THE BLOXIDGE TALLYGRAPH

One could be forgiven for wondering if Summer has yet arrived in Bloxwich, what with recent bouts of torrential rain, wind and cloud, but  as I am  writing this we are experiencing a few very hot days and it's not long now till  Bloxwich Carnival, so hopefully we can expect a good day for the main event of the year that really brings the people of Bloxwich together.

Another thing that brings people together is sport, and we've recently had good news about the arrival of the new Bloxwich United AFC football club at the Old Red Lion Ground in Somerfield Road.  The team, which comprises lads from all over the area,  has gotten off to a promising start, and I hope they'll get the support they deserve from the town.  Meanwhile  The Tallygraph is working with  Bloxwich United to cover their  matches, and I'll be attending home games in person when I can to take action photographs which will be published here with reports by club President Andrew Poole in a co-operative effort which marks a first for  The Tallygraph.

I hope any Bloxwich folk reading the Tallygraph will continue to find it intriguing, sometimes amusing, and always worthy of support.  If you've enjoyed the content of The Tallygraph, please do let me know via the Guestbook - friendly feedback is always welcome! It is my ongoing aim in turn to support the town and community of Bloxwich and put it on the online map.  Thanks for taking the time to drop by!

Sincerely,

Stuart Williams

Edditer,  The Bloxidge Tallygraph

Email:  the.edditer@thebloxidgetallygraph.com

Published by The Little Bloxwich Press, 23 July 2008.

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Well, Summer finally did get going, if only in fits and starts, which was fortunate for Bloxwich Carnival and this month's Council- organised Bloxwich Fun Day.  Sadly the weather was unkind to Lower Farm Community Association who had to abandon their own Fun Day on the estate due to the intermittent bad weather and the state of the ground.

They do say that the sun shines on the righteous, well that probably doesn't apply to me (even though I did go to the Sunshine School in my formative years!) but the sun has been shining on The Bloxidge Tallygraph!

We've seen a substantial increase in readership thanks to events like the Carnival and the Fun Day, and several useful pieces in the local 'paper' media which have enabled us to raise our profile locally.  Many thanks to everyone who is taking the trouble to read these pages, and I hope you will also avail yourself of the interactive features like the Forums and the Fun & Games page which are unique to a publication of this kind.

The Tallygraph is also swinging more and more into "Community Mode" these days, with our own Community Page and various information linked from there.  We do hope you will support this page especially if you are a community organisation in the Bloxwich area - feel free to get in touch if we can help publicise your work in these pages.

With an increase in our hosting capacity this month, new facilities have been afforded us by Freewebs (not free in this case, but very affordable!).  This means we can now do a lot more than we have in the past year, as you will have noticed in the few short weeks since Bloxwich Carnival.  We will continue to do more, so please keep on coming back to see what's new! 

I hope any Bloxwich folk reading the Tallygraph will continue to find it intriguing, sometimes amusing, and always worthy of support.  If you've enjoyed the content of The Tallygraph, please do let me know via the Guestbook - friendly feedback is always welcome! It is my aim in turn to support the town and community of Bloxwich and put it on the online map.  Thanks for taking the time to drop by!

Sincerely,

Stuart Williams

Edditer,  The Bloxidge Tallygraph

Email:  the.edditer@thebloxidgetallygraph.com

Published by The Little Bloxwich Press, 30th August 2007.

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The Bloxidge Tallygraph is both new and very old, in a way!  This is the second year of online publication, being launched on Saturday 5th August 2006 - the date of Bloxwich Carnival, which is significant. 

The venerable 'ancestor' of this new website was first published way back in the 1870's, in genuine Black Country dialect and handed out at Bloxwich Wakes (itself the direct ancestor of Bloxwich Carnival); it was intended to offer local comment in a slightly rebellious spirit of fun. 

Hopefully the new Bloxidge Tallygraph will be successful in doing the same. 

The sap is rising here in Little Bloxwich, so new material will be landing on the pages of The Tallygraph on a regular basis now up to and including the time of Bloxwich Carnival, which this year takes place on Saturday 4 August.  Since all this work is done in my spare time - and free of charge - you may sometimes find updates are not as frequent as I would like.  But please do keep on coming back, and hopefully you'll always find something old and something new, equally interesting, in these pages throughout the year.

I hope any Bloxwich folk reading the Tallygraph will find it intriguing, sometimes amusing, and always worthy of support.  It is my aim in turn to support the town and community of Bloxwich and put it on the online map.  Thanks for taking the time to drop by!

Sincerely,

Stuart Williams

Edditer
The Bloxidge Tallygraph

The Little Bloxwich Press, March 2007

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The Bloxidge Tallygraph is brand new - it's also very old, in a way!  This is the first issue, officially online from Saturday 5th August 2006 - the date of Bloxwich Carnival, which is significant. 

The venerable 'ancestor' of this new website was published way back in the 1870's, in genuine Black Country dialect and handed out at Bloxwich Wakes (itself the direct ancestor of Bloxwich Carnival); it was intended to offer local comment in a slightly rebellious spirit of fun. 
Hopefully the new Bloxidge Tallygraph will be successful in doing the same. 

The revival of The Bloxidge Tallygraph news-sheet as a local news website for Bloxwich is inspired by that Victorian original, of which only one copy is known to exist, dated about 1874, which is held at Walsall Local History Centre.  I am pleased to be able to say that, with ancestors in Bloxidge (Bloxwich) back to at least 1738, the Taylor side of my family will surely have read the original when it first came out!

It is also a follow-on from the 'Old Bloxwich' website I used to run, and will as a matter of course feature articles on local history, old photographs, and when time permits, my 'Walk Round Old Bloxwich'.  The Tallygraph will continue to strongly feature Bloxwich Carnival, revived in 2000 and today going from strength to strength with its time-honoured Parade reinstated this year.

This is my first attempt at putting a real Bloxwich (Bloxidge) newsletter online, and though I've no intention of trying to compete with my commercial brethren in the local press, I think I can take the time to offer Bloxwich residents and ex-pats something a little more focused on what we all consider to be the best bit of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall!  The whole point of publishing this newsletter is of course to raise the profile of Bloxwich both locally and world-wide, and to benefit the community of Bloxwich as a whole.

I am delighted to have the help of GEORGE JEVONS in this enterprise; he has kindly contributed the text for the pages on Bloxwich Carnival and its history, and on Bloxwich Parks.  George is Vice Chair of Bloxwich Carnival Committee and is also involved in the Friends of Bloxwich Parks.  As someone closely involved with the local community and with a strong interest in local history, his insight and continuing assistance is invaluable.

Hopefully, the Tallygraph will receive the support of Bloxwich residents, organisations and businesses, by reading it, by contributing news and reports, and by (hopefully) advertising in or sponsoring this 21st century publication, which is offered free of charge online to all who care to read it.  This online Bloxidge Tallygraph, and all the equipment required to produce it is paid for entirely out of my own pocket, and as a "Bloxidge mon" I am happy to do that, but a few pennies in the hat could help me do more, so please bear that in mind.

I hope any Bloxwich folk reading the Tallygraph will find it interesting, sometimes amusing, and always worthy of support.  It is my aim in turn to support the town and community of Bloxwich and put it on the online map.  Thanks for taking the time to drop by!

Sincerely,

Stuart Williams

Edditer
The Bloxidge Tallygraph
Launched August 2006

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The only surviving copy of the original Bloxidge Tallygraph (as far as I know) is held at Walsall Local History Centre.

Photocopies (A3) may be purchased from the Centre for 20p plus postage.

See the Centre's website for contact and visitor info:

Walsall Local History Centre

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    The Edditers openin' remarks to his Inlighten'd Readers.

    In starting the "BLOXIDGE TALLYGRAPH" we dunner for won minnit pretend to say that our objeck is "tu supply a want long felt by everybody," wich is yushully said when ennything fresh is bein started.  On the kontrary we dont mind telling yu right off that our objeck is, firstly, yure Pleshur, and nextly, our Profit, but principally the latter.  If it pays it ull go on, if it don't, it wont; na that's a candid an' strateforrard statemint.

    Then with rispect tu our manner of spellin' an writin'.  In the fust place we thought some on yu wud like tu see the Black Country Dialect in print by way ov a contrast in Good Queen's Inglish; in the second place, it's the langwidge spoken by about nine-tenths ov yu, konsekwently yone be able to understand it better than enny other style, it ull kum soo natteral.  But no doubt  all that ull be awter'd when the Skule Boord gets to work, though I'm afeerd that at the rate they'm a gettin on most on yu wun be grey-yedded before that kums tu pass.

    Nextly we think it rite to say that we shall aim at a little harmless mirth by tratin' local affairs an events in a yumerous manner, but shall strickly endevver tu avide giving needless offence tu ennywon.  But if ennyboddy shud unfortunately get offended we shud advise him to purchase some Suthin Powders, and goo tu the sayside till he rekuvvers!!!

The Edditer
The Bloxidge Tallygraph
Issue 1, 1874


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