Monday 18 March 2024

West Midlands Places (11) : Solihull

Solihull is a market town to the south of Birmingham. It's name may be derived from "soily hill". Solihull was once covered with the ancient Forest of Arden though there has been settlement in the area since the Iron Age. Later on the Forest of Arden was part of the Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Solihull first appears as a village founded by the de Limsey family between 1170 and 1180. The parish church of St Alphege dates from the late 13th century though was built on the site of an earlier collapsed church, the location of this church on a soily hill may have given Solihull it's name! 

Solihull became well known for it's black smiths, the wood from the Forest of Arden providing ample fuel for the forges. Solihuill gained a market charter in 1242. However, the town remained small maybe overshadowed by the larger towns nearby such as Birmingham and Coventry which grew greatly during the Industrial Revolution. This has helped Solihull retain it's historic character and buildings that have been lost elsewhere. There is industry in Solihull of course, most notably these days a Jaguar Land Rover factory. Solihull is also home to Birmingham Airport (in Elmdon) and the National Exhibition Centre.

Solihull has many transport links including the M42 motorway and railway stations at Birmingham International and Solihull.




Friday 15 March 2024

Churches (215) : St Mary, Stamford

The parish church of St Mary in Stamford, Lincolnshire dates from the 12th century though the tower is 13th. A notable part of the church is it's 13/14th century north Corpus Christi chapel with it's decorated medieval wagon vault ceiling. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century.

The church's spire has been at risk of collapse for a number of times, work was carried out in 1788 and 1913 to strengthen it. The tower and spire together rise just over fifty metres. The church is made from rubble and limestone ashlar.


Thursday 14 March 2024

31

In 2013 i bought my first typewriter, and today i received my thirty first! The Silver-Reed Master II is a nice machine i found cheap on eBay, i know i often say this but it should be the last i buy for some time...



Tuesday 12 March 2024

Brother Deluxe

Me typing on my Brother Deluxe 1350, the first typewriter i bought back in 2013. Little did i know that just over ten years later i would have thirty. There is another on the way too.

Monday 11 March 2024

Golden Age (45) : The Leavenworth Case

The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green is a late 19th century crime story set in New York. A popular story in it's time and said to be Stanley Baldwin's favourite story. 

The story revolves around the murder of a rich merchant (Leavenworth). Suspicion falls upon the two nieces and a mysterious man. An investigator and a lawyer tackle the case.

Quite why this story was so popular is the true mystery (sorry Mr Baldwin!) I found the story a bit slow and tedious though it is undeniably well written but by the time you find out who was the murderer you have largely lost interest. It also suffers from a bit of over the top melodrama like many Victorian novels.