Bygone Bridgtown, by David Williams
Bygone Bridgtown, by David Williams
Published by the Bridgtown and District Local History Society in 2010, 72 pages. Booklet - c.16cm by 24cm (N5510)
Published by the Bridgtown and District Local History Society in 2010, 72 pages. Booklet - c.16cm by 24cm (N5510)
This booklet is a fascinating pictorial history of Bridgtown in Staffordshire, and is packed full with black and white photographs showing the people and places of the village and surrounding area in times gone by. There are chapters on places, education, church life, work, sport, war and peace, people and events, and the booklet will certainly delight anyone who has lived or grown up in the area!
From the rear side cover: Bridgtown began its existence as a "new town" with plans drawn up by Wolverhampton Building Society in 1861. In those days Cannock itself was only a village and many people thought that Bridgtown would exceed it in size. Bridgtown was designed to bring quality housing for the working classes and the middle classes, side by side with the industries that provided their livelihoods.
The name Bridgtown was probably coined because it was impossible to get into or out of it without crossing over or under a
bridge. It was certainly good communication links that caused its rapid growth. Nearby, the old Roman Road, Watling Street, crossed the road from Walsall to Stafford, and both of those roads had toll gates where Bridgtown was to be built. The railway line from Walsall to Rugeley had arrived in the 1850s followed by the construction of major canal links. Successful industries developed and flourished in the form of coalmines and edge tool manufacturing. From then on Bridgtown's growth was rapid and it was considered a model of planning to be copied by others!
Actually Cannock grew faster and Bridgtown then became known as "the village" to all who lived there. This is the second book of photographs illustrating the life and times of Bridgtown as its community developed. The book is the work of Bridgtown & District Local History Society, a group of people who have come together to celebrate the history of their village and who are determined to ensure that its beginnings and development are accurately recorded.
Condition of the booklet is generally good. The cover has one or two minor scuffs, and some light wear along the edges and corners, but the staple spine is intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. There is an old price printed and a small price sticker on the rear side cover
| Condition | New |