Oldbury Town Centre has changed dramatically over the years, but its streets, shops, pubs and historic buildings still hold the memories of generations of local people.
In this episode, I explore Oldbury Town Centre, uncovering the history of its streets, shops, pubs and historic buildings, and looking at how the town has changed over the years.
Church Street and the Big House
The walk begins at Oldbury Wesleyan Chapel, dating from 1853, before visiting the Big House and the Court of Requests, Oldbury’s historic courthouse.
Church Street once had its own pubs and shops, many of them now lost.
Civic Oldbury
Sandwell Council House and Library stand close to Oldbury’s Municipal Buildings of 1890, with their clock tower.
Nearby is Oldbury War Memorial, with its First World War tank.
The Lost Bus Station and Canal Street
Sainsbury’s now stands near the site of Oldbury’s lost bus station, close to Aplin’s Newsagents and Jack Judge House, the town’s former library.
A surviving section of Canal Street, with its former Baptist chapel and schoolhouse, leads on to the route of Oldbury’s lost canal.
Low Town and Jack Judge
Low Town, with its connections to Oldbury’s working-class history, was the birthplace of Jack Judge.
Jack Judge once sold fish from a stall near the former Junction Inn before becoming famous for It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.
Birmingham Street, Christ Church and the Market Place
The former Woolworths and the historic shops of Birmingham Street include buildings later relocated to the Black Country Living Museum.
Christ Church and the Church Square Conservation Area, the historic Lloyds Bank building, the lost Talbot Hotel and the old Market Place complete the walk.
Watch the Full Story
This isn’t just a look at Oldbury’s historic buildings. It’s a journey through the changing town centre, exploring what has survived, what has disappeared and the memories these places still hold.
For more on the town’s history, read A Brief History of Oldbury.
Do You Remember Oldbury?
Do you remember Oldbury before the major redevelopments? Perhaps you shopped in the old Birmingham Street shops, visited the Talbot Hotel, caught a bus from the former bus station or remember the old Market Place. I would particularly like to hear from you.
Old photographs, shop names and personal memories can all help preserve details of Oldbury’s history that might otherwise be lost.