Category Archives: Uncategorized

    The Birmingham New Mainline canal between Birmingham and Wolverhampton was built for business. Designed by Thomas Telford, by 1838 the New Main Line was complete: 22⅝ miles of slow canal reduced to 15⅝; between Birmingham and Tipton, a … Continue reading →

This picture shows the scale of the North embankment. Historic records confirm that the original Barnett’s brickworks pit was “100 yards deep”. This is when it flooded in 1899 following the burst of the Birmingham Canal. In Barnett’s day there … Continue reading →

A man patrols the mere with his animal. You certainly can’t say that the security of the site hasn’t been beefed up, but is it for human health security or that of the thousands of pounds worth of equipment to … Continue reading →

I have received a reply from The Food Standards Agency regarding the following open letter post. I don’t really believe it answers my question as to why Jo Payne of the AHVLA did not communicate that white phosphorus systemic exposure … Continue reading →

PHEW! What a scorcher. Quite a change in the weather in the last week. At the lagoon, several new views have opened up as a result of the North embankment desecration. Looking towards the housing development in Callaghan Drive and … Continue reading →

I recognised it straight away when I saw it this afternoon. To the untrained eye, just another piece of metal in the distance, but not to the Rattlechain lagoon stalker like myself. This was a piece of history.   All … Continue reading →

    The following pictures record the destruction of anything that could be considered “natural” around the lagoon embankments. Bonaparte, Napoleon and their little mate have been digging and pulling out all the trees, and the change from green to … Continue reading →

OR HOW WILLY PETER MET BLUE PETER And here’s one we made earlier. How to turn a piece of old pontoon, some old drainpipe and a bit of hose into a makeshift pump. Those ingenious buggers at Trinity Street certainly … Continue reading →

Nothing is so beautiful as spring—   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;   Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring The ear, it strikes like lightnings to … Continue reading →

Still observing what Bonaparte is doing on the Eastern embankment. According to my “Environment Agency source”, it is to do with problems concerning weed in the pool and “a trial” (What another one!) to reduce water content within it before … Continue reading →