Out of Africa and Off to the Park

I was up at silly O'clock on Thursday morning (just after 5am) but used my extra one and a half hours wisely, sorting out the overflowing laundry basket and mopping the kitchen floor before my Wii Fit workout and the daily parcel wrapping. After walking to the postbox on the corner, Jon & I dedicated the day to eBay, ironing, photographing and listing our recent finds. 

 The charity-shopped Monsoon coat is proving very useful. Thursday was brilliantly bright but icy cold and I spent the day wrapped up in it. Underneath I wore a vintage Mayur Indian gauzy cotton dress, cashmere fingerless gloves (via a cat-rescue charity) and my 1960s sheepskin boots & hat.

On Friday I gave the weird Zara jumper an outing, combining it with a vintage Anokhi maxi skirt and anchoring it with a charity-shopped leather belt.

We popped over to our second-favourite Black Country town for a bit of charity shopping and although pickings were slim we found a few bits for the Kinky Shed...

A 1980s Champion waterproof jacket, a Lee denim jacket, a 1980s Stonewall Jackson wool jacket, a vintage Wallis peplum-waisted jacket, a Dents fake fur hat and some absolutely gorgeous unworn East espadrilles which I was seriously tempted with but they're already found a very deserving new home!

I've mentioned before that we almost always come back with a piece of Mid-Century Art glass whenever we visit this particular town and Friday was no exception. At £4, this Polish (or possibly Czech) beauty is a welcome addition to our ever-growing collection which has now taken over the mantlepiece & sideboard in the lounge, the window ledges in the lounge and dining room and now they're creeping into the bathroom!

I was amazed to spot this primitive African stool in another of the charity shops. At first, I thought it was an Ashanti piece but the geometric form and the handle weren't quite right. After some research, I discovered that it originated from the nomadic Tonga tribe of Zimbabwe and is at least a century old. 

Hand-carved from a single piece of wood, these stools were a status symbol for the tribal elders, incorporating unique lines, shapes, and patterns with a handle to make them easy to transport to important meetings. Traditionally, only the head of the household could own and take his place on a Tonga stool. Women were prohibited from sitting on them although I have to own up to sitting on this one - and very comfy it was, too! If the stool was unoccupied the owner would lean it against a wall to prevent a passer-by from using it and diminishing its powers.

After a liberal application with the Lord Sheraton's Wood Balsam, it's taken pride of place on the hearth. I shall have to track down a fatter, three-wick candle on my travels, the Wilko church candle looks a bit lost on it.

Our new favourite thing to do on a Saturday is to take an urban walk and this week we visited Walsall Arboretum, or "The Arbo" if you're a local, just over a mile from our front door.

Spanning 170 acres, the Arboretum is Walsall's largest park of the thirty-six in our borough.

Originally belonging to the wealthy Reynolds Family, the Tudor-era hall and the subsequent land was seized by Cromwell following the Civil War. After Charles II ascended to the throne the land was given back to the family but in the late 18th Century the then-owner, John Walhouse decided to demolish the hall and destroy the gardens to exploit the limestone beneath.

 Mining began in 1800 but by 1835 most of the limestone had been removed and the mine proved uneconomical to run. Once the steam pumps were turned off the mines flooded and lakes quickly formed, used by the townspeople for fishing, boating and ice-skating in the Winter. In 1845 tragedy struck when the Mayor of Walsall drowned in Hatherton Lake after taking an evening swim and a second man drowned attempting to rescue him. Forty-foot deep in places, the lake was abandoned and the area remained wild and untouched.

The Arboretum was founded in 1870 by The Walsall Arboretum & Lake Company and with capital of £4000 made plans to turn the area into pleasure grounds, taking out a 99-year lease. The grand opening ceremony took place on 4th May 1874, when the park was officially opened by Lady Hatherton in front of 4,000 people. The original park consisted of two lakes, a boathouse, a bandstand, two lodges, and several summerhouses. There was a tree-lined promenade, space for dancing, croquet lawns, and a cricket ground. Despite an admission charge, the company made a loss in its first year. 

The company continued to lose money, eventually declaring bankruptcy in 1877. In 1881, due to public demand, the Council agreed to take the Arboretum over as a public park on a three-year lease, and in 1884 purchased the freehold for £4,000. It officially reopened on 21st July 1884 and admission became free.

Along with Lulu & Claire, I'm a member of the Bandstand Appreciation Society. This beauty in the Arboretum opened in 1924 and was built by Walter McFarlane & Company at a cost of £1,550.

The lake continues to claim lives. These floral tributes are for a young woman who tragically drowned on Wednesday morning.

Used as punishment for crimes such as drunkenness and swearing, offenders would stand at the stocks whilst townspeople pelted them with rotten fruit. Walsall's old stocks were removed from the town centre and put on display beside the lake in 1904.

Designed by artist Marjan Wouda as a tribute to Walsall’s Saddlery and leatherwork trades, Fluffy the 'Oss* has stood in the Arboretum since 2017.

*Horse in Black Country vernacular.

The Green Man by Robot Cossey, the chainsaw artist behind the animals in Palfrey Park (HERE).

Round and Round the Garden by Liz Lemon, 1988

One of the bridges over Hoar Brook.

The Pavillion, built in 1902.

A park is

The kick of a ball

A red brick wall

A first kiss, 

A moonlit wish,

Saturday mornings bold & bright

Frosty winters huddled tight

Springs come and Autumns go,

Children play & children grow,

The circle of life in plant and soil

Full of hope & full of toil,

There for us through thick & thin

When we lose or if we win

We may change but it will stay

In darkest night & brightest day

Always here always giving

A park is for life

So let's start living!

Peadar O'Donoghue

Jerome K Jerome, one of Walsall's most famous sons.

 

The Lodge, the entrance to the Arboretum since 1874.

Cobwebs well and truly blown away, we walked back to defrost with mugs of tea in front of the fire. 

Thanks for reading, see you soon!