Looking down Brackendale drive towards the new houses on your right hand side just after the bend that was the site of Bermuda Mansions. In fact i think they were 8 stories not 6. Ian Hill lived in one of those blocks..To the right hand side of Brackendale drive towards the end was Yew Tree Labour Club now gone demolished for the new houses which you can see now.

Doctors Surgery corner of Redwood road and Cherry tree ave .

Ah KK ( Ken) Downing and Ian Hill . Judas Priest .Knew both well they were in some of my sets when i was at Churchfields Comp.

There was also a Fir Tree Infants built brand new Built next to Fir Tree (Junior) School but that was demolished too make way for a new housing estate and Fir tree Junior went much later. Great times on YTE in 60/70s Foresters for a beer and watch a live fight at the end of the night 😂😂

Where the Diamond bus is on Greenside Way/ Thorncroft way the 6 story flats were opposite the bus stop and took up Brackendale Drive and Orchard road. (Yew tree Gardens) not sure how many blocks 5 or 6.

Hi Phil,,just discovered your channel and find your vlogs very interesting, There Dorothy Mills one grabbed my attention as I'd no knowledge of this and it's really sad that the perpetrator never faced justice. I've been a Wednesbury resident for the last 14 year's but grew up in the Tividale/Oldbury area. Such a shame that a lot of our town's are looking shabby nowadays.. Anyway I've liked and subscribed and look forward to watching more.

The shuttered building just before Wyndmill Cresent was a former chippy as i recall

Hi Phil you've given me food for thought I think the driver pulled in just forward of the Navigation and that Air-raid Shelter he saved the pub from total destruction and was far enough way from the houses this is how he saved lives all the best Paul

I was born in Friar Park in 1950, I have never known Wednesbury as part of West Bromwich. It was always addressed as "** FRIAR PARK ROAD, WEDNESBURY, STAFFORDSHIRE.

No mention what so ever about wilkos car park being the playground to fisher street primary school which closed down in the late 60s,, Very Shocking

Loving your videos Phil 💥

Hi Phil enjoyed your walk down Robert's Road I was at school on the yewtree estate when we heard the explosion opposite the Navigation pub which belonged to Atkinsons brewery was an Old brick Air-raid shelter I think the lorry pulled in just past the Shelter when the lorry exploded I think this is why the Houses were so badly damaged we moved to Addison close in around 1967 just down past the rebuilt houses on the left is friar Park Road there used to be Mills Foundry all the best Paul

Thank you for this Phil, you’re full of surprising facts, keep up the good work 😊

This takes me back Phil. I was a little kid at Fir Tree infants school on Yew Tree Estate about a mile away as the crow flies from there. It blew some of the kids of their feet in the playground. The teachers told us they were doing some blasting at the quarry which was on the left hand side as you went under the Navigation Bridge up the steep hill to Stone Cross. When we saw the midlands news on the night it turned out to be the chemical lorry exploding. The driver was hailed as a hero, originally he had parked up I believe nearer to the houses after noticing a fire and decided to move it away as best he could to a safer place before going off to phone the fire brigade otherwise it could have been a bigger disaster

Thankyou, I've never heard of that.

My Dad was a roofer he came along with 100s of other tradesmen to help reroof and glaze the properties. My grandad rushed home to Dorset rd from the Jubilee colliery Forge lane .

Hope you enjoyed this short account of the FRIAR PARK EXPLOSION. Consider subscribing to this channel by hitting the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON in order for me to continue making films in and around West Bromwich and it will also ensure you are alerted to new video content. As always, all comments, questions, and feedback are welcome. Thanks for watching!!

www.macearchive.org/films/midlands-news-06021962-west-bromwich-explosion