Dudley Time Portal

Items tagged: Memory
Here are a few pics from some Archeology taking place adjacent to Flood Street. Sadly the fencing wouldn't allow me closer to take better pictures. The excavations show the evidence of former back to back housing, floor tiling laid directly onto the earth, street or yard cobblestones, a coal hole/cellar and possibly a garden path? Then there's a mysterious line of embossed bricks. Tho' not to be seen there'd have been outside WC's.  All rather romantic as the past is often portrayed but such housing tended to create insanitary conditions with rising damp, open indoor fires & lack of ventilation.  - IMG_3698.jpg
Here are a few pics from some Archeology taking place adjacent to Flood Street. Sadly the fencing wouldn't allow me closer to take better pictures. The excavations show the evidence of former back to back housing, floor tiling laid directly onto the earth, street or yard cobblestones, a coal hole/cellar and possibly a garden path? Then there's a mysterious line of embossed bricks. Tho' not to be seen there'd have been outside WC's. All rather romantic as the past is often portrayed but such housing tended to create insanitary conditions with rising damp, open indoor fires & lack of ventilation.
Photo Boundaries Architecture Health Memory Other Archaeology
"The Woolworths store in Dudley High Street in 2004."
Photo Past Old Consumption Commerce Memory
Graveyard - decaying bodies, amongst ivy, holly, ragwort. Faded flowers, pile of broken stones - 210731 1050.jpg
Graveyard - decaying bodies, amongst ivy, holly, ragwort. Faded flowers, pile of broken stones
Text Overcast Cool Decay Memory Old Nature Plantlife Care Growing Material Past
This graffiti image is on the wall at ACCN- Dudley African Caribbean Network, I would like to know how and when this was created. One Love is a reference to a Bob Marley song and is written in the image. - ACCN Wall Art.jpg
This graffiti image is on the wall at ACCN- Dudley African Caribbean Network, I would like to know how and when this was created. One Love is a reference to a Bob Marley song and is written in the image.
Photo Sunny Boundaries Creativity Culture Emotion Expression Hiding Happiness Identity Life Memory People Play Stories Words
"Dudley Market Place looking west in 1955."
Photo Past Old Memory Architecture People Vehicle
"The Co-operative store at the top of Dudley High Street in 1969"
Photo Past Old Consumption Commerce Memory Care Decay
After investigating the history, heritage, culture and institutions of Dudley and its High street, I made a kaleidoscope gift based around the themes ‘overlooked’, ‘resilience’ and ‘layered’. Although sight is the most immediate sense in which many people engage with their surroundings, it’s not until you look beneath the surface and start to see things from a new perspective that you fully appreciate what is there and the potential beyond. I wanted people to engage with my gift, have fun and evoke a sense of nostalgia, whilst also using it as a way to look forward to what the High Street could be, all the while embodying the CoLab Dudley principle of allowing this object to be a co-op piece. The gift relates to the people and allows for each user to interpret and express their own thoughts. - 0_45V_6qYjaVPtSZYF.png
After investigating the history, heritage, culture and institutions of Dudley and its High street, I made a kaleidoscope gift based around the themes ‘overlooked’, ‘resilience’ and ‘layered’. Although sight is the most immediate sense in which many people engage with their surroundings, it’s not until you look beneath the surface and start to see things from a new perspective that you fully appreciate what is there and the potential beyond. I wanted people to engage with my gift, have fun and evoke a sense of nostalgia, whilst also using it as a way to look forward to what the High Street could be, all the while embodying the CoLab Dudley principle of allowing this object to be a co-op piece. The gift relates to the people and allows for each user to interpret and express their own thoughts.
Other visual delight Model Past Culture Gift People Hiding Play Memory Familiar Potential Future Community Expression Overlooked Resilient Layer
"Dudley High Street looking towards Lower High Street and Bottom Church in September 1983."
Photo Past Old Consumption Commerce Vehicle People Memory
"The days were numbered for these historic buildings when this picture of Dudley High Street was taken in November 1970. A public inquiry was being held to decide whether five listed buildings in the street could be demolished to make way for the new Trident Centre shopping complex. Permission was granted, and it was discovered during demolition that parts of these buildings dated back to the Middle Ages."
Photo Past Old Memory Architecture Archaeology
"Ted North ran his Black Country Bakes traditional baked potato business in Dudley High Street for decades.This is his potato baker stall in 1982."
Photo Past Old Memory People Food
"The new market in Dudley market place in 1983 had a little more aisle space between the stalls, making shopping easier for customers. The market had just reopened after three months spent in Stone Street while it was refurbished. Traditionalists had bitterly attacked the replacing of wooden stalls with metal and the removal of the old-fashioned cobbles. This was taken on May 15, 1983."
Photo Past Old Memory People Commerce Consumption
"A tram travels along Wolverhampton Street in Dudley.."
Photo Past Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Difference Familiar Identity Life Memory Missing People Old Shelter Survival Transport Unfamiliar Words Vehicle Speeds
"Locals would pop into The Hen and Chickens Hotel for a quick pint and a chat in December 1982. The popular watering hole dominated the corner of New Street and Castle Street in Dudley Market Place."
Photo Past Old Memory Architecture
"Dudley High Street in the early 1900s."
Photo Past Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Consumption Difference Familiar Identity Life Lingering Memory Missing People Old Shelter Stillness Survival Transport Unfamiliar Words
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In this picture from 1914 in Dudley, you can just make out my grandfather. He's the small boy with the cap running across Wolverhampton Street in the days when the trams were still running. Years later we worked out that this day was probably a defining moment in his life, the day he chose never to have a second thought or to be bullied by others. You can see him running. This is because he had stolen the ham you can see him carrying under his arm. This one action started a chain of events for my grandfather that would go on to dominate his formative years. Petty larceny, theft, criminal activity that would shape him, turn him into one of the most notorious villains in the Black Country. When he died in 1972, this photograph turned up amongst his possessions, in a locked drawer of his bureau. We agreed amongst us that no one in the family had ever seen this photo before, curious as to its importance to him. On the back of the photo he had written the date and time, together with a brief note - "Me stealing ham from W.Smiths, butcher". He would have been 10 years old and this was perhaps his first, or at least one of his first criminal acts. We have no idea who took the photograph or how he had come to have the original print in his possession, but it appears that it held some significance for him as he kept it all of his life locked away in his bureau drawer.
Imagining Text Story Creative writing Actions Chance Connection Creativity Familiar Food Identity Imagination Interacting Justice Life Memory Moving Old Past People Speeds Stories Surprise Unfamiliar Words
Geological story of the Black Country
Video by Ellie Ramsey
Narrated by Graham Worton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxRX8-c2fU - Screenshot 2022-01-27 at 14_21_08.png
Geological story of the Black Country Video by Ellie Ramsey Narrated by Graham Worton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxRX8-c2fU
Video Big Things Change Connection Contrast Creatures Difference Growing Industry Life Memory Nature Old Past Plantlife Sounds Tiny Things Survival Stories Unfamiliar Views Water Moving
The first Stepping Stone project looks into designing multifunctional furniture for Dudley High Street to provide opportunities for a regenerative community, focusing on how the high street can be occupied with resilience. Initially, the stalls act as market stalls to provide opportunities for enterprises and small businesses to begin thriving and encouraging the High Street to become a place of inclusivity.

However, the stalls can extend out into outdoor seating arrangements, which can become an extension of the community kitchen and during events can become a part of the whole atmosphere.

By extending the furniture, they can connect together and become a large spread where people can sit together and enjoy company. It creates a lowered centre space so children can sit together, or paint on the surfaces. We decided to focus on furniture because we felt the importance of it can go unrecognised. We felt through the design of this market stall, many memories can be created and attached to these items, and become valuable assets within the community. - 1_OZxPTXXsNAi7K07s8cozeQ.png
The first Stepping Stone project looks into designing multifunctional furniture for Dudley High Street to provide opportunities for a regenerative community, focusing on how the high street can be occupied with resilience. Initially, the stalls act as market stalls to provide opportunities for enterprises and small businesses to begin thriving and encouraging the High Street to become a place of inclusivity. However, the stalls can extend out into outdoor seating arrangements, which can become an extension of the community kitchen and during events can become a part of the whole atmosphere. By extending the furniture, they can connect together and become a large spread where people can sit together and enjoy company. It creates a lowered centre space so children can sit together, or paint on the surfaces. We decided to focus on furniture because we felt the importance of it can go unrecognised. We felt through the design of this market stall, many memories can be created and attached to these items, and become valuable assets within the community.
Collage Drawing Imagining Regenerative Community Resilient Opportunity Invitations Friendliness Fairness Food Stillness Lingering Connection Commerce Low Colour Memory Agency Change Conversation Creativity Culture Future Imagination Interacting Life People Potential Relaxing
Golden Touch.docx
Golden Touch It’s my wedding anniversary Ari is cutting my hair “To make you look younger” He says We guess each other’s age A trick he’s pretty good at We talk about daughters Sons Families How he goes back every year When he can To northern Iran But really his family’s here now Round the houses in Brum From a young age Now his home is Dudley Four years in the shop Cutting Blending Trimming The heat from the hair dryer Beats the sweepings to the floor and I escape for twenty minutes In the stories In the swift hands The mirrors Posters from a bygone age Product on the shelves The smell of wax and leather Scissors sweep over the comb and I learn that the skills are hard taught From the first time with the razor To the years later Efficient Precise Art in my eyes Soon his brother will join him From Manchester Where he’s currently learning To catch up The future is all about the family and I hope the shop is still here For when his son Picks up the scissors For the first time Thanks for the haircut Ari It took years off me
Poem Connection Conversation Gift New Friendliness Memory Interacting Craft Stillness Stories Smell Moving Creativity Future
"Dudley's Edwardian Market Place pictured around 1905."
Photo Past Aesthetic Architecture Beauty Change Consumption Difference Familiar Identity Life Lingering Memory Missing People Old Shelter Stillness Survival Transport Unfamiliar Words
Caffe Min.docx
Caffe Min Breakfast Lunch Meal deal Everything you would expect Fresh from the takeaway menu Ham baguette With a little bit of mayonnaise Jacket potato Hot cup of coffee Bacon sarnie Brown sauce Not red Tikka mint mayo panini Something you might not expect Sunglasses! I sit on a long bench Listening to Tainted Love Over the radio Reading one of the many signs About coffee and good vibes Jayne and Mustafa Serve the steady flow of regulars Some sit outside most of the day Watching Chatting Taking it all in There’s always a spot for them As others come and go Mustafa hopes that more regulars Will return From offices When they can The future seems uncertain Until normality returns Since West Brom 27 years ago Jayne and Mustafa Have been working together She says she “has a thick skin to have put up with him for so long” He says “she’s the second woman in his life” Cheerful banter From a lifetime of serving Cooking Cleaning Managing This is their third café in Dudley 23 years and still going Opposite the Full Moon Tables and chairs on the pavement Watching the comings and goings I end up chatting to Kath Over a cup of tea As she gets a sausage baguette For the lady she volunteers with Kath comes every Friday For breakfast with her friends and I see how this all takes shape Regular Reliable Dependable I say goodbye Head back up the town As Magic FM fades in the distance I think I’ll probably pop in again For a cup of tea
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Food Consumption Familiar Colour Unfamiliar Surprise Sounds Words Happiness Interacting Lingering Future Memory Stories Stillness
The Gift represents the two different typologies of building and its facade located on the High Street. One resembles St. Thomas Top Church and the other is the common modern building facade. The design of High Street buildings has evolved throughout the period. Its use, materiality, construction technique etc.

The High Street has always represented a role as a commercial and social hub. The concentration of public on the High Street provides the opportunities to designers to showcase creativity and innovation in design which impacts on visitors. We can say in other words, an ‘Exhibition’ of evolution of buildings in a row. So, facade plays a key role as it reflects the local identity of the town and its culture. So I did a little experiment to understand the street in the form of juxtaposition of facade by placing two different typologies of buildings located on the street. The voids on the facade have changed and adapted to more convenient rectilinear shapes during the past few decades.

The model made of plain paper can represent the periodical difference in buildings to which people of the High Street can easily relate and take a place within their memory. - 0_VZnqEpx8xTTZXQdp.png
The Gift represents the two different typologies of building and its facade located on the High Street. One resembles St. Thomas Top Church and the other is the common modern building facade. The design of High Street buildings has evolved throughout the period. Its use, materiality, construction technique etc. The High Street has always represented a role as a commercial and social hub. The concentration of public on the High Street provides the opportunities to designers to showcase creativity and innovation in design which impacts on visitors. We can say in other words, an ‘Exhibition’ of evolution of buildings in a row. So, facade plays a key role as it reflects the local identity of the town and its culture. So I did a little experiment to understand the street in the form of juxtaposition of facade by placing two different typologies of buildings located on the street. The voids on the facade have changed and adapted to more convenient rectilinear shapes during the past few decades. The model made of plain paper can represent the periodical difference in buildings to which people of the High Street can easily relate and take a place within their memory.
Collage Model Architecture Creativity Gift Making Material Aesthetic People Identity Culture Difference Contrast Memory
A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street
This story is a collective outcome after utilising completed Street Detectorism maps, and More-Than-Human findings to create of 'A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street'. 
As part of a dissertation study, this workshop invited participants to share their imagination and develop stories from the previous findings on Dudley High Street. This story creatively archives nature on Dudley High Street, with emphasis for the value of storytelling and nature at the forefront of this task. - A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street (08_12_2021).jpg
A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street This story is a collective outcome after utilising completed Street Detectorism maps, and More-Than-Human findings to create of 'A More-Than-Human Story of Dudley High Street'. As part of a dissertation study, this workshop invited participants to share their imagination and develop stories from the previous findings on Dudley High Street. This story creatively archives nature on Dudley High Street, with emphasis for the value of storytelling and nature at the forefront of this task.
Collage Drawing Observation Imagining Story Poem Beauty Colour Creativity Creatures Decay Growing Imagination Light Making Memory Nature Plantlife Sounds Stories Tiny Things Weathered Words
Concept Model - The model represents the idea of digging into the High Street itself. The idea was to drastically alter the form of the High Street to a point that it altered the ways that people in Dudley would live their day-to- day, changing the theatre of their lives, so that they could learn about their own history, their legacy, and about the endless possibilities of Dudley’s future. The idea was inspired by the word “Cut”, which in Black Country Dialect means “Canals”, as they were long cuts through the land. 

Dudley’s fountain represents the Middle Ages, showing the growth of Dudley over time. While it was the Capital of the Black Country (and still is), the Middle Ages is when Dudley saw itself come into it’s own place, being recognised as a big market town, and slowly expanding it’s territories and influence.

The Castle represents the Dudley Castle, built in the 11th Century. Ruling over the land, the Castle is a key component of the Legacy of Dudley, sitting on the highest point for miles around, rich with history, from Being demolished twice, to the civil war, to now watching over the Zoo.

The factories represent the Industrial Revolution era of Dudley, a time when Dudley was the king of England, and basically ran the entire process. It was an important aspect of Dudley’s Legacy, and sits as probably its crowning glory - even if today we can recognise the disastrous affects it had on the world in the short period of time the era passed.

The Market represents the modern day. Dudley has seen better years, but it is with this project that I propose that even better ones are just around the corner. While people don’t look fondly at Dudley, those from there have a fierce dedication to the legacy of Dudley, which hopefully will burn to a brighter future. - Oscar Law Concept Model 1.png
Concept Model - The model represents the idea of digging into the High Street itself. The idea was to drastically alter the form of the High Street to a point that it altered the ways that people in Dudley would live their day-to- day, changing the theatre of their lives, so that they could learn about their own history, their legacy, and about the endless possibilities of Dudley’s future. The idea was inspired by the word “Cut”, which in Black Country Dialect means “Canals”, as they were long cuts through the land. Dudley’s fountain represents the Middle Ages, showing the growth of Dudley over time. While it was the Capital of the Black Country (and still is), the Middle Ages is when Dudley saw itself come into it’s own place, being recognised as a big market town, and slowly expanding it’s territories and influence. The Castle represents the Dudley Castle, built in the 11th Century. Ruling over the land, the Castle is a key component of the Legacy of Dudley, sitting on the highest point for miles around, rich with history, from Being demolished twice, to the civil war, to now watching over the Zoo. The factories represent the Industrial Revolution era of Dudley, a time when Dudley was the king of England, and basically ran the entire process. It was an important aspect of Dudley’s Legacy, and sits as probably its crowning glory - even if today we can recognise the disastrous affects it had on the world in the short period of time the era passed. The Market represents the modern day. Dudley has seen better years, but it is with this project that I propose that even better ones are just around the corner. While people don’t look fondly at Dudley, those from there have a fierce dedication to the legacy of Dudley, which hopefully will burn to a brighter future.
Model Imagining Making Change Craft Past Future Potential Imagination Water Identity Industry Memory Architecture
The main structure would have various spaces such as the Museum space, possibly a place that people can pin up local activities, and maybe rooms for either changing or for performance practice. As the street is 11m wide on average, there is plenty of space to have the building
fill the space. As the sunlight comes from mainly the south, the south side buildings often shadow the street entirely, which would mean that something being built (especially as it will be dug down a bit) would not shadow out the other buildings. The biggest hurdle to tackle is
that the space shouldn’t not feel overwhelming to the other shops or those who walk down the pavement. Because of this, most of the building’s structure would be in the underneath area, and only parts of it would pop out over the pavement. As the design would be flush
with the pavement, there are also opportunities to have crossing bridges that are both useful by the public, but also incorporated with the design of the new street.

The back of the street would create a unique space for social activities. The space is wide enough and long enough for a performance theatre space to be erected there, but it also has the possibility of having some kind of altered shape to the area, like a raised platform that could house
seating and other social activities. However, the space can also perfectly fit a fully regulated tennis court, badminton court, and volley ball court. People have mentioned that there is also a lack of sport engagement in the area, so this could be used to provide that kind of space. - Oscar Law Proposed design.png
The main structure would have various spaces such as the Museum space, possibly a place that people can pin up local activities, and maybe rooms for either changing or for performance practice. As the street is 11m wide on average, there is plenty of space to have the building fill the space. As the sunlight comes from mainly the south, the south side buildings often shadow the street entirely, which would mean that something being built (especially as it will be dug down a bit) would not shadow out the other buildings. The biggest hurdle to tackle is that the space shouldn’t not feel overwhelming to the other shops or those who walk down the pavement. Because of this, most of the building’s structure would be in the underneath area, and only parts of it would pop out over the pavement. As the design would be flush with the pavement, there are also opportunities to have crossing bridges that are both useful by the public, but also incorporated with the design of the new street. The back of the street would create a unique space for social activities. The space is wide enough and long enough for a performance theatre space to be erected there, but it also has the possibility of having some kind of altered shape to the area, like a raised platform that could house seating and other social activities. However, the space can also perfectly fit a fully regulated tennis court, badminton court, and volley ball court. People have mentioned that there is also a lack of sport engagement in the area, so this could be used to provide that kind of space.
Imagining Map Drawing Collage Change Craft Past Future Potential Imagination Identity Industry Memory Learning Shelter Nature Plantlife Growing Architecture
Caribbean One Stop.docx
Caribbean One Stop The sign above the door Shows a tropical island But in Dudley Town There’s a chill in the air As Earl runs nine miles Before jam and toast and A cup of tea with nine sugars To recharge batteries. He’s not getting any younger but Age is just a mindset. When you’ve worked forty years On the wholesale markets Grafting and providing Your perspective shifts To what is really important. We talk family Community Among plantain and yams We talk heritage Education Among chopped hake and Jamaican pears. Gloria can’t find any mangos Because Earl has stashed them Behind the counter Too soft and sweet for handling. When he gets a ripe breadfruit Earl thinks of Gloria “Know your customers” He tells me “Know a little bit about everything”. I ask Gloria about Triple Blue Cross She tells me about white shirts Bed linen Drying under a Jamaican sun This shop is an education If you just ask the right questions. Earl’s father came in 1954 Bloodlines stretched Across continents Across boundaries Nigeria Scotland Jamaica Germany A mix Earl’s grown into Via Handsworth Birmingham England. He knows a Bristol accent When he hears one They talk about Montpelier Meat markets in Newport Veg markets in St Pauls She comes from Tipton each month To get the things she needs It’s personal She likes personal. The freezer is full of Chicken feet Ox tail Turkey neck Cow foot Flavour is the thing Even water gets spiced For mash Earl tells me As he trims Ghanian yam With a very sharp knife To just the right size. There is barely anything I recognise in this shop But I’m drawn to the colours The stories The journey The difference Halfway around the world or Baked up the road For customers who bang on the window and wave Who stand in the doorway Giving back the banter Who leave with the Caribbean In a blue plastic bag. I leave with a bag of Zoomers Earl tells me “That once I taste Jamaica I’ll be back” I stand in the High Street Cheesy snacks in hand Reminding myself To buy two packets next time.
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Moving Food Change Community Past Colour Memory Stories Water Taste Difference Friendliness
In this post, we captured the street’s atmosphere filled with colour, activity, and pedestrianised streets.
(We decided to present our narrative through social media and instagram posts as we wanted to showcase what individual experiences might be like when experiencing the future High Street. Each of our posts captures a different element of experience on the High Street to form a collective scenario.) - 1_xiDPYDn8mSA_q0UYxmK9Zg.png
In this post, we captured the street’s atmosphere filled with colour, activity, and pedestrianised streets. (We decided to present our narrative through social media and instagram posts as we wanted to showcase what individual experiences might be like when experiencing the future High Street. Each of our posts captures a different element of experience on the High Street to form a collective scenario.)
Imagining Collage Drawing Actions Change Colour Community Creativity Culture Curiosity Difference Food Friendliness Future Sounds Imagination Interacting Invitations Life Making Memory Moving Opportunity People Potential Stories Taste Views Emotion
New use for cars — As part of pedestrianisation we would like to suggest a memorial of sorts to cars. The feature would sit in the middle of the High Street and would consist of an old out-of-use car, being used as a planter and being filled with plants. This gesture symbolises the movement of the High Street’s priorities shifting from the automobile to plants, people and food. - 1_5qV59l-Z2_O-_1DJy2oNgw.png
New use for cars — As part of pedestrianisation we would like to suggest a memorial of sorts to cars. The feature would sit in the middle of the High Street and would consist of an old out-of-use car, being used as a planter and being filled with plants. This gesture symbolises the movement of the High Street’s priorities shifting from the automobile to plants, people and food.
Collage Drawing Imagining New Transport Vehicle Memory Unused Plantlife Nature Growing Change Moving People Food Creativity Imagination Opportunity Future Potential
"Dudley High Street, pictured in the mid 1980s when Cooks department store was a major focus of the town."
Photo Past Old Vehicle Architecture People Consumption Commerce Memory
"Dudley High Street, viewed from the recently-pedestrianised market place, as it looked in May 1985."
Photo Past Old Memory People
Provision.docx
Provision I invite you to stand in my shoes In the space between dark and light To imagine a room laid bare Where you sleep in the bath In the clothes you wear every day Because you don’t have a bed or Even a mattress on the floor To rest your tired frame. You are in crisis Slipped through the cracks It doesn’t matter how or why Just that you are here Needing help Needing compassion Practical support To get back on your feet To feel cared for Provided for Prayers answered. I sit here listening to Blur On the CD player I have just bought from Provision House A beacon-topped Aladdin’s cave of treasures That occupies a space right opposite It’s higher calling Old Co-op Old shoe shop New lease of life For this art-deco giant Three floors of stepping back in time Down history rich stairs Through formica inlaid doors Its belly stuffed with Furniture and bedding Tables and lamps Wardrobes and kitchenware The things that we take for granted Destined for those that have nothing Absolutely nothing A lifeline. In the shop I can still buy a pair of shoes Anything an old department store may well have stocked Ironic I feel. They save the sleeping bags To hand to homeless folk Health-packs and new socks Whatever helps. The Food Club caters for those That need to feed themselves Their families On budgets stretched to breaking They mind the gap that governments should fill By remembering that everybody counts Black Country rules. Kim chats to a woman Buying sticker-books for her granddaughter Laughter slips through this conversation Two books for a pound and you know The girl will have a fun filled afternoon. I ask about the future Plans for expansion Rooms to hire Office space Training programmes on their way Perhaps a life for the room upstairs and I see progress New from old Right from wrong. So, step through this door and lend a hand To those that need it more than You and I will ever understand.
Poem Connection Conversation Gift Light Imagination Invitations Shelter Care Sounds Old New Architecture Big Things Past Memory Consumption Kindness Food Funny Future Change
"Dudley Market Place, pictured here in the early 1980s, with the Trueform shoe shop being rebuilt."
Photo Past Old Memory People
"Hanson's Brewery at the top of Dudley High Street, pictured here in November 1991, shortly before it closed. An Asda supermarket now stands on the site."
Photo Past Old Memory Architecture
"Winter sale in Dudley High street during a cold January in 1958."
Photo Past Old Consumption Commerce Memory
"The interior of William Granage cake shop and cafe in Dudley High Street, taken in 1912."
Photo Past Old Consumption Commerce Memory Food
"Dudley Market Place where archaeologists found the foundations of old market buildings while preparing for the redevelopment of the area in April 2014."
Photo Past Old Memory Archaeology
A collage response to a Co.LAB gift for the High St - “It was nice to be able to use the image for something else. It made me think about placing the cut-out roadmap onto a slightly brighter future version, with colour, vibrancy and plantlife, so that it reminds me what we are heading towards, but still with a hark back to the people and the industry that made Dudley the town it is...” - 2656268F-99B4-47D8-8FF5-953A7068378B (1).jpg
A collage response to a Co.LAB gift for the High St - “It was nice to be able to use the image for something else. It made me think about placing the cut-out roadmap onto a slightly brighter future version, with colour, vibrancy and plantlife, so that it reminds me what we are heading towards, but still with a hark back to the people and the industry that made Dudley the town it is...”
Collage Imagining Abundance Aesthetic Beauty Agency Change Colour Connection Contrast Craft Creativity Expression Familiar Future Gift Identity Imagination Industry Interacting Emotion Joy Life Making Material Memory Nature Opportunity Past Plantlife Potential Moving Stories
"Four Debenhams staff with 100-years service between them were bidding a fond farewell as the store in Dudley High Street closed for the last time in January 1981. Manager Douglas Spalding, who was with the company for 26 years, was photographed with Nancy Robinson, Kathleen Jackson and Marion Sutton."
Photo Past Old Memory People
"Owner Alan Caswell outside the Arcade Toy Shop in the Fountain Arcade in July 2011."
Photo Past Old Memory People
Peeling layers of paint grey, blue, red, green layers of the past revealing themselves... - 210731 1050.jpg
Peeling layers of paint grey, blue, red, green layers of the past revealing themselves...
Text Overcast Cool Decay Colour Memory Old Material Past
The Spiers home furnishing store in Dudley High Street in April 1970 -
The Spiers home furnishing store in Dudley High Street in April 1970 - "Plans to demolish the Spiers home furnishing store in Dudley High Street were met with opposition in April 1970, with campaigners voicing fears the town would become subject to rectangular uniformity and called for the building to be preserved."
Photo Past Old Architecture Voice Care Memory
The whole High Street would be dug out to make way for this new kind of “street”. The idea, as stated, is to alter the way that people use this street, so that they can learn about the legacy of Dudley. This would mean that there would be a canopy that sits on top of the cut, that would also act as a means to shelter everything underneath, but would also be made in Dudley to promote local craftsmans. This canopy can then hold something like Theatre Curtains with the history of Dudley presented on them. As you walk through the cut, you go through all the different parts of Dudley’s Legacy - Saxon, Middle Ages, Industrial Revolution, Modern, and you would end the walk on the “Future”. You would start at one end, up by the top church, and as you walk through towards the market place, you would walk through the eras in chronological order. Then, once you exit the tunnel, you would leave the Modern era, and come out into the reclaimed green space, which would represent the future of Dudley’s Legacy. This would be a Miyawaki Forest that would be expanded out through the streets, taking over the spots where cars used to drive, to now benefit Dudley, it’s people, and the world as a whole.

Dudley’s High Street is about 240 metres long, about 9 metres wide, and rises about 8 metres. This would provided a very prominent feature for the High Street if it was dug out and recommissioned.

An added aspect to the dug out street would be that of the canopy that would reside above it. While thinking of the design, two ideas stood out - one that would stand raised, at about the same level as the end of the street, which would create this arcade styled archway that would reside high above the street. The second was having the canopy be flush with the pavement all the way up, except at the end that would then provide a small increase around the steps.

Both ideas serve the same purpose, but provide drastically different means of doing so. - Oscar Law Parti Diagram.png
The whole High Street would be dug out to make way for this new kind of “street”. The idea, as stated, is to alter the way that people use this street, so that they can learn about the legacy of Dudley. This would mean that there would be a canopy that sits on top of the cut, that would also act as a means to shelter everything underneath, but would also be made in Dudley to promote local craftsmans. This canopy can then hold something like Theatre Curtains with the history of Dudley presented on them. As you walk through the cut, you go through all the different parts of Dudley’s Legacy - Saxon, Middle Ages, Industrial Revolution, Modern, and you would end the walk on the “Future”. You would start at one end, up by the top church, and as you walk through towards the market place, you would walk through the eras in chronological order. Then, once you exit the tunnel, you would leave the Modern era, and come out into the reclaimed green space, which would represent the future of Dudley’s Legacy. This would be a Miyawaki Forest that would be expanded out through the streets, taking over the spots where cars used to drive, to now benefit Dudley, it’s people, and the world as a whole. Dudley’s High Street is about 240 metres long, about 9 metres wide, and rises about 8 metres. This would provided a very prominent feature for the High Street if it was dug out and recommissioned. An added aspect to the dug out street would be that of the canopy that would reside above it. While thinking of the design, two ideas stood out - one that would stand raised, at about the same level as the end of the street, which would create this arcade styled archway that would reside high above the street. The second was having the canopy be flush with the pavement all the way up, except at the end that would then provide a small increase around the steps. Both ideas serve the same purpose, but provide drastically different means of doing so.
Imagining Map Drawing Collage Change Craft Past Future Potential Imagination Identity Industry Memory Learning Shelter Nature Plantlife Growing Architecture